Jason and I are currently in Delhi. We both recovered nicely from our tummy troubles after taking some antibiotics and left Khajuraho for Agra.

Agra had the most disgusting air I've ever breathed in the world. In the morning, a strange fog hangs over the city. But, we could not pass up the Taj Mahal! Despite the crowds -- it seemed like a quarter of India was visiting the Taj on the day we went -- it was still wonderful. The Pyramids can be a bit underwhelming on a visit, but the Taj Mahal is definitely not. It is like a dream come to life. Like a fairy tale castle (though it is a _tomb_ afterall) that somehow floated down to this miserable little industrial city, Agra.

We also visited Fahtepur Sikri. I only mention this because we saw our first Indian mosque. Jason was a bit hesitant to visit this mosque because of our experiences in Egypt. Honestly, most mosques aren't too interesting unless you are an expert in Islamic architecture, and in Egypt the hassle of getting in the building outweighed any interest inside. Egyptian mosques are (naturally) very serious affairs and the "helpers" try to extract much money from the hapless tourist ("yes, for restoration of the mosque. america bomb many mosques... iraq...give me five dollars"). The Indian mosque is a much less serious affair.

We did have to take our shoes off to see the Jama Masjid mosque at Fahtepur. Usually, that isn't a problem in Egyptian mosques, because they are, as I said, serious affairs and the floors are swept and lots of sweaty feet means somewhat clean floors. However, the floors at the Jama Masjid were filthy. Folks were eating and walking around, throwing trash on the ground as per the usual in India. Vendors were selling fruit, toys, various foodstuffs, peanuts, chips, paan. I stepped in a gross gob of red paan spit (with my bare feet) when I was trying to dodge some child beggars. Jason and I felt completely comfortable walking around because the whole place was swamped with Indian tourists. I don't think there were many Muslims in the mosque, since most people seemed to be on holiday -- taking pictures and chatting in groups.

After seeing the Taj and Fahtepur Sikri, Jason and I have caught the traveling bug again. I was cursing India (again!) in Khajuraho but we're both happy now.

Right now we are staying in the Paharganj neighborhood in Delhi at a hotel called "Lord's Hotel". It is very nice, as would befit a hotel with such a name. I saw the sign first, thought maybe it meant the Lord Christ and eagerly scrambled up the stairs hoping to see a cross or something, but there were posters of Krishna at the reception desk. hee, hee.

Paharganj is a very interesting neighborhood. On the night I was looking for a hotel, I was dodging cows, elephants, motorscooters, cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws. Really quite a workout. I was pretty tired after an hour of that. I was especially careful when walking around the elephants.

Just a ten-minute walk from Paharganj is an area Connaught Place. In CP, you feel you are very much in a un-Indian, capital city. There are lots of men walking around in suits, the streets are very clean, with a minimum of the usual street food vendors and crazy hustle bustle in most cities here. You can actually walk on the sidewalks and all streets are clearly labeled. There are lots of good restaurants and yes, Barista, my new favorite coffee shop.

Last night Jason and I went to a so-called Tex-Mex restaurant in Connaught Place called "Rodeo". It was actually pretty good. Though, instead of jalepeno cornbread we got jalepeno egg bread (!) with whipped yogurt. The menu was very interesting. First you chose your "tortilla type": enchilada, quesadilla, chimichanga, sopa, etc. Then, you chose your "tortilla filling": spicy lamb, potato, apple and tomato, citrus chicken, or fish. This arrived with kidney beans in a spicy ketchup sauce and two tiny dollups of whipped yogurt and avocado. No matter what the tortilla or filling, you paid the same price of 265 rupees, which is about $6. (To put that in perspective, most main entrees in India cost 30-60 rupees.) A shot of tequilla is 120 rupees. A margarita, which has exactly one shot of tequilla, is only 40 more rupees than the shot alone. It's all so rational.

Another interesting thing I've noticed about Indian restaurants, is that you rarely pay more for a bottle of mineral water than you would if you had bought the water at a grocery store. Compare with Egypt or pretty much anywhere at a restaurant in the U.S. or Europe, where you would usually pay three times as much the grocery price for water. At Rodeo, they were charging 50 rupees for a liter of water (10-12 rupees at a grocery store). On the bill was printed a paragraph explaining the charges: 25 for the water and 25 for a service and amentities charge -- "thank you for understanding!"