Delhi explorations continued

On the tour, I visited a couple of temples (the Sikh and Jain temples... Sikhism is more appealing, if only for the fact they didn't hassle for a "donation" to the temple and to the guide...). We also went through a number of marketplaces, including an old market that is now used for housing (a term that I think should be used differently in India to just about anywhere else in the world...). The views were great and the camera got a workout, although I did my best to avoid intruding too much. It has been a real dilemma here... sites such as the Red Fort are great, but it is the everyday of existence of people that really appeals to me, and I'm not too sure how ethical that is....

After a couple of quick stops at the Mahatma Gandhi museum and memorial (and a stop at a shop, no doubt for commission purposes, where I was guilted into buying a couple of souvenirs... no doubt always part of the tour!) I arrived back, through the mass of humanity that are the markets, with hoards of people vying for either a bargain or a sale, spending an hour or so watching the sun set on the rooftop terrace. A few things struck me as I sat there... first, the number of mobile phone towers seemingly attached to anything, but more interestingly was the amount of life that is conducted on roofs. Some boys were playing cricket, others handball, but the biggest craze by far was kite flying. There were more kites than birds in the sky, with a huge number of men on the roof flying kites. I wonder if its a craze (like the occasional yo yo crazes of my childhood) or whether it is firmly entrenched.

Anyway, off to Kathmandu tomorrow. Will have to return to India again for sure!