Lal Qil'al

Megan and I explored Old Delhi and Lal Qil'al (or the Red Fort) on Sunday. This was the first time I used my Indian residency papers to get the non-foreigner fare at a tourist attraction (for residents the fare is Rs20 for foreigners Rs200). I got chuckle at the admission gate attendant's shock when I presented an Indian resident ticket.

I'm quite sure it was an impressive palace in it's day but once through the impressive red sandstone gate the rest of the fort was falling apart. The remaining structures give very little evidence of the extravagance of the 15th century but when I realized that it was a string of buildings dedicated to bathing my opinion changed. Water, the Stream of Paradise to be exact, was meant to flow through the string of pavilions. Adding visions of flowing water, lush grass, gold plated ceilings and rich fabrics I could even envision myself lounging around on a lazy Sunday.

After the Red Fort I impressed myself with some serious bartering for a pair of camel skin Punjabi shoes and ate a fabulous dinner at Karim's. The one regret was that we did not get into the mosque in Old Delhi; it's the largest mosque in the entire city....good thing I'm here for a while.