India: An Architectural Point of View

Day 2 – More Poverty
Bradon Loya
We woke up eat some food. By this time the spicy food, although good, had started to really upset my stomach and I missed having some sort of beef. In India cows are considered sacred. They did have a tea that tasted much like rice, sugar, and milk. The tea brought back many memories from when I was small but most importantly it helped to calm my stomach.

We were soon headed off to the Red Fort. The Red Fort and its nearby mosque seems to be the most historical of all sites in New Delhi. We were dropped off a few streets from this massive red structure. It was the first fort I have ever seen and it was an amazing site. We met a guide, a PhD in architecture, who gave us a nice talk about the history of the place. We headed off to the mosque before we went into the fort.
The streets were very crowded! So crowded that it was hard to see and stay up with our group. The poverty was so bad it almost made me sick. Dogs were half starved sleeping in corners. People were asleep in nasty environments with flies swarming them. Shops were so packed in next to each other with people using every trick in the book to get you to buy their product. The streets, walls, and buildings were all stained black of filth. It was a terrible time to walk through the street with people with broken legs and women and children begging for money. It makes me feel so h to have grown up where I did. The mosque was huge! We had to take off our shoes in order to enter. It was amazing to see how devoted these people were to their religion. We took some great pictures. I am working on getting the hardware to load them on my blog to share with readers.

The Red Fort was not much more surprising than the outside walls. I did enjoy the less crowded atmosphere inside the fort. They told a story of how terrorist have taken over the fort and used it. Due to this, there was a high security. The walls must have been ten stories high with a very rich red color. By this time we had walked a far distance and had seen more than I could ever recall.

We contrasted this extreme poverty with a visit to the Empirical Hotel for a drink. This was one of the nicest places I have ever seen. I felt like royalty! I was most shocked when there was an attendant in the restroom. He turned on the water to wash my hands and gave me a towel to dry my hands after I used the restroom. Drinking an Indian beer was much fun. We laughed and had a fun time. It was a great way to end such a shocking day.