Final Document

Second to last day

Old Delhi has the largest mosque in India, I was swindled out of 200 rupees at the door(tickets for a mosque?) but once inside I saw that it was well worth it. The red stone courtyard set on a hill and is bordered by columed walkways on 3 sides. The main building has vaulted ceilings and a large chandelier.
pictures:

Next the red fort.
A walk through Old Delhi was a few hours lost in alleyways and when I finally emerged on to a larger street with more than foot and bike traffic, I was done.
It was early afternoon so I headed to Cafe Turtle straight for the John Grisham, it was sitting right where I left it 2 days ago. I spent the next two hours sipping fruit juices and teas and reading. However half way through the book, I lost interest, my mind wandered and I was brought back to Delhi - I still have time for massage before dinner.
For Dinner at Defense Colony, I was drawn to the seafood place next to an Italian restaurant I had been to earlier. It was a quiet lounge with a variety of whiskies, Indian and international. I gorged myself on seafood salad(it was really big salad) and read Google with my whisky till dark.

Independence Day

Today is India's Independence Day, yesterday was Pakistan's.
Having the whole day unexpectedly free, I was a little at loss on what to do, which was compounded by the fact that nothing was open.
In the morning I headed to Counnaught to book a day trip to Agra. It was deserted, and the tour office closed. I resolved to spend the day doing nothing and remembered that John Grisham book sitting at the cafe from a few days ago. That could be a real vacation, a enjoyable waste of time.
At the GK1 N-block market, the bookstore/cafe was closed as well. Only one restaurant remained open on the entire block. I was hesitant, but eventually went inside. The doorway to the restaurant was small and very deceiving. On the ground floor was a small cafe, on the first floor two separate restaurants, one french one Italian, the third floor was Chinese and the fourth floor a massive Indian restaurant. I settle in a corner of the 4th floor and for a hour and a half had a very satisfying meal of cucumber salad, butter nann, fish curry, ice cream and tea.
After lunch I wandered around in search of a bookstore and found one in green park market attached to coffee day. There was no apparent order to the books as The Devil Wears Prada, The Fountainhead, East West and The Google Story sat next to each other. It is funny, but after browsing for a few minutes, I returned to these four and really debated between them. After reading the first pages of each, even Fountainhead whose first pages I had read many without ever getting past page 30, I finally chose the Google. It is a book that most likely would get me thinking about thesis again while still qualifying as enjoyable light reading.
With new book in hand, I settled into a corner couch at coffee day and the afternoon flew by.
On the walk home I saw a great pair of cows in the street, one napping with the other watching over it.

way to work

Sitting in the back of the auto-rickshaw on my way to work today, it occured to me to start drawing again. I had stopped drawing as a habit after the first 2 years of college and stopped all soon after that except the occasional sketch for work. Lately I have been wishing for drawing tools instead of a camera, but it may be a while longer until this overcomes my laziness.
The morning ride has become a good routine finally, on my last day at work. The street signs are hidden or melt into advertisements and posters covering the walls of every building. But I discovered I now know the way to work! too bad it is the last day.
But just in case:
First a left at the street with the concret picket fence dividers, a u-turn after the blue steel shack, left onto the street market right after the giant trash container, see women selling orange flowers on strings on street corner, past first electronics and wires, then fruits and vegetables, follow the curve of the road left then right. Straight until the second gated street, left past big houses with glass and concret door ways, one of them with the last name Singh, past one guard booth, past a grocery with no doors, then left on to the wider avenue, the office is the 3rd house on the left side of the block.
The way home is another story though, it somehow is completely different and cost more always and I do not know I am there until I see the familiar red and white sign for coffee.

brochure 2 side b

other dogs and cows and things

a building on my walk


at GK1 M

Back of Haymayun

It is so skinny

Concrete picket fence street dividers

it barked and terrorized tourist kids on my way out

Cows

After work, I was to meet Apu at GK1 N block, which is confusing because there is also GK2 and GK3 around and I pronounce N like M apparently. So There I was at M block, which unlike the alphabet, is not next to N block, W block is in between.
So I am walking around in rain and mud along a big road (which happened a lot this week), and I see 3 cows. One white, one brown, one black, and they are hanging out in the divider of the road with a dog. So I guess it was worth it.

At N block, I had cucumber juice at the Turtle cafe, a book, yoga and coffee store. When I sat down I noticed John Grisham's The Street Lawyer on a shelf immediatly to my right. So I picked it up, and it really took me back to middle school, The Firm and The Pelican Brief days. I regreted it as soon as I opened the book, I wanted to read on(there is a hostage situation in a law firm), but knew I better get home soon and get work done. The next time I looked up it is dark outside.
Oh no!

I got a cab to Coffee day in green park and got my usual "cold sparkle" to go before heading back to the hotel.