#raineyasha blog – day 6 – Sunday 30 October 2016
Happy Diwali!
This morning there was a lot of excitement in New Delhi as today is the day of India’s renowned celebration of “The Festival of Lights”. The streets were lined with people selling bright garlands typically worn during the holiday. We continued our sight seeing by going to the Akshardham Temple, built by 11,000 workers in 5 years. It means “the divine abode of God” and is revered by followers of the Hindu faith. We were all blown away by its exquisite architecture, with detailed carvings and statues covering the walls and roofs, and the vast array of semi-precious stones. We were able to watch numerous videos about the life of Swaminarayan, the central figure in Swaminarayan Hinduism. Unfortunately, the Temple does not allow any cameras or phones on the site, so we couldn’t take photos for our devoted blog readers!
We then decided to take a ride on some Tuk Tuks, a very common mode of transport in New Delhi, thanks to Mr Healy’s now legendary bartering skills. Although it was a tight squeeze to fit 3 people on the small bench, after 3 trips around Connaught Place we were ecstatic.
After getting lost at Connaught Place trying to find a Pizza Hut, we made our way to Cottage Emporium, a store full of traditional Indian crafts. With what seemed to be more than the standard 4 floors of handmade items we began a search for anything and everything, with some people starting at the bottom and working their way up and vice versa. The prices were surprisingly cheap, considering everything was handmade and the people were getting fair prices for their hard work. Some of the items included wooden carvings of animals, beaded bags, purses, scarves, clothes, books and pens etc. Safe to say this was the place most of our money was spent.
After this it was back to the taxis for a quick drive up to parliament buildings and India Gate, where one of the drivers – our self-appointed tour guide – provided us with the history and background to these iconic landmarks. Back at the hotel we all washed up and put on our best clothes to celebrate Diwali with Indian cuisine in the hotel and a fireworks display and traditional Indian drumming , with, like everything in India, limited safety measures! After an impromptu concert from the Methody team on the roof, heard all throughout the hotel, we called it a night as we had an early rise to head the Kusumpur slums in the morning.
Love from Sarah & Hannah
