In Doha

I'm in Doha waiting for my flight to Atlanta to take off. 15 hours from now I will be in Atlanta! Thanks for all the comments people made.

At the barber shop

Chai

Hanuman

Delhi

I wrote the below yesterday but haven't been able to get it to upload from my phone. The hotel I am staying in has computers for guests, so I'll give it a shot on the computer. I can't get the photo to attach on the PC, either.

I arrived here yesterday evening. I am staying in a hotel called Bloomrooms very near the New Delhi railway station and a ten minute walk from Pahar Gunj, an area known for cheap lodging for backpackers. My room is small but well designed and has everything I need until I leave for home in a week.

This morning I walked to the Red Fort, which took about an hour. The man at the desk of the hotel wasn't able to help with directions because he said it was too far away to walk there. On the way to the fort I chanced on a huge mosque whose name I am too lazy to look up right now. The fort was interesting but the British destroyed a lot of the old buildings to build barracks. They did leave several of the Shah's buildings standing, though, including the one in the photo.

If I had my way I would fly home tomorrow, but I chose my flight months ago based on the flight being as direct to Atlanta as I could find. It is the inaugural flight for Qatar Airlines directly from Delhi to Atlanta, with, of course, a layover in Doha. I'll use my time in Delhi seeing sights and enjoying the variety of restaurants. I ate in one today, Haldirams, that said they have a branch in Atlanta!

Still in Varanasi

Two evenings ago I went to the nightly ceremony held at the main ghat. It was a full moon and there were thousands of people attending, most of them in a good mood. It was quite the spectacle, with amplified music, singing, smoke and fire. The picture is of the fire part. When I arrived there was already a large crowd seated and standing on the ghats (steps). I stood pretty close to the action so I could take photos. First there was a man singing and his song was played through speakers that echoed. His song sounded like a combination of Shpongle and Dead Can Dance - terrific stuff. That was just the warm up, though, for five men who sang, blew conch shells, waved censers, and finally saluted with the fire holders you can see in the photo. What a show. It's all to worship/honor the Ganges and they do it every night.

Earlier in the day I chanced upon a procession that included a marching band, little girls in fancy clothes in a horse-drawn carriage, a wagon with a big array of speakers a la the latest Mad Max movie, a crowd of drummers that brought tears to my eyes they were so good (really - my eyes got misty from the emotion of it) and a lot of people dancing to the beat. This all took place on the road to the main ghats, which is always really crowded even without a procession. I am glad I decided to spend several days here.

What I have done mostly is walk and get lost in the alleys of the old city. Some of the alleys are no more than three feet wide but most are six to eight feet across. They all seem really narrow when there is a big cow or bull standing in them. It is difficult to decide whether to try to squeeze by the head or the tail. I usually choose the tail because it doesn't have horns. There are monkeys, too, but they are usually overhead. There are also motorbikes that one has to make way for. If I had my way the motorbikes would not be allowed in the alleys. The riders are invariably rude and blow their horns just about constantly. It is quite the sight to see three or four motorbikes coming from opposite directions trying to get by each other and the people who happen to be in the alleys too.

Tomorrow I will go to Delhi, the last city before I go home.

Shrine

I am always curious about what makes a particular tree worthy of having a shrine. I have asked and gotten vague answers. Maybe a little research is in order. I liked this shrine and put some flowers I bought on it. The ones I bought are not in this photo, though.