All over the map: First pics

I managed to get some sleep last night and only ventured out briefly on my own today, namely to get some cash from the ATM. Gandhi is pictured on the bills here. I met Clara Jean at her school in the afternoon for a tour. They work at the American Embassy School here and it really is like an oasis in the middle of the chaos. They also live in the diplomatic enclave so their apartment serves as kind of a refuge. I think if I didn't have this connection here and were thrown into downtown Delhi on my first night, it might be a little overwhelming. We met a Swedish couple at dinner who were completely swept up in a tourist scam their first day here. From everything I've heard and read, this is quite common. You arrive exhausted, hungry, and disoriented and these "touts" are everywhere telling you they can help you with this, that, and the other thing. This couple booked a tour to a number of cities for way too much money. Apparently it is quite common here to charge foreigners more for just about everything. In the news recently was a story about a couple who paid 10,000 rupees for a doughnut in some market. This is the equivalent of $200. So needless to say, one must proceed with caution.

After dinner we went to Purana Qila (Old Fort) for a performance of classical Indian dance. Each piece told a story about Hindu myth and scripture. Thanks to yoga I was able to follow a little, as many of the poses are named for various gods and we learned some of their stories during our training. The outfits, not surprisingly, were stunning. And I have to say that there is just something captivating about Indian women, something beautiful and graceful. Even the flight attendants seemed to exude this peaceful air about them. During the performance I had one of those moments of, "Wow, I'm really here. I'm watching an Indian dance performance in India. How cool is that?" It's one of those rare moments when you are truly present and just drinking it in.

On my morning walk I saw this tree. I have no idea what kind it is, but it's pretty huge and cool looking. There also appears to be some type of shrine on it.