More Delhi Fun!

Life gallops along, but I must back up about a week or so to when Chris and I were in Delhi for the last leg of our time together. (See previous posts for our travels to Kerala, Pune, and Holi in Delhi.) Chris returned to the US on March 11, and I've back to my activities at Fergusson College, Pune.

After our colorful Holi excitement, Chris and I traveled with our dear friends Priyanka and Anupam to Alwar in the state of Rajasthan, a couple of hours' drive south of Delhi. We stayed overnight at the Kesroli Hill Fort, a 14th century fort that has been converted into a resort, with a swimming pool, rooms within the ancient walls of the fort, amazing meals, special regional dishes (including a woman cooking bread over a flame) and more. (In the last photo, you can see vestiges of holi colors still lingering in my hair!)

We took a walk at sunset into the nearby fields where a number of crops were growing, including wheat and mustard. The machine Anupam is looking at in the first photo is a very old hand-cranked cutter/shredder of wheat and other plants, to create fodder for livestock.

The following day, we walked through the nearby village where we felt like the pied piper gathering up children who tagged along with us as we wandered the roads. One precocious, self-assured, and witty 10-year-old girl named Chandni (meaning "moonlight") led us around the village and insisted that we visit her home where she lives with her grandmother and an uncle. (She was not in school.) At one point on the main road, Anupam treated her to an ice cream from a little cart. As we were leaving, she asked him for chappals (sandals), so he returned later to give her money to buy some. She was waiting for us outside the fort gate as we left, to say goodbye. (This set is labeled for more info.)

View from the Fort

View from the Fort

Anupam & Chris (& goat)

Some of the Kids

Anupam with Chandni

a man at his home

a woman who invited me in

Chandni & family

After leaving the overnight fort, we drove to another fort known as Alwar Fort for a small personalized tour, before finally heading back to Delhi where we delivered Chris directly to the airport for his flight home. 💔 (And let's NOT talk about the car break-down just after dropping Chris off! A whole other type of adventure after such a lovely relaxing time...)

But the Delhi adventures were not over quite yet! I stayed an extra 3 days with Priyanka & Anupam. We arranged a friends' gathering in a gorgeous newly-renovated park (Sunder Gardens) with people I knew from my time in Delhi in 2016. Very special to see so many dear friends! And the gardens were stunning. (I also had additional visits with a couple of dear friends later.)

I made sure to visit a couple of well-known outdoor markets (Dilli Haat and Lajpat Nagar) where I turned from "the-Anita-you-know-who-is-definitely-not-a-shopper" into "the-crazy-pop-eyed-endorphinecharged-overstimulated-Anita-who-buys-like-a-maniac."

And thus concludes the Delhi portion of Chris's and my vacation time together! It was a whirlwind and a blast, with memories to last a lifetime.