Day in Delhi (Minor Celeb Status- Part 3)

On our second day in Delhi I managed to convince Hubs that we should spend hours in the heat and sun to wander around Red Fort. He agreed (one of the perks of being the vacation planner this time is that he was generally very agreeable with the schedule) and we decided to take the metro to Old Delhi since a rickshaw ride would take forever.

The Delhi metro was new, clean, cheap, efficient, and- most importantly- air conditioned. It spit us out about half a mile from the entrance to the Fort and we took a bicycle rickshaw from the exit to the Fort. We thought we agreed upon a price with a driver, but when we exited, he seemed to be upset with our payment. Immediately after getting out of the rickshaw, we were approached by another guy eager to help us sort through the situation. I dashed off to the side and out of the way and after a minute of mild arguing, Hubs joined me. One of the hardest things for me to do while while traveling is to discern who is actually trying to be helpful (and at what cost) and who is trying to catch me in some scheme (and when it's beneficial just to play along), all while remaining open and optimistic. It can be especially difficult when I'm hot and tired and have already been ripped off- but luckily we did an okay job throughout the trip. 

Behind the bicycle rickshaw driver

At any rate, Red Fort was much busier (probably because we were there on a Saturday) than Lotus Temple had been, and we made our way to the ticket line and bought audio guides (highly recommended- we don't usually get them but in this case, Lonely Planet was spot on). The fort was built in the 17th century when Shah Jahan, a Mughal emporer, decided to move the capital from Agra to Delhi. It's massive- and beautifully built of red sandstone. Even today, it serves an important national purpose- each year on Independence Day, the prime minister raises the flag from Lahore Gate and gives a televised speech to the country. You can read more about the Red Fort here.

Inside the walls at Lahore Gate

Colorful visitors

Public audience hall

There are a number of really interesting buildings inside the fort. We wandered around trying not to break a sweat (impossible) and learning about the Mughal empire. My favorites were Diwan-i-Aam, the public audience hall (above and below), and the mosque. Even after so many years, the detail preserved on these structures is amazing.

The gorgeous hammams

British barracks

The private mosque adjacent to the imperial apartments was beautiful. Although the outer walls line up with the rest of the buildings in the fort, there is a set of inner walls that are slightly shifted to face Mecca (like other mosques).

The Pearl Mosque

B-list celeb status

One of the more bewildering things about visiting the Red Fort was my instant B-list celebrity status. Immediately after we got out of the rickshaw and started walking to the ticket line I was approached by a small group of young Indians holding out a camera. I figured they wanted me to take a picture of their whole group and I agreed (I'm always trying to get a decent picture of Hubs and I together when we travel so I'm happy to help others). I was confused when they seemed to want me in the picture, too, and even more flummoxed when they wanted a picture of me- alone. We were inside the fort for hours and were probably approached directly another seven or eight times and photographed surreptitiously a handful more. The only thing we can figure out is that a tall, pale woman is out of the ordinary enough to warrant a picture.

Detail on doors at Diwan-i-Khas, the private audience hall

Resting just outside the fort

Outside the Red Fort

Snacks and rickshaws

Busy weekend shopping

After the fort, we wandered (by foot) back through the Chandni Chowk area and towards the metro. Since it was the weekend, the markets were completely packed and in order to preserve Hubs' sanity, I opted to walk past the tempting alleys and stalls and navigate us back to the Hauz Khas area for a snack and a sunset stroll.