On Day2 we took a trip to the Qutb Complex in southern Delhi. This is the site of the first Mosque built in India - in 1192. The center piece is the massive 5 storey Minar built a little later in the early 1200's. It's 2010-11.... and this stuff is still standing. Along with the Mosque and Minar are several tombs and incredibly carved gateways. From the 1200's the tombs and gateways were added throughout time - 1400s, graves added in the 1700's. There's only so much history that guide books can give, and Wiki is an excellent source.
Our adventure started off with a Tuk-Tuk to the Race Course Metro and a train ride to the Qutb Minar complex. Now, I have mentioned the Metros before as being new, clean and sleek. But, I have failed to mention that they are potentially the safest place you could be in Delhi. To enter a Metro, and the same with the large monuments, you have to pass through a metal detector, sometimes a wand detector too, and have your bags x-rayed. Just like at the airport screenings. Makes sense, there can be terrorist-type of violence in India.
Once at the Qutb stop, we had to take a Tuk-tuk to the complex. We didn't know how far of a ride it would be. Could be just a short ride, or a long one. So we asked a couple drivers the cost to the complex.... knowing that we could potentially get screwed. In addition, we really didn't know were we were going and with the 6 of us, we didn't want to get separated. We asked 2 drivers and got 10Rs and 50Rs - okay, cheap and Really cheap. But, It was MY idea to at least go out into the road to see how far it would be. Someone pointed down the road and said in relation to - "Over there ...and cross the road" .
Cross the road..... The road is Anuvrat Marg - at least 3-4 lanes of constant traffic and movement. Not a break in sight. And NOT safe to pull 2 kids with you across it. If there is a crosswalk, as I pointed out earlier, it's only "paint on the road". So we go back to the tuk-tuk drivers, and we still didn't want to get our group separated.
We talked a driver into one ride - ALL OF US, 6 PEOPLE - for 40Rs ! The drivers KNOW that to have this many people on one ride is not safe... a dumb thing to do..... and usually drivers in India are not cautious. Heather sat on my lap, Julia on Martie's and Josh on Wayne's.
You can only exit onto the Marg to the left, you can't cross traffic, for a good reason. It's a very busy road....... So we speed out into traffic; to a driver time is money. And after a short distance at an intersection, he suddenly does a u-turn out into the on-coming traffic. We have 1/2 of the Lucas-Foster lineage here. Cars, buses, motorcycles, tuk-tuks are flying at us; And everyone, maybe except for Julia, was thinking the same thing - "OH SHIT".
Now, I'm laughing just thinking about it.
As a side note - I do believe that traveling in India requires a lot of luck. Kind of like how a cat has 9 lives. We just used 1/2 of a life here. Later, we will use 2-3 lives in a vehicle..... but that's later - This is only Day2 in Delhi.....
