Sums up my mornings

Taken from r/ffffuuuuuuuuuuuu

Trip - 5 - Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri. It was surprisingly clean. Also, all the trinket peddlers were restricted from coming inside and selling their wares, so that was a relief. 

Another picture of the Fatehpur Sikri (I have a lot). 

I surreptitiously took this guy's picture. He probably had SARS. Just kidding.*

Elephant tomb. Elephants were used for death sentences then (crushing) and when this one died, a monument was constructed. Something about the emperor's favorite elephant. Apparently all those white things coming out are all tusks? 

*: Not really.

Trip - 4 - Delhi Metro

The Delhi metro is a lot more extensive that I thought it would be. The elevation changes - switching from overground to underground made it feel like DART in Dallas (which is excellent). 

Buying token booths. I wasn't able to take a picture (because they're a lot more militant here), but the security upon entering the metro is 'intense' as well - lackluster in preventing anything (probably) but there for general theatre. Police have basically set up little bunkers where you pass through metal detectors and get a pat-down. Yes, pat-down. And no one complained. Also, they were all equipped with MP5s. 

Here we go, one of the overground stations. As we passed the AIIMS stop, my mom gave me a look. Please, AIIMS is so overburdened that it has trouble keeping up with providing adequate care. Largely a population issue. 

Aaand video. You can see me in the last few frames. 

One of the overground metro tracks. I always laugh when I see rickshaw drivers with American university sweatshirts? Where did he get that, anyway? Someone probably didn't want it. Zing!

Trip - 3 - Juxtapositioning

One of the first things I after arriving at New Delhi was to take a few pictures from as high up as I could get.

Here's such a view.

You can see the servant's quarters in the middle of the picture, right next to the house (a bit higher than center). Also, a few cars to the left; undoubtedly taxis awaiting calls from the hotel staff.

I had fixed my jet lag on the London leg so I got some breakfast while everyone else was sleeping. Everyone else, apparently. Probably the nicest Marriott I've ever been to, but it was nothing compared to the Janakpuri Hilton. (more on that later)

Trip - 2 - Security

Security is a big deal. Presumably after the hotel bombings in Bombay.* 

There's a guard box at the lower left, with metal bars that can be lowered to allow vehicles to pass. When you drive up in a taxi, they ask you to pop the hood and scan the undersides of your vehicle for oddities. 

I tried to take a picture of the whole thing; he wasn't very happy with me. They didn't really open the trunk (and I know how big plutonium halves are), so I'm pretty sure this is all security theatre. Also, metal detectors when you enter. 

*: I like Bombay better than Mumbai.

Trip - 1 - Lakshmi on the Dollar

Over the next few months, I'll be doing a sort of slow, wikileaks-esque release of pictures from my last trip, with a few words of commentary.

Lakshmi on the Dollar.

Found at the New Delhi Marriott hotel (the first one we went to). The exploding middle class means that a lot of people have (relatively) become much much richer, transplanting the American dream into home and vehicle ownership. 

Just doing some desktop cleaning.

Found this on my desktop - A Science mag abstract which pretty much puts the nail in the coffin of my 18 year old theory that all the carnivores ate all the herbivores and then all the dinosaurs died out. Since no one ate the turtles, turtles still exist today. 18 years.