Day 3 in Delhi!

Hello everyone! So here we are, day 3 in India. So far things are amazing. We are truly living the high life here at the Taj Palace. It is great, but it has proven very difficult to adjust to such conditions! We have anything we need, plus more such as fresh flowers and fruit left in our room on a daily basis. The treatment we recieve is more than comfortable, yet Dan and I have mixed feelings about it. It is hard not to feel a little bit guilty about our accomodations especially when we compare it to life outside of "the bubble." Don't get me wrong though, it is fantastic and I am sure we will have no problem getting used to it! By the way, the food is delicious!!!!
We had our first taste of life in New Delhi yesterday. We hired a driver and ventured off to do some shopping. We went to an open market called Dilli Haat. It was an amazing aray of clothing and crafts. There were tons of little booths set up where people from around the country came to sell their creations. It was a vibrant and most enjoyable environment. We were also driven by the Indian Parliament. As we were leaving, the street was temporarily blocked and we watched while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was driven by. That was really neat.
Our excursion also included some insights into poverty. Housing that is not comprable to anything in the states. Buildings with lots of open space and open staircases where tapestries and cloth are hung to cover windows and doors. Run down buildings everywhere. Lots of construction being done by manual labor. There are stray dogs and cats everywhere, most of them just lounging in the streets trying to stay cool. It is such a different perspective on life and it is really amazing to see first hand. It is also quite strange to see cows roaming the streets and monkeys just hanging out by the side of the road!
Well I should be wrapping this up! We have pictures of most of the things I have mentioned, but we are having trouble posting them. I will have Dan try to work on it some more when he comes home from his first day at the office!
Much more to come later!!!
Bye for now
- Courtney