Our Return to Delhi -Susan

We wake early with the promise of watching the sunrise over the Taj.  We don the hotel robes, dig into the mangos left in the room and sit on the patio.  Unfortunately, it is overcast.  I have a morning nap before hitting the heat again!

Asif and Omveer pick us up at 11 for one last Mughal tomb, Akbar’s, on the way out of town.  The outside of the tomb is the usual sandstone and marble, but inside there are some magnificent frescoes!

The hotel has given us a box lunch for the ride back, so as they say, “we don’t have to take any chances with the local food”! Asif leaves with promises of friending us on Facebook and asks if we will send him a good book on Judaism, so he can get a better understanding of our religion.  We are open to anyone for a good suggestion on what book we might send.

We set out with Omveer in the white tourist Sedan for Delhi.  We had chosen to go by car on the return, as the express train didn’t leave until later in the evening.

During the 4 hour ride back, I find the unending humanity, crumbling road scenes and oppressive heat overwhelming.  I am riding in the backseat capturing my thoughts for the blog on the iPad, as the driver honks often winding through the snarl of traffic on the simple paved roads.  Omveer’s driving skills are quite impressive.  Alan is sitting quietly in the front seat trying to manage his tenacity to motion sickness, when he is not the driver.

The “Greyhound Train” (sans the train stations!) appeals as I wonder when we will see the tree lined streets of New Delhi again.  The thought of the cool bath scene in the movie, The English Patient comes to mind as the car’s air conditioning can’t keep up with afternoon’s heat.

When we return to the Imperial Hotel, we feel like we have returned home.  Many of the staff members remember our names, calling us, “Mr. and Mrs. Myers”, with their awkward pronunciation of Myers. They put us back in a suite for the regular room rate, which was incredibly kind.

We have dinner in the wonderful Spice Route restaurant in the hotel for a second time.  If you have the opportunity to visit Delhi, having a meal there is highly recommended.  According to the menu, Conde Nast magazine rates it as one of the top restaurants in the world. The menu and decorations have been created from the various countries along the route of the ancient merchant’s searching for Asian spices.  The hotel took over seven years to create the restaurant, pulling together beautiful artifacts to create the colorful and cozy atmosphere.

This time they put us in the “relationship” section of the restaurant.  We liked the symmetry of moving from health to relationship in our travels! The manager and waiters are so chatty; they treated us like old friends inquiring about our travels.  This is must be part of their magic formula for a very successful business!  I order the same chicken dish from Sri Lanka as last time because it was so delicious.  I was so thrilled with the dish; the manager has the recipe written out for me!  Happy to share if anyone wants a wonderful dish with coconut oil and curry leaves that can be made with chicken or fish! We will certainly be serving, at least trying to recreate it at home!

We pack up our bags, a bit sad that the end of fun touring days are over.