Our Saturday Outing: Humayun's Tomb

This Saturday we managed to pry Owen off the comfy leather sofa and away from the plasma screen TV and go on our planned outing: Humayun's Tomb. We learned that not only is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but so is the Qtub Minar, last Saturday's destination. Two World Heritage Sites in two weeks! Humayun was the second Moghul ruler of Hindustan in the early 1500s. The first was Babur, who is now buried in Kabul.


The tomb is notable because it is an early version of the architectural style which would 100 years later be perfected in the Taj Mahal. It is a blend of Persian and Indian designs and motifs. Instead of pure white marble (the Taj), it is built principally of red sandstone with white and black marble embellishments.

The site was not crowded at all when we arrived. We paid the visitors fee, 250 rupees, instead of the locals' fee, 10 rupees. We approached the site through a series of courtyards and gardens. At one side tomb area, a retired history professor offered to give us a five minute description and explanation with a tip as payment. He was interesting and fast talking, and apparently quite accurate.


When we arrived at the main courtyard, another guide volunteered to accompany us. He took us all through the building and added a lot to our understanding. He also took a picture of the four of us at a nice spot. At the end, he wasn't happy with the 120 rupees tip we offered (he asked for US dollars, and I offered him $3, which is about 120 rupees). He did take it in the end, no surprise there.















After taking in as much as we desired, we left the site, stopping in the parking lot to buy two peacock feather fans. We paid half the original asking price, and presumably could've bargained harder.



We then chose to go back to the Khan Market to a restaurant we'd enjoyed during our first weekend. It has eclectic nouvelle cuisine--American, Mediterranean, Asian fusion--that's a nice break from Indian fare. We enjoyed appetizers, mango/yogurt smoothies, main dishes, and three delectable desserts. Interestingly, a young woman at the table behind ours recognized me from the Fulbright orientation meeting in late June. She is a Fulbright student scholar, a recent graduate of Yale. We invited her (Molly) to join us for dessert, and gained lots of tips from her since she's been here since October. We'll see her again this week at a Fulbright event.

After lunch we bought Owen a soccer ball and Adelaide a pair of lavishly embroidered leather flats, so we all went home quite happy. Owen worked up a game of soccer in our small local park and game home sweaty and happy two hours later!

We are doing our best to see all that Delhi has to offer while planning our travels farther afield in February and March.

Hope you all had a great Saturday, too.