Beginnings

Jeff resumed work at IKEA on January 3^rd but we were all still in holiday mode and keen to engage all our senses.  We visited temples and mosques, rummaged for bargains in street markets, rode in three wheel taxis and cycle rickshaws, walked amongst cows, goats, chickens and pigs and ate the spiciest food we could find.  Jeff joined us after work each evening and on the weekend we celebrated his birthday with a relatively organised food tour.

The assault on my senses was complete with the complex rhythms and sounds blaring through loud speakers, massive throngs in the markets, utterly disfigured beggars, beautiful barefooted children doing acrobatics amid the traffic jams for money, smells of street cooking, piles of rotting rubbish, dazzling jewellery stores and slum dwellers sorting through garbage beside luxury cars.

Our first week included visits to the biggest and brightest temples and mosques in the city.  One, the Bahai Lotus Temple looks strangely like the Sydney Opera house and another, Akshardham, houses an underground theme park style boat ride showcasing the history of India.  At a more local level, I gradually increased my safety zone and explored my neighbourhood, finding lovely parks, monuments and trendy shopping areas.  I also discovered resident cows, negotiated very roughly constructed pavements and got to know some of the locals.