We arrive in Delhi

We arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning, and got through the airport with good speed. Our driver, Pridpal, met us and brought us to the incredible India Habitat Center. It's a very beautiful modern complex of gardens and buildings near the Lodhi Gardens -- in addition to the club where we are staying (through the hospitality of Delhi resident that we met through a collegue of Mark's) there is a cinema, a number of private and public restaurants, and a web of meeting spaces for various community groups. Last night, the center was buzzing with at least one wedding, another engagement party, an original play created from the diary of Gandhi's assistant, and a meeting of about 75 young people who were there to discuss how to create community and what their level of responsibility was on how involved they should be in making India a better place (Mark took the girls to this for a bit, and they were very impressed that a) the video that one teenager had prepared used a favorite song of theirs by Green Day, and b) the discussion was in English). There is a packed calendar of events here that we hope to explore a bit -- a key topic seems to the environment and debate about India's "progress". And of course we'll be exploring the historic sights in the city! Here's a photo of the courtyard at the Habitat Centre:


The Courtyard at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi


We went to a crowded market street with dozens of clothing and art shops, and a lively mixture of sidewalk hawkers of rope, belts, open fires for roasting ears of corn, toys and drinks. The girls and I each bought a "salwar kameez" outfit, which is a gauzy tunic over loose pants, with all three totalling 1000 rupees (about $20). Food is absurdly cheap here, and the dinner that Mark and I had cost about $14 for two, and the same meal would have cost about $70 in England, and about $35 in America. No kidding.

The kids had a very American meal at the restaurant in the center:



Kobi orders a Grilled Cheese and french fries and bottled water at the American Diner in Delhi.

So, I'll write more later, and everyone will be posting, but this was just a hello to let you know we arrived safely and are having a wonderful time!

-Jen