Red Fort
Today was largely intended as a day to recover from jet lag. I started feeling good but by 3:30 in the afternoon tiredness took over in a big way. That being said, today’s tour was nothing short of amazing. We visited the Red Fort in the middle of Old Deli.
Getting there and back was a thrill. It was about an hour drive each way. The traffic in Deli makes congestion back home appear to be child’s play. One of the more experienced travelers joining us on the excursion offered me a Dramamine as soon as we climbed Into our ride. I thought that peculiar. It wasn’t long before it became abundantly clear just how practical that offer actually was! I survived without Dramamine (and without any sort of embarrassing repercussion) by keeping my eyes focused out the side window instead of looking forward. Even at that, keeping an even keel required focus. There were times when I could reach out the window and touch the car next to me, while traveling 25 mph, and do so without straightening my arm at the elbow. We only collided with another vehicle once (that was on my side) fortunately it was a Tuk Tuk and not a full size car. (Full size in India would be about the size of a Honda Civic.) Our driver stopped to examine the damage, the Tuk Tuk having already disappeared, fortunately it was minor.
The Red Fort was amazing. I was immediately struck by the size. Just walking around the perimeter would probably have taken an hour or more. Inside the grounds were so large you could easily get lost without signage. It is called the Red Fort because the walls, battlements, and perimeter structures are all made of red sandstone. The air quality in Deli is the worst I have ever experienced but I was glad to see the color of the sandstone remarkably undamaged, at least to my eye. (There is some blackening.)
The Red Fort was built in 1530 for the Persian Emperor that conquered the Indian subcontinent. You can tell immediately by its grandeur that it was built to not only house and protect an Emperor, but also to reflect that Emperor’s importance.
After the day’s excursion and having arrived (safely) back at our hotel, we enjoyed an excellent early dinner and retired to our room to try and sync our biological clocks.
The Red Fort is said to embody the zenith of Mughal creativity.