Getting Your Goat In Old Delhi

It's an urban jungle in Old Delhi and goats seem to rule the place. You can't go a block without seeing one, usually tied up and harnessed from spreading mayhem.

A typical goat sighting.

Some of the goats display an interesting breed mix. Maybe some rabbit and hammerhead shark in this goat's background? Or a Dalmatian dog somewhere along the line for this goat?

Delhi gets cold in the winter, make sure to treat your goat well. How about a sweater?

Karim's Restaurant, Old Delhi

Any visit to the Jama Masjid has to include a short detour to the famous restaurant, Karim's. The place is a warren of separate dining rooms located off the main street south of the mosque. Kebab is a specialty as well as Mughlai cuisine. Go for the food and the action.

Where is it? Just look hard for the sign and then follow the arrow.

The confusing entrance. Karim's has taken over the lower floors of every building in the alley courtyard, you just need to pick which dining room line to stand in and hope it moves fast.

Grilling mince-meat kebabs and loading up on bread.
Pots full of stewed meat, ready to be heaped into bowls. A scrawny, but tasty tandoor chicken.

We shared a table with these fine gentlemen, the two on the left from Kabul visiting their friend.

Around Jama Masjid

The mosque, Jama Masjid, in Old Delhi is the center of a lively Muslim quarter. If you plan on wandering over to pray a few times a day, get set to run several gauntlets of shops, restaurants, table vendors and tea stands. It's basic supply and demand and both are overflowing.

One of the busy streets near the mosque.

A gentleman lighting his cigarette with a rope. A rope? Men hanging at the tea shop.

A dry goods vendor.

The chicken corner guys, busy on the grill. This photo has not been color enhanced. The butcher, working his sharp magic on goats.
More time at the tea stall.

More views of the action.

Jama Masjid, Delhi

This grand mosque makes a grand statement in the old part of Delhi. It's the biggest mosque in India, capable of holding 20,000-25,000 worshippers for a packed service. Completed around 1656 by Shah Jahan, the Jama Masjid dominates the surrounding busy neighborhood and makes a nice compliment to the Red Fort that sits a few blocks east.

The busy courtyard just inside the east gate.

The steps outside are busy with people hanging out, waiting on family and friends, similar to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Heading through a gate, the mosque in the distance.

More outside action, selling sweets or posing for a portrait.

Inside the majestic mosque, always time for a prayer.

Lovely Lodi Gardens, New Delhi

We popped into one of New Delhi's main gardens right before the sun disappeared (who could tell from the mist and pollution?) and enjoyed a stroll around the Mughal ruins. It's a nice respite from busy Old Delhi and the Mughal tombs lend a bit of gravitas to the meandering meadows.

Just inside the entrance, a natural world unfolds.

A small Mughal tomb and looking through the archway of another tomb to the Shish Gumbad.

A full look at Shish Gumbad, a beehive of activity going on in front, kids with large balloons, families getting ready for prayer before settling down for a meal.

Portraits in Old Delhi, Part 2

The blanket seller.

Making the best of a bad situation. Vendors selling sweaters in a field, a trash pile behind them. And at the back of the pile, men peeing.

The bicycle repairmen. Truck drivers.

The chicken butcher.

Tire sellers.

Portraits in Old Delhi, Part 1

Besides the wonderful buildings and items for sale in Old Delhi, the people portrait taking is just as impressive.

Boy tire seller.

Outside a restaurant.

Selling and receiving water.

The blanket sellers.

Elder statesman.

Charity Birds Hospital, Delhi

The Jains are a religious people who believe in the sanctity of all life, no matter how trivial. In Old Delhi, they run a lovely little hospital dedicated to the rehabilitation of birds. Not exotic or unusual birds, but any birds. Have an injured pigeon in your neighborhood? Bring it in.

The hospital is next to the Jain temple at the end of Chandni Chowk Road near the Red Fort.

The cute sign out front. Heading into one of the cages.
Looking down one of the main hallways of the hospital, cages on both sides.

Above the cages the Jains have painted a series of vignettes to illustrate some of the reasons birds end up at the hospital. Mean ceiling fans and humans with slingshots. Those birds are awfully big!

Another illustration, this time a nice rabbit minding his own business, chomping some greens and reds, but also getting bitten by a dog. Graphic. The bird angle is elusive to us.

Two more details of the hospital, rows of cages and the most impressive patient, a peacock.