Red Fort and Lauren becomes a celebrity

Today we were determined to hit all the hot spots that were "far away" (read- 10 km) from our hotel. So our kind and quiet driver picked us up at nine, blasted the AC all day, and we took off for the
1. Red Fort- big fort, reddish, used to be whitish, seat of the Peacock throne Shah Jahan (maker of Taj as well). Most of the marble inlay has been destroyed. Used for picnicking Indian families. Good example of Moghul architecture.
2. Jama Masjid- largest mosque in a quarter hemisphere or something like that. Large stone flooring ready to give us second degree burns since we have to take off shoes. Beautiful but very hot.
3. Raj Ghat- where Gandhi was cremated. A large slab. As we come down the hill from the viewpoint area, we witness Lauren being attacked by Nepalese tourists wearing the hats they sell for crazy prices at the Fort. They are taking pictures with her, one by one, seated, standing, pictures with them shaking her hand, etc... Literally, her face will be in a hundred Nepalese picture books.
4. Cottage Industries- the fair trade, government run, Indian crafts store. Although turns out to be more large expensive handwoven carpets and beautiful gold jewelry. But the quality of the products was undisputedly superior to anything we've seen. The wedding outfits of which they had many looked straight off a Bollywood set.
5. Lunch- we asked our driver for Indian food, somewhere air conditioned where we wouldn't get ill. We don't know how much English he has but he took us straight to Splash! restaurant also listed as one of the 5 hip places in Delhi in their magazines. We fought to order our expensive ($4 entree) Indian food before an entire table of drunk Germans could. Every foreigner in New Delhi was there- and we know, because we saw them all that morning at the Red Fort. We feel so poor now- in Vellore our lunches cost 50 cents!
6. India Gate- memorial to WWI- only requires taking pictures. I was angry at a man trying to sell us baby monkeys on leashes. Cruel and common here.
7. The National Museum- we took the audio tour.

Here, I will explain why India lags behind in tourism. I guess in list form.
1. Old Delhi is very unpleasant due to touts. Constant clutching of the purse and men haranguing you- even if you say NO! emphatically and walk past, they will obstruct your view or way in order to sell their services as a driver, their hats, fans, etc... hanging on your arm, pulling your pants. I have made it a policy not to go in shops where we are taken or harassed to enter and never to buy anything from a tout. Not because I can discourage this behavior, but because it is simply my money to spend and I want to reward the shop keepers who do not use these tactics.
2. When driving in the car, many will hold up babies and bang bang on the windows asking for money. It is easy for me to avoid pitying this or having a crisis of conscience because they are using an innocent baby as blackmail which in anyone's book is wrong. This maneuver is common to all Indian cities, but more prevelent in Old Delhi (so I've been told)
3. The sites are falling apart. It is amazing when the symbol of a nation has overgrown weeds filling copious courtyards or has a guard leaning absurdly against a tremulous and delicate ivory grate.
4. No official guidebooks are for sale. The government allows the touts with postcards and guidebooks in, but no official store or place to garner infomation or spend money that might restore the place.
5. Many men ouside monuments claiming charges that aren't necessary. (we kinda wait and watch and if others pass by them without paying, then we charge in) And tourism police watch this go on. Men who are not employed in any official capacity hanging in the bathrooms asking for tips before you can use the dirty squat toilet they don't clean. Its a good racket.
6. The museum was surprising in its lack of modernity. AC in only one room-old documents- and was conducted in by an ancient fan from a hole cut into the ceiling. Looked like the Peabody Museum at Harvard with labels that were antiquities themselves and chairs and tables placed in front of exhibits for no reason other than the guards like sitting where a fan blows- amazing for a National Museum!!
They had some interesting artifacts and tribal costumes. Beautiful textiles, if fairly new. I learned a little more about the pantheon of Hindu gods. The museum store had various random things, completely unrelated to the content of the collection, and no books about the collection. Only books about how to draw and how to make a healthy marriage.
It was about 100 degrees in there anyhow.