This is the view from one of the round towers of the fort on the village side. We look down in lordly splendor as perhaps its original owner did – although, in the 14th century, the sights and sounds would have been very different!
Later, as dusk descended, we saw dozens of headlights on the road below as the locals returned home from the day’s work on motorcycles and tractors. The fact that they apparently had paying jobs elsewhere, and vehicles to commute to them, indicates an astonishing and heartening level of prosperity in this part of rural India. 60% of India’s population still lives in villages, but it seems that fewer and fewer of them subsist on farming alone.
Another example of Indian urban wildlife. I’ve seen these all over north India, but had always assumed that chittering noise was birds. This exemplar lives at the Red Fort, Agra – more photos of that to come!
Screechy, colorful parrots are common in both urban and rural India. Their bright green feathers make a particularly nice contrast to the ancient red sandstone of monuments like Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi.
We flew Emirates Airlines from San Francisco to Dubai, then on to New Delhi, with a layover from 3 am to 6 am in Dubai airport. Not surprisingly, it was very quiet and empty, though the food kiosks and some stores were open. At either end of the terminal was a peaceful, oasis-like area of running water, palm trees, and (presumably recorded) prayer.
