Van Tassell China Adventures: Deli, India

We flew out of Beijing, saying good bye to a wonderful adventure for a year. Rob and Rae Rancie and Carolyn and Jack Theler, our fellow teachers, were our traveling companions.Our trip to India was our anniversary present to each other. We arrived in Deli in the evening and were greeted by our guide at the airport with beautiful flowers to adorn our necks. These flowers are sold everywhere by street vendors. Our tour started the next morning with a guide to take us to church and show us the sights in Old and New Delhi.

We just arrived by van from the airport at midnight
and we were greeted with flowers

It was a very hot evening!

The entrance way to New Delhi

We looked for the church building for over an hour and we were
just about to give up. Our driver was insistent that he could
find it and we turned a corner and there it was

There are five branches of the Church in Deli.

This is the Branch president and his daughter.
He has been a member for 20 years.

There were six missionaries in this Branch

Notice that the women wear their native dress.

A deep religious discussion going on

This couple is translating the Book of Mormon
for the Church into Hindi

The sweet young lady has been a member for several years.
Her parents are Hindu but they are happy for their daughter.
Her brother is attending BUY Idaho. What a choice
experience to visit with these humble, faithful saints.

The Lotus Hindu Temple -

Uutab Minar, the tallest stone tower in India constructed in 1199

This tower does lean abut hasn't fallen in many centuries

Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque which was erected using the columns of 27
Hindu and Jain temples that had been pulled down

Our new friends. These ladies wanted their picture taken with us.

Such detail that was carved from stone

The columns are amazing and so perfect. Makes you wonder
how they made it to the top.

Amazing!

Sweet little girl. All of the babies wear black eye liner.

Humayuun'sTomb - Second Mughal Emperor
built by his widow. A precursor of the Taj Mahal.

Tuk-tuks

Lemonade for sale...it was very HOT

Our very professional driver while in India.
He wore a different turban each day . His was a Sik.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch in air conditioning!
It probably would not have mattered what we ate.

At the train station getting ready to travel to Agra.
We left the hotel at 6 a.m.

Indian railways is the single largest employer in India with 1.6 million
employees. It is also known as the busiest and the
largest railway networks all over the world.

People laying all over sleeping, waiting for their train

A small mosque for prayers at the train station

Breakfast on the train...warm milk was served.
We were very cautious of eating anything.

Upon arrival at our hotel in Agra, we were marked with a red
dot on our foreheads and given juice for a toast.
The Van Tassell's, Rancie's and Theler's

We immediately left the hotel for the sights of Agra.

Many bicycles in Agra

The round things in stacks is cow dung that is sold for cooking fuel.
These people live right along the streets.

Cows wander all of India with transportation stopping if they are in the
middle of the road. Very fancy brick guards have been built around
the trees to protect them from the wandering cattle.

Cart for transportation to work. All women dress in the
saris for working in the fields or shopping.

Outside of Agra in the country side. Looks like very large deer.

Street vendors selling just a few bananas

The grass huts are used to store cow dung that is used for fuel in
the winter. The dung is mixed by hand with straw, patted
into round circles and layed in the sun to dry.