Day 6 - Flip Flops and other disasters

01/07/2020

On Tuesday, we had a lot on our agenda: some sightseeing with Ravi and the handover of the donated notebooks to the school project in the 'Sanjay Community,' one of the over 200 slums in Delhi. We were picked up by bus at 9:00 and drove to 'Lodhi Garden,' where we met Ravi. He explained the history of the three temples and the tombs they contain, while also explaining the connections to the history and formation of his country. In the end, we stumbled upon Joe's Bollywood potential by chance. He's an incredibly sensual man.

Afterwards, we went to the largest Hindu temple in India. This temple, built in 2005, is an impressive building that was constructed in 5 years with the help of over 10,000 workers. The architecture was designed to adhere to traditional guidelines. Even on the way there, you could sense what an impressive building it must be. The largest security measures outside of an airport quickly showed us that this was a very special place. Neither video nor photo recordings were allowed, and smartphones were also not allowed inside. So we all left our backpacks behind. Fortunately, it was still early and we had chosen a weekday, so there was not yet a big crowd. Ravi told us that on other days, you can easily wait for 2 hours. Just before the security check, there was a sign with additional prohibited items, which led to Ravi quickly hiding our Persian friend's lighter in a trash can so he wouldn't have to give it up again. They were really serious about it. And the seriousness became apparent immediately after the security check when Ramon, or as we lovingly call him 'Terror-Ramon,' was of course pulled out of line again to be intensively inspected. Since he was wearing his usual combination of shorts and flip flops, which is typical for a terrorist, we all understood the decision of the trained security personnel completely. And because he had nothing else with him except the mentioned clothing, the additional inspection turned into a comedy, because the officer quickly realized that there was nothing else to check besides what had already been examined. After both of them stared into each other's eyes sharply for 19 seconds and the officer sensibly asked to see Ramon's passport, the additional inspection was over. It can be done...but doesn't have to be. #unnecessary

But now to the temple. It is really impressive. On a huge area with thousands of sculptures and statues handmade, you walk barefoot or in socks into the main temple at a certain point. During a tour, you learn a lot about the different deities of Hinduism and their history. Ravi provided us with additional information to better understand everything. It was truly a great experience.

On the way back to our shoes from the temple, it started raining, and from here on out, things started happening quickly, or rather, a certain person. The ground of the entire area is made of granite or marble. You can imagine that the rain creates a very slippery situation...at least for all shoes that do not belong to the category of 'sturdy footwear', including FLIP FLOPS. Graceful as a shot-down fairy, Ramon slipped across the slippery surface at a staircase. Only a metal railing prevented the certain death of innocent passersby, who he would have surely dragged down into the abyss or buried under himself if said railing hadn't penetrated deep into his side ribs. Sounds funny, but it was actually briefly frightening, as he had to catch his breath for a moment. The other 7 of us prepared ourselves for resuscitation measures, and Joe had already begun mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when Ramon cleared his throat, and the danger was over. (Years of training in terror camps toughen you up.) Jokes aside, besides a little pain when laughing and sneezing, nothing was left behind...luckily.

After the temple, we went to 'Old Delhi.' First, on foot from the Red Fort through small, narrow alleyways to the 'wedding market,' and then to the 'spice market,' where we first went on a shopping spree (tea, spices, nuts), and then we looked at 'Old Delhi' from above on the rooftops. Its own microcosm of thousands of people, cars, TukTuks, stands, alleyways, shops, and lots of honking. To conclude, we had a small snack, which was very delicious: Lassi, an Indian yogurt drink that can be served sweet or savory. We had the sweet version.

After a disconcerting ride in an electric rickshaw, where Sven was in danger of being cut in half by oncoming traffic, we took our bus to have 'lunch'...around 4:30 pm :-) we then decided that it would be more like an early dinner and indulged ourselves. It was also delicious. This time, Sergej drew the 'spicy' card, which he endured like a man, even though his ears turned bright red.

With full stomachs, we finally went to the 'Sanjay' community. The first visit during the day 6 months ago was already very impressive. Now, after sunset, it was a completely different picture. No longer thousands of people recycling delivered fabric scraps in tents, but a bustling market. Ravi led us directly to the inner area of the slum to show us a private clinic first. One of his friends, who received medical training, operates this clinic in an area of about 8 square meters. The treatment is free, but patients have to pay for medications. It was very distressing and impressive at the same time. This was followed by a trip to the roofs of the community, where Ravi could give us some information about the current political situation, including the remarkable fact that we could see the starting point of the current protests just one kilometer away, a university that has been closed and cut off from the internet since then.

Afterwards, we went to the school and the nearby computer lab for which we had brought the equipment. We were warmly and emotionally welcomed there, and we were able to have a discussion with the founders and supporters of the project in a small group. The notebooks they received from us will make a great contribution to the education of the kids. The dedication of those who work there is fantastic, and we were all impressed by the enthusiasm and joy with which they help the children. As a parting gift, we all received a handwritten thank-you card that the students had made for us...with the help of 'YouTube videos'...the circle is complete :-) during the handover of the cards, you could see in the group that some were struggling with their emotions. It was truly a great moment and I think it will stay in all of our memories for a long time. After the heartfelt farewell, Ravi led us out of the labyrinth of the community and to the bus, which took us back to the hotel.

Now the day should have been over, especially since the next day we were supposed to leave for Jaipur by train at 5 am...but then something unexpected happened, and suddenly the rest of the journey was in jeopardy. I will only write this much: due to very unfavorable circumstances, Ravi found himself in a financially dire situation, which he unfortunately only told us about this evening. This would have meant that we would have had no hotel from the next day on. But since he faced the situation and we have a lot of respect for this 22-year-old man for what he is doing and has already built up, we sat down with him in a bar until midnight and worked together to find a solution. Thanks to great cohesion within the group, we were able to secure the further course of the journey and cheer up the little pile of misery again.

Insights of the day: Flip flops can become dangerous, especially when Persians, classified as dangerous, use them as passive weapons; the help for the community is not a drop in the bucket but helps from the first day, and sometimes you still experience things that you have only heard from other travelers. Oh yeah...and Joe is the new Shah Rukh Khan...but better.