Last Day - Running in the monsoon rains

August 8, 2008, Delhi, India, (Lotus Temple, India Gate). At 8-08-08, on 08-08-08 we were in the lobby so I took a picture where we were to record this time. Visited the Lotus Temple in an extreme monsoon rain. The temple is a fabulous architectural wonder. We got to go inside where no pictures were allowed and you have to take your shoes off. The white marble floors were very warm. The temple is in a large open space with large sweeping lawns and gardens. Even though we had umbrellas, we got soaked to the bones.
I went out shopping at the last minute with some one from my group. We went to the Khan Market, which is only about a mile from the hotel. It is a mixture of upscale, new, western stores (Nike, Levi, etc.) with new Indian stores (Fab India) and then small local vendors (jewelry, fruit, restaurants). It is funny how I know to call ahead to see if its open (if it rains hard some places open later in the morning), can negotiate a cab to get there and know how many ruppees it should take. When we first got to Delhi the rickshaw drivers had there way with us. They get paid to take tourists to their friends shops. So they take you somewhere and tell you Kan Market closed, take you to a different market all together and hope you won't notice and my favorite, "I take you to Khan Market II". We are in and out in 20 minutes and know that we parked in the free zone so we don't have to pay the person who is collecting money for parking in the free zone. I enjoyed the learning curve and realized that since I am white, I can probably easily be separated from my ruppes.
I had a couple hours to kill so rather than go to the new Bollywood release, "Singh is King", I decided to go for a run in the monsoon rains. The rains are so warm and I really enjoy running in the rain. After getting started from the hotel in the wrong direction, I finally made it to Indian Gate, a large memorial. This was the first place I visited, the first morning in India. I wanted to see how it was the second time around. I think since I was in my running gear the vendors were not nearly as aggressive as my first visit. It also may be because I wasn't walking around eyes wide open like the first time and this time I looked like I knew what I was doing. People looked at me like I was a crazy person running in the rain but they all had no coats on and were soaked. I ended up running to the Presidential palace opposite Indian Gate. I ended up being out for an hour and twenty minutes. Off to the farewell dinner and airport. We don't fly out untill 2:25 am but we have to get to the airport early for customs. It has been a fun learning expeience.