Today started off pretty weird with a little family ruckus, the details of which I think I will save for my autobiography but suffice it to say two messages on my mobile from my mom and an incoming one from my brother before I’d even turned on my computer this morning got my attention. Thank goodness Skype was working again this morning as it facilitated getting things settled down as best they could under the rather dire circumstances. I don’t know about you, but whenever I successfully navigate a crisis before actually putting my pants (American definition) on in the morning, I feel a little celebration is in order so I whipped up a batch of Hungry Jack Buttermilk Pancakes, added some wild blueberry jam just for fun, and we had quite a nice breakfast (still sans pants if I recall correctly).
We are trying hard not to let the issues at work get in the way of our having a great time in India so Mrs. WMG has been planning Lots O’ Events for us on the 
weekends. After our hearty breaky and a visit from the electrician to fix the kitchen electrical outlet that had shorted and blown out all our power the night before, we fortunately remembered to don our trousers before heading out into the Delhi heat (note to self, write a blog on the wonders of talc some time).
Our first stop today was Qutub Minar, a really huge giant phallus built by the Muslims who where running this place back late in the 12th century. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and sits adjacent to the first mosque in India. On the same site is another tower started around 1300 by Ala-ud-din, a descendent of the Qutub’s builder. This was intended to be twice as tall as the 238 foot Qutub Minnar but only made it to 41 feet when, upon Ala-ud-din’s death, “no one was willing to continue his over-ambitions project.” We decided this should be referred to as the “Oh Just F**k-it Minar”.
After our deeply meaningful cultural experience we were hungry and parched from the burning sun and 39C temperatures that was starting to defeat our “good all under” feeling from using talc, so we beat it to the Hyatt Regency
where our Time Out Delhi Magazine said they serve an excellent hamburger. I opted for the steak sandwich instead (a little scotch on the steak I would say) but Mrs. WMG agreed that the hamburger (actually a buffalo-burger) was excellent and we lingered over our lunch in the cool of the cafe for a good part of the afternoon.
Following lunch we had Raj Kumar drive us to Hauzkhas Village, which he found using the most circuitous route imaginable, claming the the dozen or so people he stopped and asked directions of along the way kept giving him wrong information. I’m not really sure what Hauzkhas Village is supposed to be because by this point I’d really stopped paying much attention to Mrs. G’s reading of descriptions from “The Lonely Planet” and was just doing my best to be a “good team player”. Apparently though, this is a place with a lot of expensive art galleries and furniture stores selling faux antiques that they are happy to let you think are real as long as you don’t ask too many questions. We saw some very nice paintings by dead artists and proved once again that any decisions requiring taste should be left up to one of us in particular who will go unnamed because he doesn’t want to get in a lot of trouble with the other one. We didn’t buy anything.
All in all it was an excellent day and even though my stomach was upset from lunch I enjoyed that too.
