a cycle rickshaw is an inexpensive way around the city, supports one of the lower castes, and makes for good picture taking. here is another cycler going by in the early morning. he's hauling a new safe. we were on our way to Old Dehli.

the things you can find in the streets. adamn's boot had been nursing an increasingly open wound since hiking tora bora in the dry cold of afghanistan. these old gimpy men line the sidewalks and gutters, products of the common practice of child mutilation (twisted painful looking legs = more rupees for a child beggar's parents) one step "up" from beggars many provide useful if barely paid services such as tire puncture wallah, zipper repair wallah, or shoe wallah. it didn't take many colorful gestures for him to understand adamn's need.

we hoped for shoddy repair, but instead marvelled at outstanding craftsmanship. from eyeballing an appropriate odd bit (top left), punching holes in the leather (tr), sewing the tacked on bit (ll), and trimming the excess to make a perfect fit (lr)

in the 20-30 minutes this required, the old gimp one shop, er, gutter squat to the west, serviced a couple clients of his own. in the top left is one of the rare sights of hindustan - a waste receptacle. most people use them to leave offerings for the free range urban cows.

the final product was outstanding. then why did we leave with obvious (feigned) indignity? this was one of those moments we let our boundless optimism reign. instead of safely prenegotiating a price, we gave him a chance to be fair, with some foreigner markup. he chose to gouge

our next stop was the Jama Masjid ("Friday Mosque"), when we arrived it was closed to foreigners for an hour for afternoon azan, ("prayers"). how did they know i wasn't a mohamid (Muslim)? maybe they could tell i was just kafir ("asshole"). so we contributed to coca-colonization and watched the schoolgirl procession.

The Jama Masjid was one of the last great extravagance of Shah Jahan, one of the last Mughal (Persian Muslim) emperors of Northern India. Best known for the Taj Mahal, his son put him in prison for blowing the empire's collective financial wad on architecture instead of war.

music for the masses

adamn stands for the obligatory kodak moment(tm)

todd spent Eid Il Fitr 2000 here, but this time was a little less camera shy around the allah beseeching faithful.

the roof. they should consider plucking the small trees out of the side of the domes.

gaining access to one of the minarets, we relied on the camera flash (right) to illuminate the dark spiralling path (left)

the top of the masjid, delhi sprawling into the horizon

same with grate

in the center of the masjid plaza, cleansing in the fountain is an important precursor to any prayers

the north gate, at the bottom, was once reserved for the emperor only to enter the masjid. the concourse leading out from it heads towards the enormous Red Fort of Delhi, also built by Jahan.

as the day waned we headed down a typically crazy street. most streets seem to specialize in one item, this entire street sold books. okay, the novelty of animated gif's is entirely 1998, but until we get some of adamn's video up, thought you might appreciate some motion

firecode?