We arrived at Delhi airport a little before 3:00 a.m. (the time here being 11.5 hours ahead of home). By the time we cleared customs, gathered the travelers, and bused across town, we didn't check in until nearly 5:00, but we were up a few hours later for breakfast and to begin our tour of India.

Traffic, we were told, was light yesterday; still, cars, bikes, motorcycles, buses, and hundreds of tiny taxi-scooters clogged the road. Lots of people, crammed together, representing many sects and faiths, all peacefully going about their business in an explosion of color and energy. Unfortunately, the amount of obviously visible poverty is almost staggering; over 250 million people, almost as many as the entire population of the USA, live on under $1.25 per day. According to our guide, over 1,100 languages are spoken in the country, and most people are fluent in three to five (their family language, English, and either Hindu or Sanskrit at the least).

Since we didn't get started until after noon, we only visited a couple of places today: Qutab Minar and Humayan's Tomb. Qutab Minar, was begun in the 12 century and finished over multiple generations. At 234 feet, it tops the Leaning Tower of Pisa by over 50 feet. Set among ruins of both Hindu and Muslim structures, the tower has been restored many times over the intervening centuries.

Later, we also visited Humayan's Tomb, built around 1565 by Humayan's widow, Hajji Begum. It is one of the largest World Heritage Sites and is said to have been the inspiration for the Taj Mahal and other Mughal buildings.

See our album Delhi Day 1 for some unedited, representative photos of our first day in Delhi.