Many thought that Sean and I had lost our minds when we announced that we’d be spending much of August in India.  Scorching heat.  Monsoons.  Not to mention all the wonderful diseases, such as Dengue fever, malaria, typhoid and polio, that we could contract.  However, by day four we’re both alive, well and, beyond being drenched in sweat, dry each day.

Our sultry journey began in New Delhi, the bustling capital of this exotic land.   On our first morning here we strolled over to Lodi Gardens where women in colorful saris and white running shoes jogged alongside men in shorts and T-shirts.  As with all of Delhi, Lodi Gardens was dotted with ruins from the region’s Mughal period.  Lodi was beautiful but, at 8 a.m., already quite a warm place to be — 90 degrees and climbing.

Following in the footsteps of locals and tourists alike, we rented not a car but a car and driver to take us around the city.  Smart move.   As in Turkey and Morocco, where Sean drove and I nervously navigated, the traffic is constant and chaotic. Unlike in the aforementioned countries, it’s comprised not only of cars and trucks but overloaded rickshaws, motorbikes, cyclists, pedestrians, 3-wheeled tuk tuks and the rare donkey, horse and elephant.

Our driver, Sher-Singh, carried us in air conditioned comfort to Old Delhi and the country’s largest mosque, Jama Masjid, where the courtyard alone holds 25,000 devotees.  Tucked at the end of a lane teeming with people and traffic, the mosque was constructed under the ruler Shah Jahan.  It is one of many mosques serving the large Muslim population in Northern India.

Along with mosques we also had the privilege of seeing Jain, Sikh and Hindu temples and, oddly enough, a huge Methodist church.  One of the more unusual religious centers was the Akshar Dham Temple.  Over 15,000 artisans and volunteers worked on this elaborate Hindu complex.  Opened in 2005, Akshar Dham featured “boat” tours on the man-made canals around the temple, movies and an extensive food court.