Musings of an Ukraine Traveler

On November 8th, Amit Shebeth, Miranda Kurnc, Kelly Oswalt, Maggie Koziol, Amy Swift, Claudia Maldonado and I met in the Kyiv train station to begin a memorable trip to Amit's home country, India. All of these young people are in my group, 24, and we were all excited about touring India with Amit and sharing his return trip home.	We were met at the Delhi airport by Himmat, Amit's cousin, in blue checked shirt, with a van that would take us to the sights in Delhi and Agra. It was winter but still running about 80 during the day so the air conditioned van was a must.
Our first excursion was the site of the cremation of one of my heroes, Mohamat Ghandi. We took off our shoes upon entering the memorial site. The slab of black granite was simple and decorated with marigolds, the flower of respect and reverence in India.	We visited our first fort, Purana Qila, or Old Fort, whose foundations were laid by the Emperor Humayun, son of Barbur, the first Mughal to rule over India. The Mughals were Muslims and you can see the 6 pointed Muslim star on the gate.
In Purana Qila, stands this beautiful red and white sandstone mosque Qala-i-Kuhana Masjid. It is one of the few buildings completed in the complex and this was built by Sher Shah from Afghanistan who overthrew Humayun.	Outb Minar: complex built in 1193 near this iron pillar erected in about 435 A.D. Standing for nearly 2000 years, the mysterious monument has never rusted. A fence has been erected to prevent touching and defacing of the base.
Next to the iron pillar stands this Victory tower, erected by one of the Mughals. There is base for another tower in the background that was to have been even higher.	A close up of the tower shows the intricate patterns of the red and white sandstone as well as the delicate carving that marks so much of the architecture of India.