Delhi (old and new) is a cacophony of sounds and smells and tastes and sights! From the moment I got off my flight at the airport, I was assaulted with an environment soooo extremely different from the one I call home. It’s why I wanted to come here- knowing it would challenge my perceptions and comfort zone – a different geography, different languages, different religions, different values, different culture, different aesthetic, different people! And I was duly reward, immediately upon arrival.
I got to my hotel (Le Meridien, since I’m a devout Starwood girl), dropped my bags, and went for a walk toward the Rajiv Chowk metro, and Connaught Place. It’s sort of like a downtown business distract, a lot of shopping, not really my main interest to begin my adventure in india… so I hopped in a rickshaw (so fun! also a wee bit scary) and headed for Dilli Haat (supposedly 20 Rupees entry fee, and word on the street is you also get in free if you have a HOHO ticket (hop on/hop off bus), but no one asked me for a payment and I saw no “entry sentry”) – a huge (permanent) local bazaar. This wasn’t quite the market I was looking for either – it’s dubbed a “handicraft market”, so I thought that meant a lot of creations from the local folks – felt more like a place for Delhi residents to get their shopping done, with imported goods I could find at the dollar store at home – need a colander? got you covered… new socks in bulk? no worries. But I did notice that it seemed like a nice place to sample Indian food from around the ENTIRE country. I think there’s a restaurant representing each of the states of India! So needless to say, I had a snack (or 2!).
From the moment I stepped off the airplane, my mouth began watering as I anticipated devouring tasty Indian food; afterall, in addition to being in search of perspective, I traveled to India with a main intent to eat. But it was in Delhi, here at the Dilli Haat, when I had my first sample of something known as Kulle Chaat, that I knew I would not be disappointed in this regard. This snack of different vegetables and fruits hollowed out and filled with a blend spices, lime juice, salt, chickpeas and pomegranate seeds is so simple and so freaking delicious, that I had to pause a moment to mention it here..
With my belly full, I was off to Qutub Minar (cost = 250 Rupees for foreigners like me). I like to sprinkle a bit of history into my explorations, and the crumbling structures here fit the bill, at 1000 years old and boasting the tallest minaret in all of India. The detailed carvings and inscriptions, and masses of sandstone made this a lovely stop. [I should note that about now, I needed to use the restroom, and was first introduced to the concept of “pay to piss” as one hilarious german cat I met called it. Be prepared to have some change – 10 rupees should cover it- before you enter, sometimes as you exit – in order to use the public restroom at these monuments, gas stations, etc. throughout the cities. It’s strange, I’ll admit, since the restrooms are not particularly clean or comfortable, and yet, you pay (the equivalent of about 18 cents) – I decided not to sweat it one bit.] While there, I allowed 17 people/families to take their picture with me – apparently my blonde hair and blue eyes are fascinating… One brazen tweener approached and asked me politely, so of course I obliged, and the next thing I knew, I had a queue! It was not much of a hassle for me – just smiling and being gracious – when this couple begged me to hold their adorable baby and pose for a 15 shot photo shoot, I had a giggle to myself.. and must admit, it didn’t totally suck. #FeelingLikeACelebrity.
At this point, the sun was going down, so I was perfectly timed to checkout the Lotus Temple (formal name is The Baha’i House of Worship) – I’d heard that it was beautiful at night, so I grabbed another rickshaw and got dropped “relatively” near, and took a quick jaunt in. I was mainly interested in the unique architecture and overall aesthetic of the place – designed in the shape of a sacred lotus flower, there are 27 flower petals which are constructed of marble and make up the structure. But I was pleasantly surprised by my first “zen” moment in India – though it’s dedicated to the Bahá’í faith, it’s a religious worshipping grounds for people of all religions (the philosophy of the Bahá’í faith). As you approach the temple, you walk through some nicely manicured gardens and then deposit your shoes in the (free & secure) shoe room. You’re then given a 2 minute briefing about turning off your cell phone and keeping silent, and are then free to enter the sanctuary and sit in pure silence for as long as your inner peacemaker desires.
Last stop – the Chandni Chowk market! Since I have a fierce passion for street food, I was like a kid in a candy store when walking around Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi. It’s a seriously dense & chaotic center of trade, business, food, spices, and overall life. Here you can find some of the most interesting people and businesses in all of Delhi in a compact district. It was honestly a bit overwhelmig – sharing the road with oxen and donkeys loaded up with seemingly skinny-minny indian men pulling carts full of their wares. And every 12 feet or so was a man with a cardboard box mixing up some pan (suck, spit, suck, spit), or a makeshift table feeding a full meal out of war-time tin bowls to 4 or 5 random guests. There were bangles and sooo many shoes with BLING, and pashmina, and saris, and trinkets and kitchen gadgets…. I feel in love with Khari Baoli – it’s on the west side of Chandni Chowk, starting along Church Road – the Old Delhi spice market. Apparently it’s the largest spice market in Asia, and I was fully immersed in a colorful array of all things spices, dried fruits, nuts, and an ton of rickshaws. My discerning taste, and strong olfactory senses led me to “Golden Horse Tea”, where I met Anshy – a really kind (and tall!) well-spoken guy who helped me select some salts and of course some loose leaves for chai tea (since how could I show my face back home without securing some of this goodness from India!?). NOTE: I don’t think this place was a spot for finding a bargain, and I may even have paid a higher price than some of the other stalls nearby, but I really enjoyed the conversation with the people in the shop. AND I should probably pause here for a bit of philosophy: My goal in India was to experience, not to find deals. While I don’t feel I got anything dirt cheap along the way (which is sometimes the expectation folks set for travelling to developing areas), I also don’t feel that I paid any more than anything was worth, if I’d gotten it back home on amazon.com. So if you’re looking for deals and bargaining strategies, I’m not your gal… I kept reminding myself that the 100 rupees discount (less than $2 USD) meant significantly less to me than it did to the person I would be bargaining with. And plus, I’m in India – land of kharma! This free wheeling attitude was bound to come back to me positively in spades!
After wandering the plethora of alleyways of the market, stopping for bite after bite, and perusing to my heart’s content, I decided that it was getting late, and as a lady travelling alone, it would be prudent of me to take it to the house so I could facetime my minions…
The edbm life 