Delhi, revisited
Trip Start
Dec 26, 2008
1
24
27
Trip End
Feb 06, 2009
Delhi,
India
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A quick freshen up and 'hello' to the family was on the cards, before we were whisked away to Connaught Place. Officially, the two circles have been renamed Indira Chowk and Rajiv Chowk, but as with so many things, the locals still refer to it as Connaught Place - CP. It's the place for shopping in Delhi, apparently, and the western influence is all to apparent with McDonalds and Reebok stores and even a TGI Fridays adorning it's pavements.
Our location for dinner was Q'Ba, a stylish bar right off Connaught Place. I indulged with a very large salad and chicken and mash for dinner, while the boys talked shop. As much as the local food is tasty, every now and then it is nice to have something different, as well as a glass of wine - alcohol is not too freely available here, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it means that when it is on offer, it is all the more appreciated.
The next day found us taking the driver to Dilli Haat, a kind of shopping centre with stalls and food outlets representing all states in India. After a filling thali, we did some shopping and came up trumps - shoes for both myself and Ted (Ted's to go with his Indian outfit) and some pashminas for me. We got there at the right time, apparently, as it wasn't too busy. Next stop was the Red Fort - now, as much as I've enjoyed the forts, we've seen an awful lot of them, and as this one is still only fairly newly opened, it is still teething. Therefore no audio tour, so a much shorter time spent there. Still very impressive, though.
We then wandered across the street to walk to the Jama Masjid mosque, which is the biggest one in India - it is capable of holding 25,000 people apparently. I was incredibly frustrated when we got there as they wouldn't let me in with my camera unless I paid - even when I wasn't going to use it! So Ted & I took it in turns to wander around. I was expecting it to be claustrophobic, like the time we headed to the mosque in Mumbai, but it was far from it - Ted did also remind me that we'd happened upon that mosque & another temple during a festival, so it was bound to be busier.
We then took a stroll through Chowdri Chowk and Chowri Bazaar. There is a new Bollywood movie out here called 'Chowdri Chowk to China', so it was kinda cool walking along the inspiration to that! It was a completely different experience than the similar ones we'd had in Mumbai - I didn't feel consipicuous, I didn't feel uncomfortable; I actually quite enjoyed it, having a nosy at the stores, taking in the sights and the smells of daily life in Delhi. I don't know if it's because I am much more used to it now, or if the locals were a lot less curious about us, but it made for a pleasant stroll. We then hopped on the subway - very clean, very spacious - back to Connaught Place where we took a reviving chai before meeting the driver and heading back to Samit's place.
After dinner, it was time for Ted to depart. I have to say, I was a little jealous that he was returning and I felt a tug calling me back home too - I'm thoroughly enjoying myself here, but I do miss home. However, as Ted pointed out, I have more adventures to come and so we waved farewell, and I took myself off for an early night. It's going to be strange not having a travel companion, and while I am a little apprehensive, I'm also excited.
