Part One: Marketing in Gurgaon
So, since our spoiled selves usually travel by cab, we assumed our house staff did the same. Decidedly not. When we asked to go marketing with Kapil, it involved walking out to the corner and hailing a public autorickshaw. The price is right - 5 Rs. vs. 50 Rs. - but the experience, well it's priceless. Let's just say that the direct impact the air here has on your respiratory system is evident as soon as you blow your nose. And, rattling (or should I say careening?) along with 10 other people in a three-wheeled cart with canvas sides is something that can't quite be described to the uninitiated.
The market our guys shop at is not that different from the mercados you see in Mexico, but if I'm being honest, I think it's a bit dirtier. Also, because all manners of transport share the same path, foot, motorcycle, rickshaws, cars, carts, etc., it's quite congested. We went to the produce section and searched for sweet potatoes which Heather promises to cook. We also went to a dry-goods store and bought some almonds and walnuts to snack on. Kapil took us inside one of the shops and bought us Indian sweets: milk cake and a few different types of what I think were burfi - candies made from ground nutmeats, sugar, and reduced milk. All very sweet, but with my love of marzipan, right up my alley. Heather and I were also super proud of ourselves for learning to cross the streets without getting killed (think 2+ 'lanes' each way). Probably the most difficult part of the trip, other than the total chaos of the streets, was watching the tiny kids begging in the market. This wasn't the first place we'd seen people begging, but somehow people here seemed to be in even more dire straits and a lot of the kids appeared to be alone. In order to keep their coins from being stolen, several of the kids had peed in their buckets. You want to help, but it's hard to know how to have a positive impact. We've been told that giving money is a bad idea because most of the kids won't be allowed to keep it, and as soon as you give anything away, you get swarmed. There's a volunteer group at work that Heather and I are both getting involved in, so hopefully that's a step in the right direction.
Part Two: Lal Quila (The Red Fort)
After restorative grilled cheese sandwiches back at Essel Towers, Heather and I headed out to Old Delhi to see The Red Fort. I guess the hour we spent in the government office in Gurgaon worked, because we were able to buy Indian tickets with our residence permits. Aside from the fees we saved, the best part about this was getting "but these are Indian tickets..." at each gate we went through. Heather was so emboldened by this success that she told one of the cheeky boys who asked us where we were from that she is native to Gurgaon. Needless to say, they didn't quite believe us, but I'm convinced that with a little Hindi under our belts, we'll be leaving them guessing soon enough.
Lal Quila was the seat of Mughal power in Delhi during the reign of Shah Jahan. Although it's fairly run down now, due to neglect and the impacts of British occupation, you can still see many of the original pavilions that housed the royal court. The buildings are just beautiful and designed to impress visitors. You can imagine what they must have looked like, hung with velvet canopies and strewn with silk and wool rugs. There was a canal that ran through the royal apartments, from the Shah's private rooms to the hammam where the court ladies bathed. According to history, the water was scented with attar of roses - I can only imagine what it must have been like to live there. Within the walls of the fort, there is also a shopping gallery that was maintained for the ladies of the court, Chatta Chowk. 'When in Rome...,' so of course Heather and I went shopping! Heather bought a stunning tourquoise and red stone Tibetan collar, and I bought a filigree necklace carved from bone. I have to give my companion mad props - she is becoming quite the negotiator, though we're still getting taken by Indian standards. Guess we'll have to practice more.
After thoroughly exploring Lal Quila, we headed into Old Delhi to see what we could see. The shopping outside the fort, on Chadni Chowk, is supposed to be good, but the chaos and congestion on the streets was a bit much after a long day. We headed for Karim's, a famous local tandoori restaurant. On the way to dinner, we stumbled across a shoe store which carried curly-toed Punjabi slippers. Heather negotiated a pair for herself down to 'half price' and, miracle of miracles, they happened to have a pair that fit me too - pretty nifty. We celebrated Heather's negotiating success over tandoori chicken, palak paneer, butter chicken, and a pile of naan. So good, and all yours for 542 rupees. After sightseeing, shopping and stuffing ourselves, we were tuckered out, so we called Dhanjay and headed back to Gurgaon.
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| Lal Quila |
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