wow...today was a full day of shopping and taking it all in--the people, the colors, foods, clothing. it was amazing! we had breakfast and a cup of chai before heading out with mrs borges to go to a few markets. we rode the metro which is quite nice to our stop. at the front of every train they have a "ladies only" compartment. mrs borges told us it was especially helpful when the train is super busy and crowded at the peak hours. i am determined to try it before we go.
our first stop was the dilli haat market. it's open air and full of artisans from each state of india. it quite the place and it costs about 30 cents to get in. this helps keep out beggars and pushy vendors selling sunglasses and other items one has no need for. we walked around for a while....stopping here and there learning about all the wares for sale. we looked at rugs, shawls, kurtas, sarees, toys, food, etc. i bought a kurta which is a cotton, tunic like top that is awesome. at this market items tend to be a bit more pricey, but nice quality. they also had my size as which i learned later in the day is hard to find. many curvy women have their kurtas stitched to fit. paul bought a small string guitar that he played with the seller for a bit. i loved that. he sat on the ground and strummed away with the seller learning how to play his new toy. i also bought a child's toy that you pull and these small sticks beat on a little drum. it was fun and each item was about a dollar. the local currency is rupees which is fun to say. this first market reminded me of what a bazaar might have looked like centuries ago in this area. lots of archways and wares hanging up all over.
for lunch we also ate at dilli haat market. again, they have food from each state in india which makes for a diverse experience. mrs borges made the lunch selection---chicken fried momos, a thali, a paratha and some tandoori chicken. it was all totally yum! the momos are like dumplings (gyozas, mandu, etc) and they were served with spicy tomato sauce. the thali set is like a set meal that gives variety. ours had a little cup of dal makhani, mixed veg, and paneer (local made cheese made with buffalo's milk)...it also comes with two chapatis (bread), rice and a pappa (large tortilla like chip with roasted black pepper inside). the paratha has panner and coriander inside which was delicious. it's another kind of bread that is made with whole wheat flour and stuffed. we also had some tandoori chicken which is straightforward but oh so yummy.
after lunch, we got in an auto rickshaw (like a tuk tuk) and made our way to the sarojini nagar market. a very busy place indeed and reminded me of the markets we have in phnom penh, but a bit nicer. the crowds were there for sure. we walked around taking in everything. paul had an indian treat at a famous little dive of a place. the treat was a breaded like cup like thing that they put spicy water in. it was good too and quite cheap. you got three treats for 10 rupees ($1 = 44 rupees) i am not sure what the treats are called now. i ended up buying another kurta in the market. our last stop at this market was the saree shop. wow! it was such a colorful shop and the experience was cool. i picked out two and it cost about 20 dollars which was cheaper than i expected. we then had to buy the two separated pieces for each and then they have to sew in some bits in the saree to make it ready for wear. i am excited. i cannot wait to wear them.
we made our way back to the b&b for a rest before dinner. we both had naps after our bout of shopping. mr borges picked us up at 8pm for dinner at their house. mrs borges had made homemade dal makhani (paul's favorite), paneer curry, some veggies, and chana curry. wow! it was all super amazing and we ate until we hurt. it was nice to see how they live as locals and also have great conversation. it was soo good. mrs borges' dal makhani has set a new standard for us that may never be reached any where else.
for the first time we experienced a power cut which happens often in delhi. many have back up inverters that keep minimal power going like a few lights and fans. it was quite cool last night, so it was okay that the air con was not working. paul stayed up and worked and i went straight to bed. the power came back in the middle of the night. the interesting thing i have noticed here is the entire schedule of many people are shifted later......dinner is much later than our usual time which is fine, but just interesting. many people don't eat until 8:30 or 9pm. then the mornings are slow to get started as well. it makes it nice to be able to rest and live in a place that likes our schedule too.
