Travel – New Delhi: TK means everything is .. OK!

Touchdown New Delhi!

Like many cities in India, Delhi is as crowded as the Tsukiji Fish Market Auction at 5.00am, i.e., packed to the gills. New Delhi, the capital and the third largest city of India is a fusion of the ancient and the new. Delhi as a city, is very modern in relation to the rest of the country. Roads are wide and organized and you don’t need to worry about stepping on turd or pee as much as you would in some other parts of India. You’ll actually be able to walk around without feeling like you are part of a buffalo herd, which is a real luxury in India!

A man selling papaya. Crowded streets with their vendors and patrons.

However, it has to be said that, though there was that obvious poverty, as well as the anti-sanitary conditions, but there was also happiness, laughter and an obvious human closeness and interaction that are continuously diminishing in the ‘developed’ world. I found the people warm, and friendly and always ready with a quick smile, for me

Situated on the bank of river Yamuna, the Agra Fort today, stands as a citadel of the past that has witnessed centuries slip by. Built in red stone, the Agra fort stretches almost two kilometres on the bank of the Yamuna. A huge wall encircles the crescent shaped fort. With only two main gates built to enter the fort, the impregnable stature of the fort becomes amply clear. The two gates are named the Delhi gate and the Amar Singh Gate. Wow! How grand… But next stop please. I was anxious to get out of the blistering noon day sun. The humidity was killing. Incidentally when I checked wunderground.com before I left KL, it said weather in Agra to be mild – 27 degrees Celsius. What bollocks. This felt more like 4o.

There were like a couple of hundred people around this place and the blast site was crowded with shoppers on a busy weekend ahead of Hindu and Muslim festivals. The last major attack to hit the capital was in 2005, when about 66 people were killed when three bombs exploded in busy markets. Those poor people! We said a quick prayer for them.. we felt helpless, and also worried for our safety. However, upon arrival in Delhi, we were rather amazed at this city’s ability to bounce back. Whilst security in New Delhi had been tightened, it seemed like business as usual.

Introducing Gulati. It’s a good thing that this place stays open till midnight, so if you get in late, you still have a good chance of grabbing a bite to eat. Gulati,

Delhi is famous for Leather items. In the whole of India, perhaps, Delhi is where you will get nice leather items with good prices. In terms of leather, cheap does not mean lousy. Connaught Place is one of the best places to get good quality leather but unfortunately the place was on HIGH SECURITY alert due to the bomb blast yesterday. We were told to steer clear.

ME: “Can I get a photo?”

We were told that the Malaysian Ambassador shops here, for good quality stones at very affordable prices.

Here’s the man. Mr Mogha himself. He says , be really, really careful when you shop outside. Your RED ruby may turn pink in two months time, if you buy your stone from dodgy dealers! Good to know, Mr Mogha!

Back home I tried out my shopping… Yay! I get to wear this in tokyo.. where the weather is getting cooler. Unfortunately it’s only a 1 day meeting, which means I’ll get to see the inside of the hotel only this time

Next stop.. SAREE shopping!

Chandni Chowk! Apparently floor to ceiling saree’s as well! I had real trouble pronouncing this market’s name but it is actually said , Chutney Chalk. Geddit?

Here is were we finally purchased not one , not two… but SIX saree’s! Saree Sansar – a more legitimate “designer” wholesale saree shop, where we picked out our selection in the comfort of air-conditioning and where the MANAGER , was the Saree model.. What service! Phew… mission accomplished with the saree. Time to eat! . . .

The GPRMD is my absolute favourite. It ranks way up there with the Vadai Sambar (Indian savoury doughnut dunked in a reddish dahl like concoction (sambar), and eaten with coconut chutney).

Haldirams Nagpur, a name synonymous with tradition, uncompromising quality, great taste and proudly associated with Indian sweets and namkeens for over six decades. Indian Sweets, Namkeens (Savories), Salted Snacks, papad, 3-D Snacks, 3-D Pellets, Vermicelli, Pasta & other ready to eat snacks, are all sold under this brandname. Haldiram’s is ranked 98th in the ‘India’ Most Trusted Brands 2003’ survey, commissioned by The Economics Times!

And rightly so. I tried the Rasgulla.. a typical Bengali sweet, consisting of balls of fresh curd, cooked and soaked in a sugar syrup. But clever old me… seeing as I have been piling on the calories, I decided to try the sugarless rasgulla. YUKS! Believe me, the one with sugar is much better. lol. I quickly traded in my sugarless for a sugared version. You just cannot cheat with your sweets.. eh?

People sleeping on the sidewalks are a common sight. What can I say.. as my trip comes to an end, I am grateful for all the wonderful experiences that India has brought me. Though it feels like I have done loads in 4 days, I cannot help but think that this is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Many, many more facets to India that have yet to present itself to me. I’ll save that for my next trip!