We had planned to visit a new temple that had just been constructed in the past few years, Akshardham, but we did not have time in the day, as we had to meet back up with Rahul’s father and sister before 5 o’clock. None of us have seen the newly constructed temple as of yet, so we were all excited to make the trip, but alas, some plans just fall through and there is not much you can do about it. So instead, we contacted Ashutosh and the four of us headed into Sarojani Nagar, a nice market with decent priced clothing. Rahul picked up a nice shirt, with help from Ashutosh and me, I bought a few tshirts and a pair of jeans for our upcoming trip to the Shimla area. We got to chat with Ashutosh a little bit before we had to head back into town.
Arriving back at the hotel a bit late due to traffic, the ever present and always enjoyable traffic of Delhi, we met Ruby and Rahul’s father. A ‘friendly’ little argument ensued in Hindi, one of which I do not know most of the content, lack of Hindi speaking and all, but it at least seemed resolved when his father left for the train. Didi, Ruby’s nickname meaning older sister, stayed behind with Sagar, her son, to travel with us until we headed to Varanasi. Didi presented me with a very nice gift, a shirt that they picked up from the market for me. It was very kind of them to do so, and I am still trying to figure out what present to get them for allowing me to stay in Varanasi—Rahul is being no help in this matter.
Didi wanted to head to an underground market to kill some time before our train left for Kalka that night. This market used to be one of the more popular and higher quality markets, but due to malls opening around the area, this has become a secondary market where lower quality goods are exchanged. For instance, a vendor was trying to sell us CK One, cologne Rahul purchased before we left Chicago, for 650 rupees, about 13 US dollars. Before purchasing this, as it seemed too good to be true, a 45 dollar bottle for only 13 bucks, we asked to smell it. Not only was it a knock off, it was a poor knock off. Anyone who has smelled CK One before would have been able to let you know it was a sad attempt at faking the cologne. At least Rahul got a decent pair of pants for 350 rupees that he had been looking for for a few days. Getting annoyed by the barrage of ‘Come look at just one shirt, please sir,’ ‘Please come into my shop, finest quality,’ and ‘I have the best clothes at best prices. Please sir,” statements, we headed out for our evening train ride. This long day would finally come to a nice long sleeper train ride end.
Showing posts with label South Delhi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Delhi. Show all posts
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Arc de Triomphe of India
Next stop the India Gate, or maybe the Arc de Triumph of India? Although the India Gate is not too distant from PVR Priya, we walked a large portion of the distance. As an aside, If you have never walked towards a monument that you can see in the distance, it always seems closer than it actually its’ due to its size. The rikshaw ride was short, about 20 minutes, and then the walking started, and continued, and kept going a bit further, until we were almost there, and then we walked some more..
Even though it was about 9p when we arrived at the gate, it was still packed with people and vendors who do not commonly clear out until 11p from what I am told. The gate is a large four column structure with an enclosed top, similar to the Arc de Triomphe in France. Three flags sit in front of the gate symbolizing the three parts of the military in India; the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. Sheltered under the gate is an eternal flame that burns to memorialize all of those who have given their lives in the defense of the country. Sitting next to this flame is a gun with a helmet balanced on the hilt. Visiting the memorial at night made it shine in the darkness, a beacon of hope in the surrounding darkness of the park.
We rested for a little bit in the grassy area around the Gate, Rahul bought a small toy for his nephews and niece, and we all discussed the amount of litter that existed in the near vicinity. Even after nearly 20 minutes of talking about how the litter problem is created, propagated and possible solutions, two of the party members who will remain unnamed added to the problem. You know who you are Rahul and Monu, so I will spare you the shame of public flaming. :P
After some more walking, we parted ways, jumped in separate rikshaws and headed to our respective homes for the evening. We called it an earlier night, as Rahul’s family was arriving in the morning. We had another good day in India, minus the heavy smog starting to take a toll on my breathing.
Even though it was about 9p when we arrived at the gate, it was still packed with people and vendors who do not commonly clear out until 11p from what I am told. The gate is a large four column structure with an enclosed top, similar to the Arc de Triomphe in France. Three flags sit in front of the gate symbolizing the three parts of the military in India; the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. Sheltered under the gate is an eternal flame that burns to memorialize all of those who have given their lives in the defense of the country. Sitting next to this flame is a gun with a helmet balanced on the hilt. Visiting the memorial at night made it shine in the darkness, a beacon of hope in the surrounding darkness of the park.
We rested for a little bit in the grassy area around the Gate, Rahul bought a small toy for his nephews and niece, and we all discussed the amount of litter that existed in the near vicinity. Even after nearly 20 minutes of talking about how the litter problem is created, propagated and possible solutions, two of the party members who will remain unnamed added to the problem. You know who you are Rahul and Monu, so I will spare you the shame of public flaming. :P
After some more walking, we parted ways, jumped in separate rikshaws and headed to our respective homes for the evening. We called it an earlier night, as Rahul’s family was arriving in the morning. We had another good day in India, minus the heavy smog starting to take a toll on my breathing.
Posh drinks
PVR Priya, the market area that we headed to, was, as I was informed after we arrived and went through security, a target for a terrorist attack in the past. It has since become very secure, and guards are dispersed throughout, and tend to all of the entries, so I was not concerned about safety issues. We wandered around a bit looking at the stores that scatter the market area, most familiar to me and some not. We then came across a fountain to sit down at, which I think from the steep incline of the slick stones in front of the fountain we were not actually supposed to sit there, and took a few pictures.
Being in a posh area, we decided to splurge at a fancy coffee house after our photo session, this is not a common extravagance that students get to have, so Rahul and I were happy to give the Bihar brothers and Ashutosh a small treat and rest from the heat of the day inside the AC. The interior is very similar to chain coffee houses in the States, i.e. Starbucks, but the service is much, much, much slower. To their defense, they do serve you at the table, but still they move at the pace of snails. I was later told that this was caused by the people that tend to populate coffee houses in India. Couples, lacking much money but still wanting to spend time with each other, will go to a coffee house, order a 100 rupee coffee, and sit and talk with each other for hours on end. If you are looking for a fast cup of joe, this is not a place you would want to go.
On order from our table included 3 mint mojitos, non-alcoholic if you were wondering, a ginger spritzer, and mango chill. My drink of choice, being an against the grain kind of guy at that moment, was the bright pink ginger spritzer. It was like a herd of ginger-beasts trampled the prairie of my taste buds; my sinuses began to hurt a bit after I finished the drink. All of the beverages were drinkable, but the mojito was by far the best drink, as the mango was watery, and the ginger being as it was previously described, was not the favored drink. Sad I had to finish that concoction. That is what I get for being different I guess.
Being in a posh area, we decided to splurge at a fancy coffee house after our photo session, this is not a common extravagance that students get to have, so Rahul and I were happy to give the Bihar brothers and Ashutosh a small treat and rest from the heat of the day inside the AC. The interior is very similar to chain coffee houses in the States, i.e. Starbucks, but the service is much, much, much slower. To their defense, they do serve you at the table, but still they move at the pace of snails. I was later told that this was caused by the people that tend to populate coffee houses in India. Couples, lacking much money but still wanting to spend time with each other, will go to a coffee house, order a 100 rupee coffee, and sit and talk with each other for hours on end. If you are looking for a fast cup of joe, this is not a place you would want to go.
On order from our table included 3 mint mojitos, non-alcoholic if you were wondering, a ginger spritzer, and mango chill. My drink of choice, being an against the grain kind of guy at that moment, was the bright pink ginger spritzer. It was like a herd of ginger-beasts trampled the prairie of my taste buds; my sinuses began to hurt a bit after I finished the drink. All of the beverages were drinkable, but the mojito was by far the best drink, as the mango was watery, and the ginger being as it was previously described, was not the favored drink. Sad I had to finish that concoction. That is what I get for being different I guess.
Eat your heart out Little Bo Peep – Lunch at Ashutosh’s place
After leaving the Red Fort, we headed back down to South Delhi to grab some lunch with Ashutosh. Traffic was as expected, hectic and teeth grinding, but we made it safely. We arrived starving and unable to get a hold of Ashutosh, so we grabbed a snack of mushroom cauliflower curry at a small restaurant down the street from his flat. After food, Ashutosh called us back, so we headed up to his place to meet up with the Bihar brothers and Ashutosh at his flat. He rents a flat in an area heavily populated by students, as the rates are quite manageable, even for students.
Student housing is quite simple, even compared to standards in the States. It is not uncommon for students to move every couple months, sometimes to a flat just across the street, so the arduous task of moving furniture is mitigated by just not purchasing it in the first place. Ashutosh pays around 60 US dollars for a studio sized apartment with a small kitchen off to the side and a shared bathroom. The flat is shared between the two roommates, who, with a lack of beds and furniture, find the space to be plenty large for them. Even with the five of us occupying the majority of the floor space for lunch and chatting, more on that in a few lines, there was plenty of space for several more to have joined in. It was quaint but comfortable, and I sincerely thank Ashutosh for sharing his place with Rahul and me.
We hung out for about an hour, catching up with each other, and sharing a bit about India versus the US. Thankfully most of the conversation today was in English, I really wish I could speak Hindi fluently, this trip would be much smoother for me. Rahul offered to cook some food for us, as the three we met were hungry, and our snack was rather small in terms of lunch proportions in India. The Bihar brothers hung out with me while Rahul and Ashutosh ran to the market for ingredients.
While gone, the Bihar brothers and I shared a few jokes, flipped through photos of Facebook talking about my life in the States and my recent studies. It was nice getting to know them a bit better. Shortly after leaving, Rahul and Ashutosh returned from the market with lunch ingredients, and everyone pitched in to help cook, minus the guest, myself. I would have liked to help out, but all the jobs were filled up. Monu chopped the onions, Sonu crushed up the garlic, Rahul prepared the main ingredients, and Ashutosh walked outside to have a cigarette. With Rahul behind the wheel, I trusted lunch would be good.
Served up for lunch was mushroom fried rice and a dish composed of mutton hearts. That is right Little Bo Peep, mutton hearts. Mutton is lamb over the age of 2 years, a bit hard to find in the States unless you know where to look, and definitely not as popular as in most other countries. The fried rice was on par with what Rahul usually cooks, meaning delicious, and the mutton heart, although a bit dry and chewy, as heart usually is from what I was informed, was an interesting new dish for me. For the first time that I had heart meat, I was pleasantly surprised. Eating commonly fattier meats, the dryness took me back a bit, but I just slapped on a bit more gravy and dug in. I do not know if I would say heart is my favorite meat, but I am willing to try it again in the future. Finishing the meal with a cold drink, Thumbs Up, which is similar to Coke but not as sweet, we started to discuss plans for the evening.
Next culinary exploration, the kidneys?
Student housing is quite simple, even compared to standards in the States. It is not uncommon for students to move every couple months, sometimes to a flat just across the street, so the arduous task of moving furniture is mitigated by just not purchasing it in the first place. Ashutosh pays around 60 US dollars for a studio sized apartment with a small kitchen off to the side and a shared bathroom. The flat is shared between the two roommates, who, with a lack of beds and furniture, find the space to be plenty large for them. Even with the five of us occupying the majority of the floor space for lunch and chatting, more on that in a few lines, there was plenty of space for several more to have joined in. It was quaint but comfortable, and I sincerely thank Ashutosh for sharing his place with Rahul and me.
We hung out for about an hour, catching up with each other, and sharing a bit about India versus the US. Thankfully most of the conversation today was in English, I really wish I could speak Hindi fluently, this trip would be much smoother for me. Rahul offered to cook some food for us, as the three we met were hungry, and our snack was rather small in terms of lunch proportions in India. The Bihar brothers hung out with me while Rahul and Ashutosh ran to the market for ingredients.
While gone, the Bihar brothers and I shared a few jokes, flipped through photos of Facebook talking about my life in the States and my recent studies. It was nice getting to know them a bit better. Shortly after leaving, Rahul and Ashutosh returned from the market with lunch ingredients, and everyone pitched in to help cook, minus the guest, myself. I would have liked to help out, but all the jobs were filled up. Monu chopped the onions, Sonu crushed up the garlic, Rahul prepared the main ingredients, and Ashutosh walked outside to have a cigarette. With Rahul behind the wheel, I trusted lunch would be good.
Served up for lunch was mushroom fried rice and a dish composed of mutton hearts. That is right Little Bo Peep, mutton hearts. Mutton is lamb over the age of 2 years, a bit hard to find in the States unless you know where to look, and definitely not as popular as in most other countries. The fried rice was on par with what Rahul usually cooks, meaning delicious, and the mutton heart, although a bit dry and chewy, as heart usually is from what I was informed, was an interesting new dish for me. For the first time that I had heart meat, I was pleasantly surprised. Eating commonly fattier meats, the dryness took me back a bit, but I just slapped on a bit more gravy and dug in. I do not know if I would say heart is my favorite meat, but I am willing to try it again in the future. Finishing the meal with a cold drink, Thumbs Up, which is similar to Coke but not as sweet, we started to discuss plans for the evening.
Next culinary exploration, the kidneys?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)