First day in India and we slept in. It was a long flight and we were both really
tired. After breakfast we headed out on
a walk to find an ATM to get some cash.
Along the way we visited with another gentleman out walking. He asked if we had a car, and we said no, the
rules were so different. His comment was
that there are no rules. After a
discussion of where we were going and why, he suggested an alternative where
we could find International Bank ATMs.
His suggested location was a longer walk (with a much less clear
location), but generally in the direction we were walking.
Fortunately there was a tuk-tuk parked nearby. He talked with the driver about our needs and
we headed out for our first tuk-tuk ride.
A tuk-tuk is a small open aired vehicle found all over Delhi and
India. You can ride for an hour for 60
rupees (about $1). The tuk-tuk driver
promptly turned around and headed in the opposite direction, but he took us to
an ATM and then the India Art Center where we did a masterful job fending off
the vendors. We did a whirlwind walk
through to see some of the art and then headed back to the tuk-tuk and a ride
back to our hotel.
Lalit, our tour driver, was waiting for us. We made a short stop at India Gate for a few
pictures...
and people watching, including a number of people cooling off in the large fountain,
and lots of vendors.
We then picked up Tara (our travel agent extraordinaire and knower of all things India) and headed to a crafts market to pick up a few kurtas (long Indian shirts), two for Paul and one for our daughter, Jessica, who will be joining us later.
Then we headed to Tara’s favorite jewelry shop where she
was having some jewelry made (apparently she had just traded in old gold
jewelry for some new items). Of course,
Mary got into the spirit of things and bought a bracelet. Then it was a walk through a warren of
streets that constitute one of the major markets in Delhi.
It looked like you could buy almost anything there. We bought some fruit biscuits to take to
Tara’s mother where we were having dinner tonight. Two of Tara’s high school classmates were
also at dinner. Dinner consisted of a
number of tasty Indian dishes, including a great fried okra dish and a yummy mystery
root that has no English name and that is not available in the US. The fried version of this was particularly
tasty but the one in a curry sauce was also good. The dinner party broke up pretty early as we
were pretty jet lagged.
Once back at the hotel it was time for a little repacking
and then to bed.
Requirements for driving safely in India (as told by
Lalit):
- Good Horn
- Good Brakes
- Good Luck
Ancillary rule – The white
lines on the road are just for decoration.
Previous
Next
No comments:
Post a Comment