It is now November. No more A/C needed! The housing society swimming pool has been emptied. Both humidity and temperature are starting to drop.
I finally tried India McDonald’s signature meal:
The McVeggie
It wasn’t bad. Though the Shake-Shake Bag (a random promotion they were doing) produced some *spicy* fries.
Palika Bazaar:
For some reason, I thought it would be fun and relaxing to hang out at Connaught Place while I was getting my Nepal trip sorted out with a nearby agency / embassy.
What was I thinking?
Just a few people bugged me at first (“How are you?” “Where are you from?” “Madam, hello?”) as I walked around the circle. I was excited when I finally spotted one of the mysterious entrances to the underground “Palika Bazaar.” I had read that it was a funky street market literally beneath the upscale Connaught Place. Curious, I went through the security in the enclosed gazebo-type thing and walked down the spiral staircase.
It was the kind of place you could get lost in. Lots of shops, colors, and sounds. And turns. No sense of what direction you are going in (though, granted, since Connaught Place is a circle, it is pretty hard to get yourself oriented above ground as well!)
I might have enjoyed the wander a bit more if every other shopkeeper (and if I’m exaggerating here, it is not by much!) tried to get my attention. I don’t really like to ignore people. And even if I do, some apparently thought I just didn’t hear them and spoke even louder. I had not been prepared. I felt singled out and exhausted by the efforts of trying NOT to look in any one person’s shop and ignoring or No-thank-you-ing the calls from every direction.
I left much quicker than I intended to, pretty much as soon as I located another exit. But above ground was almost as bad. It felt like people were talking to me nonstop, trying to get me to buy whatever goods they were selling. I even straight-out told a guy who started walking with me, “Look, 100% of the people who ask where I’m from are selling something. One hundred percent.” He still seemed to be trying to convince me that he was just chatty, though he mentioned a bookshop. I only escaped from him by going to lunch at the closest place: Kebab Xpress.
Indian Fast Food!
(Totally superior to the McVeggie)
After lunch, I thought I could avoid the nonstop solicitations by paying to go in somewhere. So I bought a ticket and entered Delhi’s Jantar Mantar (similar to Jaipur’s version.)
Less than five minutes into it, some guy stopped me wanting to be my guide. Then ten minutes after that, an older man did the same. Somehow not snapping at him (I had snapped at several of the others) since he really did seem to be a nice old retired guy, I said “I came in here to get peace and quiet, actually, and not have anyone talk to me.”
Jantar Mantar
For Your Giant Astronmical Equipment Needs
Incidentally, you CANNOT climb around on this stuff. Some of it, a little, but I got whistled at. My co-worker had me convinced that only Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar had the rules blocking the oh-so-climbable stairs everywhere. Nope. Delhi, too.
After that, I wandered some side streets off the main drag, which upon reflection is the best way to avoid the unsolicited conversations. One person did get my attention, but that was just to help. I was walking, but had turned around upon seeing a barrier in the road, thinking I had to go another way, but he told me there was a pedestrian path off to the side. Indeed there was!
Saved me time.
On a completely unrelated note, I find it amusing that they are trying to market a scooter to dudes. Not sure why the commercial makes me laugh. I think it is because marketing a gender-preferred product to men happens significantly less often than the reverse.
Attempting to make the scooter manly…
Bollywood Workshop
The Delhi Women’s Group at Internations held a Bollywood Dance Workshop! This was fun. Although I arrived so early that even the organizer had not arrived yet (and I confused the other household members), all was well. We learned a piece of a routine from a popular song right now (“Dilliwalli Girlfriend”) from an experienced professional who, amazingly, still seemed enthusiastic about teaching us.
I was also surprised how well I understood his English, especially as he confided that he had never left the country. He explained, though. He had spent years working in a call center! (Poor dude… Glad he’s choreographing now.)
He taught us moves in groups of four and added on the music quickly. I still can’t believe that, before the hour was up, he had taught us maybe 24 moves and we managed to somewhat sort of dance them full speed by the end!
Although it is not the same routine that is on YouTube, I definitely look at the dancing on Bollywood videos a different way now.