Then check out Cafe Turtle in Delhi's Khan Market. This is NOT the authentic India experience, but it IS a nice place to get a latte and a panini and curl up with a book newly purchased from the Full Circle bookstore, downstairs.
We sat here for hours during our first visit before exploring the rest of the market. Once you are sufficiently jittery and literary, head out to look for fairly nice, albeit somewhat more "touristy" gifts or souvenirs in almost any price range (I walked into a boutique where the price tags on the jeans made me too scared to convert to $'s). I did, however, pick up a couple of nice graphic T-shirts for 4 bucks each. The seller kept dropping the price when I wasn't even trying to barter, but honestly felt like I should stop being materialistic and buying so much stuff, and eventually it was so cheap that I just gave in.
Funny how with the exchange rate, you could buy so much in India for a fraction of the price you spend on food in a day in America, but at the same time you begin to feel that owning things is so excessive that you walk away only getting Christmas presents for half of your besties.
Then after being back in the States for a couple of weeks, some of us begin to regret not having been more materialistic in India, wishing we had more sweet swag, while others come back with a renewed awareness into how unnecessary all this stuff is. Something to think about before/during/after embarking on your trip!
Anyway, get to Khan Market by metro, a long walk from Pahar Ganj, taxi/rickshaw, or the multiperson buses of which I only have a very vague memory. If you have more experience with these, do share!
We sat here for hours during our first visit before exploring the rest of the market. Once you are sufficiently jittery and literary, head out to look for fairly nice, albeit somewhat more "touristy" gifts or souvenirs in almost any price range (I walked into a boutique where the price tags on the jeans made me too scared to convert to $'s). I did, however, pick up a couple of nice graphic T-shirts for 4 bucks each. The seller kept dropping the price when I wasn't even trying to barter, but honestly felt like I should stop being materialistic and buying so much stuff, and eventually it was so cheap that I just gave in.
Funny how with the exchange rate, you could buy so much in India for a fraction of the price you spend on food in a day in America, but at the same time you begin to feel that owning things is so excessive that you walk away only getting Christmas presents for half of your besties.
Then after being back in the States for a couple of weeks, some of us begin to regret not having been more materialistic in India, wishing we had more sweet swag, while others come back with a renewed awareness into how unnecessary all this stuff is. Something to think about before/during/after embarking on your trip!
Anyway, get to Khan Market by metro, a long walk from Pahar Ganj, taxi/rickshaw, or the multiperson buses of which I only have a very vague memory. If you have more experience with these, do share!
No comments:
Post a Comment