After leaving the Red Fort, we headed right to the heart of the Old Delhi neighborhood for a stroll down atmospheric Chandni Chowk. (By the way, when a tour book says something is "atmospheric", one should read in to it that they mean its "going to be nuts but great for photos and later stories of your survival")
Check out all the rickshaw traffic, auto and bike, side-by-side.
I wonder if the bikes feel left out that they cannot contribute to the honking symphony?
Really beautiful old buildings- and a unique mis-match of Indian and Colonial styles and modern advertisements!
Don't fear- even in the heart of "Old" Delhi, there is a McDonalds. America's finest export. Ugh.
So we are uncertain what these things are (anybody know?), but the cart was very cool, and the people buying them seemed to really enjoy them. I think they are a relative of the ice-pop, but Dave disagrees.
Regardless, he wouldn't let me have one so it may forever be a mystery. But this little girl seemed pretty excited to be getting hers on this steamy hot afternoon.
Look at that deliciousness, I heart samosas! You can add this to the list of things that Dave did not let me eat.
It seems that school children like to hang out on rickshaws after school.
Seems like a cool enough place to me.
This fine man was selling candy out of his little red jars. No mystery here why there were a plethora of kiddos hanging near his cart.
You should have seen the look of glee on this guy's face as he buys his little pouch of sweets- and the jealousy of his little friends looking on. Too cute.
Ladies shopping for ribbon and trimmings for their outfits. If I had the appropriate Hindi vocabulary for it I totally would have come back with some of the pretties ribbon you have ever seen in your life.
So the main street is hectic enough, with two way traffic on the sidewalks, store fronts bursting with goods, hawkers pushing their wears on the street and a chorus of honking cars and auto rickshaws, but you are really in for crazy when you take a step off of the main street and down one of the side alley markets. And although there was often hardly room for people to pass each other, there were cars and motorcycles zipping right along, greeting you with the Delhi honk. I don't think Dave enjoyed the Old Delhi stroll as much as I did because while I was taking in the sights and smells, he was in full on body guard mode trying to make sure I was not groped, pick-pocketed or run over by a passing auto. Poor man had his work cut out for him but I appreciate all of his efforts and I am pleased to say that I while I was occasionally fending off the random unwelcome touch from a passing man, I got through all of the markets no worse for the wear. I also didn't come out laden with shopping bags of goodies like I'd hoped would happen, but that's another story.
Because so many places have converted to under-ground electricity, it was fascinating to see the helterskelter circus of interlaces wires that were running down the streets. It must be a bird's paradise- look at all those places to sit!
Yes please, I'd like one of everything. Some samplings of the much talked-about Rajisthani jewelry. Must have been great to be a Maharani and get decked out in this finery every day.
Please note the previous comments about a bird's paradise. Yup- it must be true. Check out the thick flock of birds taking off from their roost. We are happy to report that we made it through 4 days in an extremely bird-happy place and never once got pooped on. It may be good luck to get a little air-mailed gift from your passing pigeon, but I think I'd rather have a rabbits foot.
More yummy looking street food. If I didn't have a stomach prone to being inhospitable to foreign street cuisine and a strong fear of Delhi-belly, I would have eaten myself silly on this trip.
Apparently the streets are set up thematically. So there is a car parts market, a silver market, a cloth market, a spice market, etc. This store was from, you guessed it, the paper street- home to stores selling books and stationary goods. Notice all the wires hanging down!
We next moved on to another of our to-do list items, by throwing caution to the wind, and hopping in to a bike rickshaw for an adventurous ride through Old Delhi to our next stop on this whistle-stop tour of Delhi, the Jamma Masjid. Our poor guy really worked up a sweat hauling our two American-sized butts down these crowded streets. Despite learning the hard way that one should keep their elbows with in the confines of the rickshaw at all times lest it be sacrificed to on-coming traffic (ouch!) I really liked the ride. And I had a way better vantage point for some picture taking and sight seeing.
This guy, with the 2 tons of books on his bike, made me feel less bad about our guy having to pedal us around. He got his work out for the day.
Three people on a scooter. They really should have been more environmentally friendly and invited at least one or two more to join, seriously. This kid has the look of a seasoned pro- meanwhile, if you could see my terrified face or my white-knuckle grip on both my camera and the frame of the rickshaw, you would be able to understand the madness that was happening on this street!
Doesn't Mr. Rickshaw Man look thrilled to be having his picture taken by a tourist? Well, thanks anyways buddy, it was a thrilling ride to say the least. But we arrived at our final destination with all extremities still attached, and we were off for to see the Friday Mosque.
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