India: Namaste

My first full day in Delhi was quite an experience. It would be impossible to describe in a blog post, maybe even in a book. Delhi is exactly like they portray it in the movies - constantly moving and loud! New York is much calmer and more organized by comparison. Amidst all the chaos here, there is more chaos. I like it here, but I will be ready to leave Saturday. Too much stress and culture shock to relax here.

I slept late and had breakfast here at the guesthouse/hotel, 76 Friends Colony. The hotel is lovely. There are 22 rooms, but I am currently the only guest. They are treating me like a celebrity. One young man is like my personal assistant - the second I step out of the room, he is there to wait on me! "Yeah ma'am, how can I help you ma'am? Anything you like ma'am." At breakfast, he stood there while I ate, taking away each dish just as I finished it, offering me newspapers, juice, coffee, etc.

It is true that "everyone" here speaks English, but good English is not so common. So when I asked about the food on the menu, the servant guy is like, "Ma'am, masala dosa is... Masala dosa. Very good." So, I had masala dosa and it was very good. (FYI, masala dosa is like a toasted crepe with saffron flavored potatoes and other stuff inside, served with a spicy dipping sauce and a sweet coconut dipping sauce).

After breakfast, I napped for awhile and then decided to venture out into the city. Whew! For about $25, I hired a private driver for the entire afternoon. I needed to change money, so he took me to "a private bank with no service fee," which was actually two guys sitting behind a desk in a tiny stall with no sign on the door, no receipt, and no communication, except to give me INR 5000 in exchange for my USD 100, which means they took about a $6 service fee.... Not bad. He then took me to a shopping mall called Citywalk, which is very much like American shopping malls. I was relieved because I was a little intimidated at the idea of haggling in a market on my first day and I needed to but some clothes. I bought two "shalwar" outfits at a store called Fabindia, which is famous for its block printed fabrics. The clothes are sooo comfortable! I shopped around for awhile and then met the driver and he took me to a small textile store called Delhi Haat (pretty sure he got a commission for taking me there). I bought a pashmina and a sari for about $30.

We also stopped by two pharmacies so I could find a prescription I was looking for - pharmacies are disgusting here! Filthy.

The evening was much calmer. Leigh Sullivan's friend, Shanti Kohli, had a driver pick me up and take me to meet her at the Delhi Golf Club for a delicious dinner. Shanti was very cool, friendly, and speaks perfect English! She is going to start booking the rest of my trip. Dinner was lamb, chicken and cheese (panil?) tandoori, lentils, naan and Indian red wine. It was spicy, but not too spicy. I really enjoyed it.

Now to bed. I just realized there is a nice Mark Rothko print hanging in my room. Very classy.

Here are some pics of my hotel: