Zoom Zoom!
Plans are rolling. In a few hours I'll be up at 4:30am to catch a taxi at 5am to get to Nizamuddin train station to catch the 6am to Agra. I'm told the Taj Mahal is really the only thing really worth staying for, as the rest of the city is not particularly friendly to outsiders (and maybe even insiders). Will either continue onto Jaipur directly from there, or make a detour to Keoladeo National Bird Sanctuary, where because it is presently the shoulder season between winter and spring, many avian visitors should be passing through. I'm told it should be relatively easy to find a guesthouse without reservation in Jaipur, but I have my own reservations (groan!) about that, and might try to call a few places while in transit.
This will kick off my two week exploration of Rajasthan, the western desert province, and also the 'real' experience of solo-ing in India. Hopefully I'll be able to hole up in an internet cafe wherever I find one and keep up with the posts!
***A sunny Sunday ramble today! I do my first load of handwashing in years, which makes me tumble head over heels back in love with washing machines. The terrace rooftop of the flat is just perfect for drying, and complete with a cardboard box for crawling into in case one finds the day-to-day rat race too much to bear.
***
Kelsang and I head out for a day on the streets! We first go to the tailor to get a pair of pants hemmed. He does it in less than five minutes, with a pair of gigantic scissors, deft hands, and what looks like an antique sewing machine. This service costs 30 rps, about $0.75.
***
We bust to Connaught Place to do a bit o' shopping - much bargaining is done, some successful, some not, but in India, if you don't get something over here, you can get it over there. There is really nothing you absolutely have to buy from a certain vendor (especially if they're being assholes from the get-go).
A friend of Kelsang's recommended his favorite South Indian restaurant (Saravana Bhavan) in the outer circle of CP to us, so we put on our best traffic dodging legs, and jay-walk for our lives to get there (I thought biking in Montreal in rush hour built nerves of steel. Try holding still in the middle of the street as motorcycles, autorickshaws, taxis, trucks whizz by in front and behind you with just inches to spare, at night, and all you can see are headlights approaching).
It is totally worth it. There is already a line-up outside, but we manage to squeeze in as we're just two. We start with delicious South Indian tea, like chai, but fewer spices, and you can really taste the blackness of the tea. Curd Vadai (the same donut in sweet yogurt with crisp lentils on top that I had with Deepa) to start, then Dried fruit masala dosai for Kelsang, and Coconut Masala Dosai for me, all served with coconut, cilantro, tomato, and sambar chutney. Ice cream to finish, and we are two stuffed ladies! The meal for two is 580 rps = $13.
Curd Vadai
Dosais, with multi-chutney!
***
On the way back to the metro, my eye is caught by a swath of color on the ground, where a woman is selling little sachels and bags. I pick two, and ask her how much. She tells me 200 rps. I know this is way too much. I begin to bargain with her, then stop before I really start. This is not the same as bargaining with a shopkeeper. This woman doesn't even have a real space to sell her wares, and is out on the street at night trying to earn a living. I give her the 200 rupees, and save the bargaining for someone who can afford to make less money.
***
I didn't leave myself much time to sleep, but I'll find time for that tomorrow!
Thanks to all who've been reading and keeping up with these daily happenings! I really love knowing that I'm being followed. And don't hesitate to send me "Yo, Wuzzup Lady" messages (or something to your own effect), I'm definitely appreciating all the home-contact I can get. It may sound funny, having been gone for just a week and a half, and still being just at the start of my trip, but the thought of returning home and seeing all my loved peeps again brings tears to my eyes. I'm missing you all, and thinking of you!