Mind the people
Ieronically this post comes right after the "Do not mind the place". ;o)
My Sunday started at 6-40 when my mobile sang its cheerful tune and I heard hilarious voice of Thomas, a German guy from Lajpat Nagar, “Olga, what are you doing?”…Completely taken aback by this seemingly simply question, I replied not without uncertainty in my voice, “Sleeping…” Thomas was hardly discouraged thought, “Olga, we are at India gate”. Still half-conscious I could make out though that the farewell party for Linda was too good and people cannot help carrying on with the fun they are having. Anyway the call was actually from Anya: she was asking to postpone our meet up tomorrow as they would probably love to sleep a bit. Ha!
I could not make it to the party that night, but I was planning on breakfast with Lajpat Nagar people anyway. Being in an obvious advantage, I got up reasonably early and.. in the anticipation of great summer day I headed to Lajpat. Bought mangoes (25 Rs/kg), melon (20 Rs), watermelon (10 Rs) and banana (10 Rs) for the fruit salad – wanted to treat my hang-over suffering friends to something healthy, refreshing and nice.
Arrived around noon when they all were still sleeping, so I started meditating on my fruits. Soon one by one they were waking up and crawling out of their rooms – soo sweet to observe after-party, still sleepy people roaming around with no energy left unless it comes to food or drinks that they grab in desperation. The cleaning lady and her mom came and we involved into some chatting with them. Despite they speak Hindi, we speak English and some Hindi words it still might be fun – making jokes and easy going chatting on both parts come easily. The real communication problem starts once you try to educate the cleaning lady – then she would not get a word, obviosuly. Otherwise, if you let her be and chat with her about cleaning-unrelated issues the complete understanding would be there.
Once all the inhabitants of Lajpat Nagar are awake, we open all the windows and the marble-decorated ground-floor apartment gets filled with the morning freshness. Even no fans needed so far – luxury completely unthinkable for the upper floor flat at Malvia Nagar.
Anya is getting ready for the brunch at Imperial hotel and we all advise her on the proper outfit.
Roel is studying matrimonials in The Sunday Times hoping to grasp cast relations and regional peculiarities.
Oliver is watching rally on TV (they have arranged for a TV-card for the lat-top, those lucky guys)…
Later on we all are breakfasting….
Happy and carefree after-breakfast us, Linda and me, left for Pahar Ganj as the girl wanted to get a pair of Aladdin pants (not sure this is the name, but I heard it once at least) – exactly the ones I got in Dharamshala and the ones that all the girls are complimenting me on ;o).
Pahar Ganj, is an area nearby New Delhi Railway Station. In the market there, as Sinthya told me once, you can find everything they would sell elsewhere in India. Proved to be true: for example, Tibetan dresses can be fount here at a price 1/3 less then in Dharamshala, small textile bags sold at ½ of the price. Mmm… What is the point of shopping at the tourist destinations for the “authentic” stuff which appears to find so easily in Delhi only ;o) And Pahar Ganj is such a hub with the stores-warehouses like this one we walked in…..
The pants were desperately sought – I had a par on me, so it was very easy to explain what we want to the shopmen. Too easy at times, though: at one shop I stretched my pants a bit and pointing at them told the guy, “Pants”. He looked and said, “Very good”. So embarrassed I was….
As soon as Anya joined us and 3 pairs of the mentioned pants were obtained (oh, if only those alone …) we headed to Sarojini. At the latter within 10 minutes (including bargaining) me and Anya got about 10 pieces of clothes altogether. Later on she got 10 pairs of ear-rings for presents and I played a role of greedy elder sister – the target was met: we’ve managed to bargain down to a very nice price. But at the end of the day all this bargaining at both markets and with rickshawmen really got me – after this eternal fight or rather the necessity to pursue it I get furious and then…
Anyway with 200 Rs left in my wallet I joined 9 people from Lajpat Nagar for dinner at a marvellous Chinese restaurant - good company and good food appeared to be the pillars I could start building my good mood on…However much I was grieving for us not going to Sagar Retna, a very popular South-Indian restaurant, Aka-Saka (at Defence Colony, also) appeared to be a great choice too.
We got full-fledged service and even a group discount which anyway we did not enjoy (you know this “anti-synergy” law? if everyone pays his or her own dish the money collected is always less than the sum in the bill. VAT and service fee considered……) But still – we were exchanging and passing around yummiest dishes, chatting endlessly and simply relaxing after such a hectic day.
My Sunday started at 6-40 when my mobile sang its cheerful tune and I heard hilarious voice of Thomas, a German guy from Lajpat Nagar, “Olga, what are you doing?”…Completely taken aback by this seemingly simply question, I replied not without uncertainty in my voice, “Sleeping…” Thomas was hardly discouraged thought, “Olga, we are at India gate”. Still half-conscious I could make out though that the farewell party for Linda was too good and people cannot help carrying on with the fun they are having. Anyway the call was actually from Anya: she was asking to postpone our meet up tomorrow as they would probably love to sleep a bit. Ha!
I could not make it to the party that night, but I was planning on breakfast with Lajpat Nagar people anyway. Being in an obvious advantage, I got up reasonably early and.. in the anticipation of great summer day I headed to Lajpat. Bought mangoes (25 Rs/kg), melon (20 Rs), watermelon (10 Rs) and banana (10 Rs) for the fruit salad – wanted to treat my hang-over suffering friends to something healthy, refreshing and nice.
Arrived around noon when they all were still sleeping, so I started meditating on my fruits. Soon one by one they were waking up and crawling out of their rooms – soo sweet to observe after-party, still sleepy people roaming around with no energy left unless it comes to food or drinks that they grab in desperation. The cleaning lady and her mom came and we involved into some chatting with them. Despite they speak Hindi, we speak English and some Hindi words it still might be fun – making jokes and easy going chatting on both parts come easily. The real communication problem starts once you try to educate the cleaning lady – then she would not get a word, obviosuly. Otherwise, if you let her be and chat with her about cleaning-unrelated issues the complete understanding would be there.
Once all the inhabitants of Lajpat Nagar are awake, we open all the windows and the marble-decorated ground-floor apartment gets filled with the morning freshness. Even no fans needed so far – luxury completely unthinkable for the upper floor flat at Malvia Nagar.
Anya is getting ready for the brunch at Imperial hotel and we all advise her on the proper outfit.
Roel is studying matrimonials in The Sunday Times hoping to grasp cast relations and regional peculiarities.
Oliver is watching rally on TV (they have arranged for a TV-card for the lat-top, those lucky guys)…
Later on we all are breakfasting….
Happy and carefree after-breakfast us, Linda and me, left for Pahar Ganj as the girl wanted to get a pair of Aladdin pants (not sure this is the name, but I heard it once at least) – exactly the ones I got in Dharamshala and the ones that all the girls are complimenting me on ;o).
Pahar Ganj, is an area nearby New Delhi Railway Station. In the market there, as Sinthya told me once, you can find everything they would sell elsewhere in India. Proved to be true: for example, Tibetan dresses can be fount here at a price 1/3 less then in Dharamshala, small textile bags sold at ½ of the price. Mmm… What is the point of shopping at the tourist destinations for the “authentic” stuff which appears to find so easily in Delhi only ;o) And Pahar Ganj is such a hub with the stores-warehouses like this one we walked in…..
The pants were desperately sought – I had a par on me, so it was very easy to explain what we want to the shopmen. Too easy at times, though: at one shop I stretched my pants a bit and pointing at them told the guy, “Pants”. He looked and said, “Very good”. So embarrassed I was….
As soon as Anya joined us and 3 pairs of the mentioned pants were obtained (oh, if only those alone …) we headed to Sarojini. At the latter within 10 minutes (including bargaining) me and Anya got about 10 pieces of clothes altogether. Later on she got 10 pairs of ear-rings for presents and I played a role of greedy elder sister – the target was met: we’ve managed to bargain down to a very nice price. But at the end of the day all this bargaining at both markets and with rickshawmen really got me – after this eternal fight or rather the necessity to pursue it I get furious and then…
Anyway with 200 Rs left in my wallet I joined 9 people from Lajpat Nagar for dinner at a marvellous Chinese restaurant - good company and good food appeared to be the pillars I could start building my good mood on…However much I was grieving for us not going to Sagar Retna, a very popular South-Indian restaurant, Aka-Saka (at Defence Colony, also) appeared to be a great choice too.
We got full-fledged service and even a group discount which anyway we did not enjoy (you know this “anti-synergy” law? if everyone pays his or her own dish the money collected is always less than the sum in the bill. VAT and service fee considered……) But still – we were exchanging and passing around yummiest dishes, chatting endlessly and simply relaxing after such a hectic day.
posted by Olga Tikhonova | 12:39 pm
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