Delhi Days - Part 1 - Delhi Metro
DELHI - NCR, Capital City, Foodie heaven, very very cold and very very hot. Gurgaon - still NCR, very very cold and very very hot, Shopaholics delight, and still Foodie heaven! Did I miss anything?
Of course, any time is too much time to spend, during THE coldest days of winter in the north, and especially when you are the type who feels cold in 25 deg C. So forget anything below 10 deg C! Obviously, I was unsure of my stay. But there were some (OK not some, many) things I wanted to see, do, and of course buy. So with as many woollens as my suitcase (and the airline) would allow I landed up on IGI Delhi (not terminal 3).
Part 1 – Delhi Metro
First up on my list - Delhi Metro. It has been on my list for the past 3 years, but the metro was far out in Delhi and I never did find the time in my short trips to go see it. For a sum of Rs 25 per person on a one way journey from HUDA city centre all the way to Khan market, I can't think of a better way to travel.
Of course, I had not taken into account the fact that I would (almost) loose the little blue plastic token – proof that you have paid for your journey. I distinctly remember ‘safely’ keeping the token in my jeans pocket, but somewhere after the IFFCO Chowk station when I looked for it, in every pocket of my jacket, jeans, purse, I just couldn’t find it. Maybe it fell off on the elevator? I started getting restless, my aunt told me to relax, and look for it at the Central Secretariat station where we changed lines. I think the women our compartment were all wondering what had gotten into me. I must have gotten up from my seat at least 5 times to check the same pockets. I had emptied out my purse twice, shaken out my scarf and jacket and even checked the aisles. It wasn’t to be found. All I could think of was the Rs 50 fine, first day of the year and here I was having to dole out fines (and yet I was thankful that it wasn’t the London Underground where I lost the ticket – there the fine is £ 50!).
When we changed the line and entered the second train, I decided to check once more, which is when and I found it. The blue plastic token. It was in one of the pockets which I had checked more than twice...What can I say? I need to improve my searching skills. But at least I didn’t have to pay the fine...
But in all my madness I did notice the scenery from the metro as it enters into Delhi. The ‘Manhattan’ of Gurgaon, the lush green trees, Qutub Minar, as the train soars above the city.
Khan Market was just as I remembered. Tiny shops, expensive shops, big cars, embassy cars, mostly an Expat crowd, crowded footpaths, and an all round interesting place. You have a designer shop next to a regular greeting cards store, a grocer, a show shop, a utilities store, a high end leather store, a luxury home furnishings store, plenty of bookshops and magazine vendors, and so on. We did not buy anything. We just sat, ate lunch, watching people walk by and ate Ice Cream for dessert. Window shopping in Khan market on a cold winter’s day eating Ice Cream. Try it sometime – it’s an experience!
PS – I did keep the token carefully on the return journey. So I could actually enjoy the metro journey.
Of course, any time is too much time to spend, during THE coldest days of winter in the north, and especially when you are the type who feels cold in 25 deg C. So forget anything below 10 deg C! Obviously, I was unsure of my stay. But there were some (OK not some, many) things I wanted to see, do, and of course buy. So with as many woollens as my suitcase (and the airline) would allow I landed up on IGI Delhi (not terminal 3).
Part 1 – Delhi Metro
First up on my list - Delhi Metro. It has been on my list for the past 3 years, but the metro was far out in Delhi and I never did find the time in my short trips to go see it. For a sum of Rs 25 per person on a one way journey from HUDA city centre all the way to Khan market, I can't think of a better way to travel.
Of course, I had not taken into account the fact that I would (almost) loose the little blue plastic token – proof that you have paid for your journey. I distinctly remember ‘safely’ keeping the token in my jeans pocket, but somewhere after the IFFCO Chowk station when I looked for it, in every pocket of my jacket, jeans, purse, I just couldn’t find it. Maybe it fell off on the elevator? I started getting restless, my aunt told me to relax, and look for it at the Central Secretariat station where we changed lines. I think the women our compartment were all wondering what had gotten into me. I must have gotten up from my seat at least 5 times to check the same pockets. I had emptied out my purse twice, shaken out my scarf and jacket and even checked the aisles. It wasn’t to be found. All I could think of was the Rs 50 fine, first day of the year and here I was having to dole out fines (and yet I was thankful that it wasn’t the London Underground where I lost the ticket – there the fine is £ 50!).
When we changed the line and entered the second train, I decided to check once more, which is when and I found it. The blue plastic token. It was in one of the pockets which I had checked more than twice...What can I say? I need to improve my searching skills. But at least I didn’t have to pay the fine...
But in all my madness I did notice the scenery from the metro as it enters into Delhi. The ‘Manhattan’ of Gurgaon, the lush green trees, Qutub Minar, as the train soars above the city.
Khan Market was just as I remembered. Tiny shops, expensive shops, big cars, embassy cars, mostly an Expat crowd, crowded footpaths, and an all round interesting place. You have a designer shop next to a regular greeting cards store, a grocer, a show shop, a utilities store, a high end leather store, a luxury home furnishings store, plenty of bookshops and magazine vendors, and so on. We did not buy anything. We just sat, ate lunch, watching people walk by and ate Ice Cream for dessert. Window shopping in Khan market on a cold winter’s day eating Ice Cream. Try it sometime – it’s an experience!
PS – I did keep the token carefully on the return journey. So I could actually enjoy the metro journey.
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