My first
ever trip to the capital. And I barely skimmed the surface. How much can you do
in just a couple of days?
Yup,
that’s all I got. This wasn’t actually a proper holiday; the husband had to
make an official trip, and Cub and I tagged along. So much to do, so little
time. That’s not to say that we didn’t enjoy; we loved it!! A special shoutout to Sushmita and Swapna who answered all my annoying
questions patiently! Thank
You!!!
The first
thing I noticed was that Delhi-ites are quite well dressed, better than I have
seen in Mumbai/Pune/Bangalore. They’re not OTT, but stylish, with good hair and
makeup and lovely bags. No, I didn’t stare. Much. Oh, and the airport is
lovely!!
It wasn’t
as cold as I expected, though Sunday morning was chilly and windy. The hotel
was great; Cub had heaps of fun bouncing around on the bed and swishing about
in the tub. Everything was very clean and comfortable.
I wish I
took pictures of the breakfast and dinner buffet – it was beautiful!!! The
croissants were the best – light as air, flaky and just super yum!
It’s a
big store with three levels, but their Lego collection was disappointing. We
got some nice photos, though.
The mall
still had its Valentine’s Day decorations on, which was pretty.
There’s
Mamma and son posing against the backdrop of a million pink hearts:
Cub took
this picture of me, saying I matched the store display ;).
Cub also
briefly joined the AAP…....
Another
store we visited was a handicrafts store. It was almost like an art gallery!
Our
second day in Delhi
was better; Sunday meant less traffic and we got more time to do some
sightseeing. The Red Fort is a grand, impressive structure, much bigger than I
imagined it to be.
This was followed by a crazy cycle rickshaw ride through
Chandni Chowk, during the course of which we saw the Sri Digambar Jain Lal
Mandir, the Gauri
Shankar Shiv
Temple , Jama Masjid,
Meena Bazaar and of course the utter chaos that is Chandni Chowk!!!
Every samasya has a solution ;P
There are
so many lanes and bylanes, with hundreds of shops. Overall, the street seems to
be a bride-to-be or trousseau shopper’s haven – sarees, lehengas and everything
you’ll need to make your own customized outfit. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride,
though Cub was a little uncomfortable. He kept complaining that there wasn’t
enough space for him to sit :).
Some
interestingly named food joints:
When you
visit Delhi with a train crazy kid, there’s one
place you can’t miss – the National
Rail Museum .
This place was quite good, enjoyable for kids and adults alike. There were
groups of school children there in their uniforms, surprisingly well behaved
:). There’s also a Joy Train which will take you on a short ride around the
museum.
Cub, who
dislikes posing for photos, was more than happy to oblige, next to a black
engine near the museum entrance. He even did that foot-crossing pose all by
himself!
There are
many old engines here; some are even the oldest steam engines in the world. And
the best part is that you can climb onto them and take as many pictures as you
like.
There’s
also an indoor museum with many models and exhibits. Really interesting stuff.
I haven’t
put too many photos of the main monuments and such since they’re quite well
known anyway. I chose to put in those itsy bitsy details which make a trip memorable :).
I didn’t
shop much from Delhi ,
although it does seem to be a shopper’s paradise. I got a few things of
which my favorites
include these embroidered juttis:
Aren’t
they pretty? We wanted to visit the World Book Fair too but there wasn’t enough
time. This short trip has whetted my appetite for more. Insha Allah, next
time!!
40 comments
Very well written..covers delhi so well..great pictures looks like u had a lot of fun
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rajvi!!! We did have loads of fun, although it left us wanting more!!
DeleteYou were in Delhi??!! I want to go too!
ReplyDeleteLoved the write up and photos. You look lovely.
Thank you, Neelu!!! You should definitely visit, if you haven't already. But be sure you plan well and make enough time for it!!
DeleteI recently visited delhi too. Of course it was not my first visit. But I quite agree with you on the well dressed part, they do it in style :-) and BTW lovely pictures :D
ReplyDeleteRicha
Thank you, Richa!! Yes, I had to really stop myself from staring at all the gorgeous looking people :)
Deletewow!! Looks like you guys had a great time!! Lovely Pics! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pixie!! Yes, we all did!!
DeleteWow, looks like you had great fun. Delhi indeed engages a lot. Good luck next time with the other monuments and the other attractions. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I really want to go again and I have a big list of places left to visit!
DeleteThis is such a lovely post. I've never been to Delhi and I honestly think I saw more here than I've seen before .. the only Delhi I get to see is on the news for Parliament!
ReplyDeleteYour son's right about u matching the background in that pic.. and also the handicrafts (a few pics lower) looked pretty good actually :)
P.S. Next time, I want food pics too! :D
Gluttonous that we are, we practically pounced on the buffet without even thinking about pictures. Needless to say, I regretted it later!!! You should definitely visit Delhi, though I can imagine it's going to be difficult for doctors to take that much time off their busy schedules :)
Deleteyou visited more place then me, beautiful Delhi is. Traveling around will take more time there.
ReplyDeleteYes Swathi, next time I think we'll take the metro wherever possible :). It is certainly a beautiful city.
Deletedelhi is been in my wishlist for sometime ow..
ReplyDeleteMine too!! So is Agra and Jaipur - hope to make a nice long trip!!
DeleteThanks for visiting my blog:-) My first visit to yours, but not the last! I love those juttis, and thanks for an interesting tour through Delhi. It looks cold eh? I enjoyed the pictures, and saving some tips if we will go again. Your son is the cutest! Looks like you guys had a lot of fun exploring Delhi together:-) Great post:-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, Eli!! Saturday had nice weather, but Sunday morning was brrr :) Yes, we did have lots of fun and didn't want it to end!!
DeleteOh yes, people in Delhi are very fashionably and well dressed. Looks like you had a great time. Lovely clicks! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Shilpa!!! Looks like it's a well known fact that Delhi residents are stylish people!
DeleteLovely pics! Seems you still managed to do a lot in the short time that u had! Wish we had connected earlier... Would hv loves to meet u...I stay in noida...almost delhi! Next time! :)
ReplyDeleteAww, it would have been nice!!! Like you said, there's always next time!
Deleteyou might not have covered a lot of places in Delhi, but you managed to cover all the different worlds of Delhi :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Srishty, I like to think I have!! We tried to make the most of those two days :)
DeleteOh ho, you packed in so much in a couple of days. I will be visiting in April. And of course Old Delhi is completely on my itinerary mostly to eat :D. Loved all the pics!
ReplyDeleteYes, there are so many little lanes specializing in local delicacies. Looking forward to see and hear all about your April visit!
DeleteYou saw more of Delhi in two days Than I have seen in 6 years :) Lovely pictures and descriptions.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sulekha!!! And yet, there's so much more left to be seen :)
DeleteDilli ki badhiya sair karwane ke liye bahut bahut shukriya. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome pictures. You are very beautiful.
Thank you!!!! That's not a compliment I hear everyday :D
DeleteI also wished I had a bit more time in Delhi! :(
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah...your kid was right...you did match the Crabtree & Evelyn window display! ^_^
I did, didn't I? And not even just the colors, the print on my top as well!
DeleteLooks like you had a really fun trip in Delhi! I have to agree, the traffic is terrible...and people are very fashionable esp in Select City/DLF!
ReplyDeleteTrue!! But I started noting a difference right from the flight itself; young, old, man, woman - everyone looked good!
DeleteLovely photos !! what a mini-travelogue !
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pooja!!
DeleteYou still seem to have done quite a bit despite a short stay! I have not yet visited Meena Bazaar! I would love to, after seeing your pics!! I love the photo of you with the flower backdrop! Your son has great artistic sense!!
ReplyDeleteRoshni
http://www.indianamericanmom.com
Yes, we packed in as much as we could!! Ha ha, I'll be sure to tell him that, he'll be very flattered :)
DeleteI did part of my schooling in Delhi, the city I had known from my childhood have changed so much since then...but I love Delhi nevertheless, for the awesome khana and shopping experience...
ReplyDeleteWow, that's something I didn't know about you!! Every place changes, but some unrecognizably so!!
Delete