Saturday in the Bazaar

On Saturday we walked into the bazaar for lunch. This was my first major walk, but we went fairly slowly and stopped often.

As we approached the school gate, we looked down and noticed that the traffic was backed up behind a large machine. There were two buses and multiple cars and motorcycles. Fortunately for them, the large machine pulled over and stopped just below the gate. It was some kind of a crane. One of the men standing around told us it was for the composting machine that the school had recently purchases. It was sitting in a large truck on the other side of the road. The plan was for the crane to lift the very heavy composter and lower it to the level area below the road. I wish we'd had time to stay and watch; it was all finished by the time we returned. I'm glad to know the school is doing this; it will be good for the environment and for the Turner Organic Garden, where I presume a lot of it will end up.

Composter sitting in large truck

On the side of the road just beyond the hospital there are a lot of temporary shelters. Some of the people there are the ragpickers who sort through piles of garbage. But some are metalworkers, like this man below. He is making tin chulas, a small charcoal stove. This design has a platform in front of the fire area.

This child was emulating his father. He had a small piece of tin and was pounding on it to flatten it.

The next man is below. When he saw I wanted to photograph him, he quickly tweaked his mustache to look better. But I like this one better because it shows the red chills drying in the sun behind him.

Just before Mullingar Hill we saw many pieces of bedding airing in the sunlight. At the end of the monsoon, everyone is grateful for any small amount of sun, even if it peeks in and out through the day.

I've photographed this apartment block many times. The building on the left is new, still being finished. It was being worked on when we were here last, two years ago. Everyone has laundry hanging out to catch the sun, making a very colorful scene.

This shop in Landour was started in the 1950s but has a completely new form. The entrance is up a few steps and the door is inside. Quite revolutionary in Landour Bazaar!

Just to keep things in perspective, this shop has been the same since before we first came here in 1968. We used to buy our light bulbs here.

One of the stops we made was at a photographer's studio across from the Clock Tower (even though it's been torn down for a few years, it is the landmark by which we place things). Yes, the shop is as narrow as it looks -- maybe 8 feet wide. We went into the back room (one more behind the curtain) where we posed for passport-sized pictures. We have some travel coming up that will require multiple visas and therefore photos. 

I love the way the vegetable and fruit vendors display their wares. Some of them carry both fruits and veggies, but some specialize in one or the other. This one had very large pumpkin/squashes.

The same vendor had even more, including these wavy ones.

This was the fruit stall from where I got some guavas, oranges, and McIntosh apples. I stewed the guavas with some cinnamon. I love them, but Dan doesn't even like the smell, even less the taste. Oh, well, I will just have to enjoy them myself.

As we walked by this clothing shop, Dan wondered if the mannequin's names were Mr. and Mrs. Skinny!

A fancy-looking new cafe on the hill down toward Picture Palace.

Pulling rebar for use in a new pushta (I think)

This bright risei was on a vehicle along with a mattress, right in front of one of the decorative sculptures built into a pushta.

At Picture Palace there was quite a traffic jam because of this bus. As you can see, everyone just pulls into whatever space is available, trying to get through. Eventually someone backs up or removes a scooter that was blocking the way and it all sorts out. But no road rage!

We went up the Kulri Hill the back way to avoid some of the traffic. First stop was Broadway Optical, where I got new glasses two years ago. The frames had broken but the lenses were still good. My optician in Goshen said there was no way to reuse the lenses. But here it is different. I picked out a pair of inexpensive frames and he said he would just make the wire that goes around the lens a bit bigger so it would fit. Come back in half an hour. So we went to Le Chef, a restaurant across the street. We'd never been there before. We had a veg thali for two, which included rice, dal, paneer makhani, a paper, two tandoori roti, and a small dish of mixed vegetables, not shown here. All for Rs. 250, about $4.20. It was delicious.

As usual, we were offered saunf after eating (along with toothpicks. Saunf is usually fennel seeds (anise flavor) and sugar. Notice the size of the sugar crystals -- it is clearly not adulterated.

We saw Surat Singh in a shop near the hospital. He worked in the Woodstock High School area for many years and seemed happy that we recognized him. he wanted to check the photo after I took it to be sure it was flattering. 

After lunch, we walked back down Kulri Hill and headed over to the taxi stand. I took a taxi back to the school gate with my fruit. By next weekend I hope I can walk both ways, which is about a 4-mile round trip.