Day One in Delhi

After Dan came back from the ATM and getting our Metro cards, we headed out. Unfortunately, my walking sticks didn't make it into the car when we left home. I managed OK through the airports, but knew I'd need them for getting around here and later in Thailand. Through some web searching, I found a chain of sporting goods stores called Decathlon. One was in a mall not far from us, so we headed out, taking the Metro just a few stops away. The station here us just outside the entrance to our hotel, very convenient.

As we left the hotel, we saw what we assumed was a wedding feast in progress on the lawn at the front. This was just before the food was served. There were many more people than this photo shows.

We found the store with no problem and I was able to buy a set of walking sticks -- not quite like the ones I already have, but they will do. When we got back to our stop, we found an Airtel phone store nearby, so stopped in to get our Indian phone SIMs. It took a while, but we had no problems. 

We rested for a while, but knew that jet lag would put us to sleep if we didn't get out again. So about 4:30 we decided to go to Karol Bagh, an area where we have stayed in the past. When we came out of the hotel, we could see that the wedding festivities were over and everything had been taken down.

We have stayed in Karol Bagh many times, so were quite familiar with the area. We decided to go to the Jade Garden, a bar where we have eaten before. Given the early hour, we knew they would have food before the regular restaurants were open. Walking in this city is always interesting! There are sidewalks, but as you can see below, they are often co-opted by shops -- or if not that, by parked scooters. So we walk along the street and traffic flows around us.

Fortunately, Jade Garden was open, although we were the only patrons. We had lots of attention from the waiters. We had honey potatoes (French fries in a sweet sauce with sesame seeds, a diet special 😉) and chili paneer. Both were on the spicy side for me, and we talked our waiter into bringing us some dahi (yogurt) to cut the heat. ("You want raita? Plain? Really?")

Chili paneer

The walk back to the Metro was pretty long and I was fading fast. We got back to our hotel around 7:30, showered, and slept for 10 hours. 

One more note -- it is winter here in Delhi and everyone is wearing heavy sweaters and jackets. The temperature range is about 65-75°F and I am comfortable in a T-shirt!