Jean made me do the pun.
On todays edition we’re off to Delhi. Well, ok if we’re being technical about it, we were in Siswa, then Kushinagar, then Delhi, then Jaipur, and then Delhi again. But as you all saw in the latest post, I am a rebel with a cause and am jumping the gun.
So here we are, at the airport in Gorakhpur to head to Delhi. The thing about Gorakphur airport is that its a military airport, which means that large, military airplanes fly to and from here (there was a French helicopter??). This also means that when a military plane needs to leave or arrive, civilian planes need to yield.
Now, what this also means is that even if the airline has started its boarding procedure, none of that matters and we WILL wait on the tarmac. But I don’t mean waiting in the plane on the tarmac. I mean – we get out the building, start walking on the ground towards the plane, and right before the airplane taxi lane, we are told by military to stop.
Right. Anywho.
We’re staying at Maidens Oberoi in north Delhi, an old colonial hotel from 1903.
This first day back was going to be a busy one. We would meet with the tailor for our measurements for India next year, we would meet my extended family for lunch, go to Khan Market, and have dinner.
Oh, if you want a sneak peek of what I’ll be wearing at the wedding next year you can see it here:
ERROR 404 – PAGE NOT FOUND
Absolutely not. I’m not sharing anything.
Also, after rereading this post, I've realized I'm meant to talk about our weddings - consider me writing about the tailor to be the wedding talk.
So after our measurements we had to rush on over to my uncles place for lunch. Here’s the thing about “rushing over” in Delhi – you don’t really “rush”. From one side of Delhi to another it can take up to 1.5-2 hours depending on the season. It took us about an hour and mind you, we are on the complete opposite of Delhi and we’re coming off the heels of the AI Impact Summit.
So a bit of context about the folks at the lunch hosted by my uncle and aunt. Our host, my uncle is a politician with his hobby being a pilot for a major Indian airline. My parents’ friends at this lunch we’re all diplomats. It’s important to Jean that I mention this context: it wasn’t your average Sunday family lunch.
My uncle had received a last minute call to pilot a flight out of Delhi. We were running late. He had to fly. He did what any one else would do: this man literally delayed a flight just so he could say hello to us and take some pictures.
The lunch with my family was Jeans first introduction to real Indian family life – slightly chaotic, a lot of food, a lot of Hindi.
By the way, while on this trip I was journaling, so reading back over my notes, particularly for this lunch, makes me happy:
- lunch was so fun
- the sitting together, everyone talking loudly, overwhelmingly fantastic
- I really appreciated it
- I swear Jean is more Indian than I am
Jean’s notes: the food was really good, the house was really nice, a bit of a cultural shock [as there was staff waiting on us].
After lunch we headed over to Khan Market. This was my old stomping ground. I love Khan Market.
Fun fact: in Brussels, there is a Bangladeshi/Indian grocery store called Khan Market.
This is a fun fact to me.
Khan Market (Delhi) is essentially an outdoor mall – it has clothing, furniture, knick-knack stores. And restaurants.
So.
Many.
Restaurants.
It’s a bit like Japan in the way that if you want more options you need to look up. A lot of different restaurants are on different floors, so depending on where you want to go, you’ll find different places.
My favorites are (or were):
- Yum Yum Cha
- Perch Wine and Coffee Bar
- Blue Tokai
- Mamagato
- Town Hall
- Azams Mughlai
- Now this place deserves a special mention because this place does probably some of the best kebabs I’ve ever eaten. AND. I did not get sick.
I can’t really explain what it is about Khan Market that I love so much. It could just be the overall feeling I have while being in India. Now look, Khan Market could use some clean-up work, meaning: the streets are not paved equally and the influx of restaurants and shops is making it a bit difficult to navigate.
But.
Sitting at Perch, with a view onto the market, with Jean just brought me a lot of peace.
I sincerely think I convinced Jean to move to Delhi – we can get him an OCI in 2 years and then make our way over. Perfect timeline.
While Jean and I were having a drink at Perch, the parents went scouting for inspiration for outfits for the wedding.
A few notable mentions of where you can shop:
- FabIndia
- Ogaan
- Colorbar
- Good Earth
Ok one last note on Khan Market and then I’ll move on. When I left India seven years ago, the women and girls we’re dressed relatively conservatively. Actually, fairly conservatively.
This time around, I noticed that most if not all had all gained the confidence to dress with expression. The outfits we’re a blend of traditional with new age heritage wear.
I was really happy to see that they just did not care about what people thought and dressed how they wanted to dress. The confidence, the attitudes, the general feeling of “I will actually do what I want to”, was really good to see.
Okay I promised you I’d stop after this.
After Khan Market we headed back to the hotel for an easy swim, dinner and sleep. One of my favorite parts of traveling in general is the hotel. And in India, similar to other Asian countries, is those TV channels that basically only show movies on a loop all day long and so any time you turn on the TV, its just that: blockbuster after blockbuster after blockbuster.
Fantastic.
The next day we woke up early (or I guess on time) and made our way to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar is a 72.5-meter minaret, built using materials from demolished temples. It was built in 1199 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak to mark the start of Muslim rule. The fascinating part of this complex, apart from the fact that it was built in 1199 with I don’t even know what kind of technology is the non-rusting iron pillar that is around 1600 years old.
It’s a 7 meter pillar, built during the Gupta period and has somehow withstood the test of time.
This entire complex is a marvel – the age, the mechanics of building it, the sheer space. Just. Everything. This place is absolutely a must-see when going to Delhi.
Jeans impressions: very well maintained, very impressive, cool mix of two cultures (Hindu and Muslim), nice experience, a really good mix of nice gardens and cultural stuff.
Oh right lol and Jeans father was interviewed by university students. They were essentially asking him of his impressions of the place.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped by Dilli Haat. Dilli Haat is absolutely a must-do.
You have to. It’s another one of my favorite Delhi places with momos. I love momos. Momos are essentially dumplings.
Right should probably mention what Dilli Haat is – it’s a permanent, open-air food and craft bazaar in South Delhi, essentially its objective is to resemble a traditional Indian village fair that showcases handicrafts from across India, along with regional cuisine stalls and cultural performances.
It’s a great place to buy gifts, clothes, trinkets, whatever you might need. I got my nail painted into an elephant for example.
Epic.
So everything we did on this first stint in Delhi is absolutely manageable in about a day, day and a half. Be mindful of the weather and the sun as it can be treacherous. Maybe just take two days to be safe.
Don’t worry, I’ll give a full itinerary after Delhi part two.
One last note from my journal:
Jean claims I tricked him into eating a chilly. I did not.
See you all next week!
