Delhi Again!

This weekend was Quarter Break and we got a long weekend free so I headed for Delhi with five buddies for a weekend of eating and shopping. And not just any shopping, as it turned out—it was actually out-of-control-impulse-shopping-gone-wild. In fact, the only plausible explanation that I can offer for my current state of financial destitution is that I was possessed by an evil spirit which caused me to mistake rupees for Monopoly money and therefore spend with wild abandon.

It was fantastic. We browsed saris, haggled over salwar kameez, tried on dozens of sparkly shoes (I managed only to buy three), reveled in the abundance of produce and foreign cheese and generally had a fabulous time bouncing all over the city. I swear we hit most of the major neighborhoods and markets: Khan Market, GK1, INA, Dilli Haat, Pahar Gange, South Extension, Connaught Place, Janput Street, Nehru Place—you name it, we probably spent money there.

And the food! Ah, the blissful experiences of slurping a real milkshake (i.e. made with ice cream and not watery milk), chowing down on sun-dried tomato pasta in cream sauce, and even having a bacon cheeseburger. Yes, I got to eat beef. We went to the restaurant at the American Embassy on our last night in Delhi and splurged on super nachos, burgers, steaks and anything else we could think of to eat.

Anne, Joe and I even made an effort to be cultural on our trip, via a trip to Humayan’s Tomb. It’s a lovely site, with well-kept lawns and beautiful Moghul architecture for the tomb itself. The tomb area is so calm and serene that it’s hard to remember you’re in the middle of an overcrowded, polluted, sweaty third-world city.

So I’m broke but energized and ready to hit the last two months of my stay. Hard to believe, but two months from today I will have left Mussoorie for the last time and will be on my final few days in India. Time flies!