Shopping Delhi

Shopping in a big city is a treat in and of itself. Shopping in a big city like Delhi that loves bright colours and crazy patterns is an extra special treat for me!

First we went to this gigantic, very modern mall. It was gorgeous. They have very much the same stores that we do in Canada but the kinds of things they sell are different. And then there are some stores like Fab India that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. The other thing I noticed at the mall was the designer clothing stores with designers of course that I have never heard of because they’re exclusively Indian, clearly designing for the Bollywood stars!

I bought a designer jacket - I couldn’t help myself. I would describe it as Grand Ole Opry meets The Bollywood Wives. The next big occasion where I can unleash its full beauty is the kid’s graduation. I’m sure I won’t embarrass him -I’ve seen what he’s wearing!

But as good and interesting as the mall was, my cousin then took us to this fantastic place downtown called Delli Haat. This place was incredible because it was basically a whole outdoor market devoted to Indian artisans from all over India. And they have everything there - from beautiful upon beautiful scarves to handbags that were hand embroidered and painted. And the jewellery! There was so much jewellery just the kind I absolulely love and statues, no, not of baby Cheeses, Keem (reference to Kath and Kim, Australian sitcom) or even baby Jesus for that matter. But there was every Hindu deity you could think of and maybe even some that you couldn’t.

I had a hard time staying focussed as one can get easily distracted by the bright colours and then to add to my difficulty my mother interrupted me whenever I was enjoying talking to somebody or enjoying looking at something.

One time I was looking at this antique necklace from Afghanistan and my mother wouldn’t let me look at it let alone buy it because she said it looked too old and dusty!

But my spirits were not dampened, there were so many things to see. Check out this shoe store!

They were also a few interesting displays. There was this object that I vaguely remember from my childhood. It is a big silver box with openings on three sides with glass covers, and you look through the opening to see a picture at the back of the box. Clearly, we were very easy to entertain as children because that seemed like a very unexciting passtime. There must be more to it than I can recall.

So I found out there is a lot more than I could recall. This was some version of a bi-scope-which is also known as a hand cranked travelling cinema. That sounds like way more fun to watch!

These women were making incredible yarn with this very rudimentary looking spinning wheel - a gentle reminder that it’s not always the high-end product that is needed to make the most beautiful things….

This man made his flutes and played beautifully. His plan worked because I was enticed to buy 2!

What a beautiful day it was. I had so much fun watching my cousin haggle. She’s quite a skilled negotiator. The key is you have to be prepared to walk away but we hardly ever had to! For someone who always pays the price on the ticket, this was far more entertaining than anything that bi-iscope could show me.

I also bought earrings and scarves but all as gifts I swear!

And then I finally found it!;

The perfect gift for Jeremy if he ever decides to return to his bachelor days….

Who wouldn’t want to swipe left (or is it right?) on this pair of beauties. They’re reminiscent of days gone by perhaps decorating Ron Jeremy’s bachelor pad…certainly Ron Burgundy’s.

Okay, I think that’s enough shopping. Time to head off to the beach….

…in Goa.