Old Delhi

Sunil took Stewart and me to Old Delhi.  Stewart needs a suit for work, and when he mentioned this to Sunil, we were told that the place to go was Old Delhi.  So we loaded up in our car and ventured off. I have no idea where Old Delhi is in relation to our house.  I honestly thought we had driven in a circle.  After some confusion about where to park, we headed to the market.  (Pardon the lack of photos, we're currently having internet issues)  From the outside, the market looks similar to the French Quarter in New Orleans.  It's old buildings with little shops.  It's when you duck into the alleyways that you realize you're definitely not in a place like you've ever seen before.  The alleyways are narrow, crammed full of people and shops with a cacophony of sounds and smells assaulting your senses.  We stepped into a shop on our left which sold material.  People were sitting on the ground being waited on.  The store owner assisted us as he knew Sunil very well.  We explained that we needed a suit and he pulled out bolts of fabric, unwrapping them for Stewart to inspect and approve.  We left with three different fabrics - one for a suit and two for shirts.

We walked through the alleyways trying to take in all the sights while also making sure we didn't walk into anyone or thing.  Across the alleyways over our heads were numerous cables entangled together.  In the states, one would wonder how electricity and cable even works when it's that jumbled.  Here, it's just the norm.  Somehow, it all works and makes sense.  It's gotten to where it doesn't even look out of the ordinary to us anymore.  Suddenly, a small doorway on the left appeared and Sunil headed up three flights of stairs to a tiny shop.  You would never know this place existed if you weren't with someone who had been before. It was a curtain shop.  Well, that's the end product.  You go through the rolls of material they have, choose one, and tell them the size of your window.  You'll receive your curtains later.  We may give this a try after our stuff arrives.

As we headed back to our car, we saw black clouds quickly approaching.  The winds swirled dirt and pollution in the air.  The numerous flies had no idea what was going on and were failing at their attempts to fly.  We rushed to the car and got in just as the skies opened up.  The rain didn't last long but it was enough to cause water to stand in the streets.  Thank goodness we have a vehicle that sits up higher.  

We headed to Sarojini Nagar.  I thought Sunil meant the market.  No, he meant the "village side".  We parked in a dirt patch and got out.  The recently fallen rain had stirred up a lot of dirt and the whole area smelled so bad, I was gagging.  We passed by a small enclosure with about eight cows.  Again, a usual sight.  We climbed a narrow, dark, damp staircase to the third floor.  A man was laying on a table in his underwear.  Sunil said something to the man and he hurried off coming back with a sarong tied around his waist.  He was a tailor and this was his shop.  A stool was placed near a fan for me to sit on while Stewart got measured.  The fan was more to keep the swarm of flies from landing on me than keep me cool.  The man began to measure Stewart.  He only came up to Stewart's armpit.  After being measured and making decisions about what type of suit he wants, we headed back home with instructions that everything would be ready on Tuesday.

It was quite the interesting day.