We set out for the day with the intention of going to India Gate to see the Indian Independence Day celebrations and possibly a glance of Barack Obama's motorcade. We alighted at the Metro Station only to be told we couldn't access the area until 12 MD. As it was only 11 AM at that stage and the station was so hot for us dressed in our cold weather gear, we opted for Plan B. It is always important to have a Plan B!
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| Our local convenience store |
The man at the Convenience Store gave the kids some lolly pops for Indian Independence Day! We can get milk and bread and other basic items here. There are no supermarkets or 7-11 stores here so we are glad we found this shop!
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| Annika dressed for the cold outside our entrance. |
I had seen photos of Haus Khas, a historic site built in 13th Century which was one of Delhi's ancient cities. The archaeological signs refer to Delhi as the "City of cities" which probably indicates a long lived history. The old city walls in some places are still standing.
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| Chocolate truffle cake |
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| Pistachio burfi |
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| Very sweet fudgy stuff |
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| Indian crow |
We eventually got out of the Metro system at Haus Khas thinking we would be close to the historic village but we were wrong! We walked for kilometres through sludgy, stinky streets, full of filthy puddles from last night's rain, a constant smell of old urine and past packs of dogs. Just when we were about to give up, we spotted a bakery which was open. As it is Independence Day, all the shops were closed and our longed for snacks were not available. Hooray! We chose a selection of over sweet Indian cakes and some burfis which are fudge like cakes. Our bellies full and with a sugar hit, we proceeded and finally found the Deer Park. Calm, gentle, quiet deer away from the hooting and tooting which were so sweet. Peacocks, the national bird, were numerous and beautiful, but what captured our attention the most were the darting chipmunks which were adorable but hard to photograph! It is amazing how untired one's legs feel when the destination is arrived at and energy renewed we continued to find Haus Khas Village.
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| Kharera Village |
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Cute little chipmunk!
I love history everywhere! |
Tim, who sets out daily with zero expectations that we will do or see anything worthwhile, came to life as he and Luke clambered over the ruins of the magnificent old village. It was suitably dangerous with no railing to prevent falls from huge heights to make the scrambling a challenge and a privilege once again. In Australia there would be guardrails and danger signs everywhere but not here.
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| Interesting to reflect on these buildings being built not long after Angkor Wat. |
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| If you are interested.. |
We had a wonderful time exploring before descending to the algae infested green lake on which geese were swimming. We were further delighted when one monkey and then another ran across our path and then we saw the whole family group. Tim agreed he was pleased that he came with us.
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| Aint he handsome?! |
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| Steep, crumbling steps...we just have to climb! |
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| Junior monkeys at play. |
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| Flea checker. |
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| Fried corn balls green chili sauce from vendor in the park. |
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| Wonderful tree, home to chipmunks and others. |
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| Chipmunk picking through the rubbish. |
We found our way back to Green Park station and arrived back at Lajpat Nagar pretty tired. At this point none of the market stalls were open so we were wondering about food for later but evenings on the street are usually full of food stalls, so we were at least hopeful.
The streets remained unusually quiet and in the end, we cooked rice, cauliflower and cabbage in butter on our one hotplate here. It feels too cold to venture out (7 C) if we don't have to, and we are FREEZING inside with the one little blow heater which is not much use when there is poor insulation and white marble tiles! Considering the many homeless and those in little makeshift tents wherever there is a bit of land, around us, we, at least, are dry and have warm beds (and thermals) to hop into a bit later. Perspective is a blessing!
An unforgettable Australia Day!
So much adventure per day! I love the chipmunk with bread pic - oh and many others. How much fun!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ali, the chipmunk sat still just long enough for the photo!
ReplyDelete