Dillydally in Delhi

Dillydally in Delhi

So many places in India but I chose Delhi and everyone was highly skeptic. Reasons being- the heat and the recent rape incidents. But believe me, travelling is about trusting your instincts because when you are in a new city all by yourself, there is no one but you and your senses so learn to trust them the most if you want to be a solo traveler like me.

Humayun's tomb

Delhi- how can I begin writing about a story that has been etched with history, politics and culture for almost forever. Alongside Jerusalem and Varanasi, Delhi is one of the oldest cities of civilization, time and time again subject to invasion, destruction and rising against colonization. History says this city was built, destroyed and rebuilt somewhere between 7-11 times with the recent one being the brainchild of Sir Edwin Lutyen, the British architect. You will come across this name in hoardings all across Delhi. Just to point out here, New Delhi and Delhi are separate. New Delhi is part of Delhi which comprises of many other districts- North Delhi, West Delhi, East Delhi, South Delhi, South West Delhi and Central Delhi. Delhi is like a flat pancake with Jamuna river dividing the social class and urban development. When the Delhiites say someone is from the other side of Jamuna, they are usually calling them FOBs- Fresh off the boat! My trip was mostly limited to North, West, South and South West Delhi. Due to the recent heated beef of over beef-eating, we had to avoid Old Delhi. Red Fort, I will come back for you some other time.

Hauz Khas Village

Now to the budget issues, I spent a total of BDT 70.000/- in this trip including shopping.
Airfare (DHK-KOL-DELHI return airfare): 24,000/-
Hotel (Treebo Southwest Dwarka): 15,000= 12,000/- (4 nights) + 3000/- (1 night in Kolkata)
Rest for food, transportation and shopping.

Shopping:

• Janpath at Delhi is like a Bangladeshi's miniature version of Gawsia but really good stuff
• Con naught Place is the place you want to go to for mid-scale and upscale brands with discount offers. I went at a fabulous time where Adidas, Vans, Tommy Hilfiger stores had up to 50% discounts
• The DLF Malls are located next to each other- Emporio (the most expensive one), Promenade (midscale) and Ambience (more or less affordable)

 Food and drinks:

What I enjoyed  most about Delhi was the food- be it North Indian or South Indian and also, it is as cheap as cheap can be! 

Starting from the street food to the expensive restaurants, Delhi is a spice aficionado's paradise. I particularly enjoyed the Aloo Chaat on a rainy day, the Paneer Tikka at Kake Da Dhaba and the South Indian Thali at Saravana Bhaban which is the biggest South Indian Chain in the world. For the alcohol lovers, catch you poison at the beer cafes! India has almost 20 local beer brands and I could not just get enough for them. Also enjoyed the  weird concoctions at SodaBottleOpenerWala- yes please try this!