Back from India!

Hello all! I am back from my month-long trip (aka extended shopping spree) to India. It was quite a whirlwind, and hard to believe I am already back. However, Mother Nature has made that quite clear with the day-long snowfall in Connecticut.  I had a fantastic time in India but am also happy to be back.

India is pure chaos, in the best and worst sense of the word I think. There is constant activity, day or night, in every nook and corner of Delhi. And you will probably spend more time traveling in a car from place to place than at an actual store. Even with the addition of the Delhi Metro (which, by the way, is super cool) the traffic on the roads is still horrific, especially after 4 PM. To an outsider, the roads seem like total madness, with no lanes, cars, rickshaws, people walking, people biking, and the occasional dogs (or cows) in the streets. However, if you take a few moments and really study, you’ll see that its kind of a weird ballet; the people of Delhi know their roads and how to manage them. Body language and hand signals are the keys, and somehow, it all works out.

Wedding shopping, in Delhi, is no less chaotic. I spent an afternoon in Chandni Chowk with my cousin and mom, one of the more chaotic parts of Delhi (photos below). You can find almost anything in Chandni Chowk, from fabric borders, artificial jewelry, mirrored trays, garlands for weddings, money envelopes, etc. You just need to know how to find those shops in all the little alleyways, which thankfully, my cousin does.

And the food in Delhi is just… amazing. From nariyal paani (coconut water) to sweet potato with masala from the streets, to home cooked food, to Chinese food in restaurants (Chinese food really is better in India), nothing beats the flavor and variety you get in India. Coming back to regular coffee, bagels, cereal for breakfast just isn’t the same.

Click here to check out some photos from my trip on Flickr.

Morning briefs to begin next week!