Towel Rack

Never in my life did I think I'd have an accessory this nice in my kitchen. Custom installation by our local carpenter...

Pahar Ganj

Pahar Ganj is a very fun, but very dirty neighborhood and bazaar near Connaught Place in central New Delhi. Pahar Ganj is a magnet for western-backpacker travelers. It was made fairly famous by the recent hipster Bollywood Film, "Dev D," much of which was shot there.

An Australian chum, Monty Sagar originally introduced me to the neighborhood last year during the rainy season, but I really didn't get a chance to explore Pahar Ganj further until this past weekend.

Because this neighborhood caters to foreign budget travelers, its a great place to find bargains. Lesa, the kids and I and two British friends all met up there to check out some of the shops.

Pahar Ganj is definitely a mess. Some of the worst public wiring can be found there. Open sewers, flea-bag hotels, cheap, but really good hole-in-the-wall restaurants are all here. The street is torn up - probably being resurfaced in anticipation of October's Commonwealth Games. We wound our way through the obstacle course of debris and crowds to what were some really great shops. Two of our favorites along the main Bazaar are "Hari Piorko International," a shop filled with bangles, bells, handcrafts and trinkets. And the more difficult to find, Setu Handloom. This second floor shop is filled with handmade bags, pillow cases, puppets - most things fabric-related. Setu negotiates fair prices and has good, clean merchandise. Evan found a really cool set of scales (with weights and brass fittings in a velvet box) at Hari Piorko and Audrey found a hand sewn "banana bag" at Setu Handloom. Lesa and I managed to gather a nice assortment of wonderful little gifts for friends and family on our upcoming trip to the US! The gals all sat in the shade and had Mehndi (henna) done on their arms and hands while Evan and I shared a cold drink. It was a hot afternoon, but we had a nice time exploring this really unique neighborhood!

Easter at the Embassy

I took Audrey and Evan this morning to the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the US Embassy. The hunt is held in the backyard of the US Ambassador’s home on the Embassy compound. We got to meet and chat with the Ambassador and his wife, Tim and Sally Roemer.
The kids got to hunt eggs, received little gifts and did some crafts. We all ate tasty cookies and brownies and drank nice coffee and punch, made by the embassy staff.
Of course Audrey, never one to be shy, asked Mrs. Roemer about her very big house: “Do you ever let anyone go inside?”
To which Sally Roemer replied, “Of, course, do you want to come see?” Mrs. Roemer then proceeded to lead Audrey and Evan inside and gave them a personal tour of part of the first floor! The Roemers are really nice – great Ambassadors. Their home is a large Kennedy-era mansion.