On our way with Mr Tuk Tuk to Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi we had a girl selling roses. We had to buy one, it’s a terrible racket, the bosses of these sellers take all the money, the girls cant go home until they’ve sold them all.
Since we were last here, Plans to pedestrianise the 1.4km stretch of Chandni Chowk began in 2021 with a big development programme the first being - No motorised vehicles only cycle rickshaws, allowed between 9.00 - 9.00pm. This first has has almost all but failed. The council were only allowing 400 licensed cycle rickshaws in the area , but now there are over a 1000 as the drivers can make a weeks money in a day. The tuk tuks, motorbikes and auto rickshaws are back in full force apparently with tickets being issued to the drivers for breaking the rules. The pedestrians have been pushed to the pavements, unfortunately they have been dug up and you have to clamber over the rubble. Subsequently it’s still as chaotic, still as noisy but still as charming. Old Delhi is a sight to behold, a tangle of old streets and alleyways and complete mayhem.
Cycle rickshaws are very labour intensive, sometimes all you can do is push them.
The Spice Market, was in full swing this time around. Upstairs is the large scale trading of chilli’s. The air is thick with the smell. Once that chilli gets hold of you, you can’t stop coughing and sneezing. Chai is frequently passed round to ease the stall holders coughs.
The dedicated areas have a ridiculous amount of shops and are full to the brim - you can buy everything and anything here. Wedding, household, food, clothes - the list is endless.
We tried a few eateries and had the tastiest food. I think our favourite was Giani’s. Our plates food cost the equivalent of 90p - we had the one at the top of the menu - chickpea curry on bread.
Very tasty fried potatoes
Making Chai
As the day drew to a close we popped into the Gurudwara of Sis Ganj Sahib. We listened to the prayers.
It is the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru- Guru Tegh Bahadur who was executed here. Hence its name Temple of the Beheaded.
Since it was getting towards the end of dinner and a little less chaotic, they feed approx 35,000 people for free in a day, we went to the kitchens to see the giant vats where all the food was prepared. we were offered dinner, but we were so full from trying so many dishes we unfortunately had to decline.
The final area we went into before retrieving our shoes was the cloakroom. Here a group of volunteers mend and clean the visitors shoes should they need it, all are of charge.
Farewell Delhi, we are now moving on to Jaipur…