Understaffed understatement

I think you would be hard pressed to find a shop or business understaffed in Delhi.  Any task, it seems, can be turned into a job for which someone can be hired.
The entirety of this cosmetic shop is shown in the photo, though you can't see all the people behind the displays.
There were three shoppers in the store.  I counted.
And there were--seriously--twenty-three employees.
That's incredible.

The saree shop man

 I know he gets lots of practice.

But when I try to fold a saree--six meters of slippery cloth, I make a mess of it every time.  Usually I have to ask for help.

 But he just sits there and whips the cloth back a forth several times.
And it all comes together just like it's supposed to.

Ah, what would it be like to fold and unfold hundreds of beautiful sarees every day?

Street shopping

What can you do while you're waiting for the traffic light to turn green?
Shop, of course.

Not that this stuff is stellar quality, but there is a variety available.

Plastic balls. Sometimes balloons or other fall-apart-as-soon-as-you-buy-them toys.

Steering wheel covers and mobile phone chargers.

Peanuts, dried coconut and other snacks.

Dishtowels and car-cleaning cloths.

Other treasures you might find on another day are: roses, Santa masks, plastic dash board decorations, magazines, books, used clothes or spiderman masks.

There are a lot of stoplights out there--so keep your eyes open...and a close eye on your pocket book.

Ride through the mall

Today I went to a mall that was so big, it had golf carts going back and forth to take people from one end to the other. Apparently we looked like we needed a ride.

Kingdom of Dreams

Welcome to the Kingdom of Dreams.
I am reminded of Disney World. Or maybe that should more accurately be: Las Vegas--but I've never been there to compare.
We've got glitz, sparkle, facades, required shopping, and high prices.
And the prohibition of weapons. What does that sound like to you?

It's also a place with a fake sky and an indoor beach.
There are people walking around drumming and ringing bells, with dancers appearing in windows and between tables.

There is also genuine artistry happening--like the stairway and walls of this side shop.

From the showy displays of wealth to the poverty on the streets, India is diverse place.

Shoe shine

"Shine, madame?"
The words caught my attention because I took my winter shoes out recently and, well, they were in need of some shine.
Delhi dirt and dust has not been kind to them.

So I stood there with one shoe on and one shoe off for a bit while he gave 'em a polishing.

And now they are all nice and shiny once more.

Shoes from above

This is one of the most unexpected things I've seen: shoes falling from the ceiling.

In the crowded "shoe mall", the woman shopper tells the shoe attendant guy what size she wants in what shoe.
That man tosses the shoe to the the guy with the earpiece.
Earpiece guy speaks some description and the size to a mysterious being in the ceiling and a shoebox falls into his hands.
Whoa.
Then he tosses the box to the shoe attendant who asked for it.

All the tossing back and forth.
All the calling out of shoe sizes and descriptions.
All the women demanding another size, another pair.

It all comes together in one of the most organized of chaotic messes.

Scary mannequin exposé

This is an exposé on the scary mannequin's inhabiting the bazaars of Delhi. I've known small children to cry when they see some of them.

There are the sad children of war...

There's Miss Molded-head, who changes her clothes with the times but not her hair. Not to mention that she feels terribly marginalized because she looks nothing like the Indian women for whom she is modeling those clothes...

Miss Fallen, who has landed on her face so many times that her nose is scarred and she hides under her hat...

The dancing instructor--"Where should my feet go?"

And not to be left out: The freakishly excited, armless bride and her melancholy, bald bridesmaid.

Full saree experience

The push the shove, the stepping on toes--yes, this is the market.
And today: saree shopping.

The colors and cloth and sparkle were spread in great piles before me. Waiting for me to choose.
But alas, I can't wear those bright colors; I need something more subtle, so I moved on to another shop.
And another.
And another.

Finally, I found a nice jade green with enough sparkly-ness to satisfy most.
The shop keeper whispered the discount he would give me for this find and I accepted.

Now it was on to find the petticoat--'cause sarees have petticoats. And the man in the petticoat shop can find the shade to match perfectly with whatever you've bought. Skill.

Next stop was the tailor, who sewed the blouse for me.

All I've got left to do is to figure out how to wear it.
I've been watching videos to help me learn.
In this one, I appreciate that the Indian girl doesn't know what she's doing either!

Floating market...of tourists

"Can you want something?"
That was my favorite question of the day.
Really, the floating-Thai-trinket seller woman was asking DID I want to buy something, not whether I could want something. The question and it's pleading tone amused me. Couldn't I just please want something so that she could sell it to me and make some money?

The fruit, coconut and souvenir sellers had hooks they would reach out as your boat passed and pull you over to convince you to buy things.

There was a theatrical feel to the market.
The women wearing traditional hats were well made up with lipstick and dyed hair--a little bit incongruous to the village women you might otherwise see wearing those hats.

So could I want something?
Well, I'm afraid not even the plate of frogs on sticks tempted me.

Love affair with 7Eleven

Thailand loves its 7Elevens.
I wanted to go get some potato chips the other day and upon reaching the main road was uncertain of which direction to go...
Left?
Right?

But silly me--a 7Eleven is never far away and I would have found one in either direction. And there would be another across the street from it so I wouldn't even have to worry about maneuvering through traffic.

There are certainly more 7Elevens in one square block than what I grew up with in driving distance from my home.
Out of curiosity, I checked and this is what wikipedia says about it:
There are 5,409 7-Elevens in Thailand, half of which are in Bangkok, making Thailand have the 3rd largest number of stores after the US and Japan.
Huh, don't count out the Japanese, I guess; they love 7Eleven, too.

Kid friendly

Oh, the things kids are allowed to do here. Oh what they get away with at the malls.
Here is my small friend climbing on the store displays, talking to the mannequin, and playing with the decorations.

Adults are tolerant and eager to please children. There is a greater value placed on them as people, as an investment, as the future, than I find in the US.

As a child, I remember pushing strollers around in the Gerber factory store whenever I went there. One employee lady didn't want my brother and I to do that. I thought she was mean. I only liked to go the store when the nice lady was working. It was no fun to worry about being yelled at, but how could you know ahead of time who was going to be working any given day?

Well, here, my small friend doesn't have to worry about that. He can get away with anything.
Just see how big his smile is.

Purple hand towel

An awesome thing happened this morning.
Last Saturday I went shopping for some new towels for the guestroom. I wanted a full set of purple towels--bath towel, hand towel and wash clothe. But the hand towel wasn't available in that color.
I asked if they would have more in stock at a later time.
I was told no.
I asked if they would be ordering any more purple colored hand towels (never accept the first 'no').
Why yes, they would. And if I gave my address, it would be couriered to my house on Tuesday.
Really? Awesome.
And yes! My purple hand towel showed up this morning! What great service!

Subzi call

Each subzi wallah (vegetable seller) has their own distinct call. They come through the neighborhood every morning with their vegetable laden carts--tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, normal things and others I can't identify.
Women come out on the balcony and yell, "Ho, how much are your tomatoes?" And in a bid for a lower price they add, "Oh, they don't look very good."
The vegetable selling lady shouts that the cauliflower has come, and other things I cannot discern.
But the snack man: he has a bell.

Goodbye again, Thailand--Hello again, India

This is my farewell picture of Thailand: green rice fields and colorful housing.
I left this week after finishing all the office and training work I had to return to India.

In India today, I went out to buy some groceries. The store I purchased my bread, cheese, tomatoes and melon from does not bag their customers' items. Shoppers must bring their own bag. This is a very commendable and responsible policy. But for those, like me, who had no idea I wasn't going to get a bag to carry these things home in, the idea of buying a melon is not a good one. Once they were aware, though, that I had no bag for my purchased items, the clerks went and hunted up a box I could use to carry it. It wasn't the easiest way to get it all back to the house, but at least I didn't have too far to go.

Did you ever wonder how dominoes delivers in India? By motorcycle, of course.

By the way, this is my 100th post, so congratulations and thanks for reading along with me this far.

Morning market

This morning I woke up a little bit earlier than usual so I could go with my friend to the morning market. It's a lively place full of smells. Some less pleasant than others.
And it has everything you could need for cooking up a tasty, local dish.
Here you can see the different sections for selling fish, vegetables, chicken, pork, fruit, and a little bit of Chinese new year thrown in.

IhateitIloveit

I went out shopping today and I experienced some contradictory emotions.
There were moments of "Oh, I hate this",
like when the guy behind me in line at the ATM told me to move forward and close in the four inch gap between me and the man in front of me. No thank you, I like my personal space, small as it is.
Or when there was one check out line at the grocery store that took at least half an hour to get through.
Or when the rickshaw-driver-with-a-death-wish nearly drove us off the road where it drops eight feet and later did not notice the car backing out in front of him.
Or the beggar woman who called me a "maharaja daughter" and told me to give her food before cursing me.
Or that buying groceries and eating out for lunch took four and a half hours.

And then there were moments of "Wah, is there anywhere in the world like this place?"
Like when the check out attendant told one of his minions to bring me a free carton of guava juice.
Or the other clerk who gave me a two-for-one deal on matches.
The smell of freshly cooked rice and the fall which can't be matched.
Or a walk on the bund over the newly fallen chinar leaves.
There was the ancient man in an even more ancient photo shop who ambled over the creaking floor to tell us he didn't have any camera batteries.
And the other old man in a camera shop who did his best to produce the battery we needed, even sending his assistant several blocks away to look while he gave a us a newspaper to read.
Or the relief of finally being back home where everything is quiet.

They let us out

Today they finally lifted the curfew for the whole day, and there was enough time and freedom of movement for stores to be opened and shelves to be stocked.

People and traffic were finally on the roads again.
It was also the first day of Ramadan. So people were anxious to have something nice to eat for Iftyar, when they broke the fast. The streets and stores were crowded.

But the restaurant we waited in was not crowded. It was empty since everyone was fasting. The two pizza-baking men didn't have much to do.

Look! Is that Best Buy? Oh no. Their best buys are something to do with "beauty to bow from tips to toe". ?

One of the check points we passed through. But this is a usual one, not one of those recently added.

Shopping sights

I went out shopping and I saw a whole range of interesting sights.


A typical view of the houseboats.

Where I bought my vegetables.


Cloth for a new suit.

What is the fake horse doing in the mall?

Is it the real Pizza Hut?


And, yes, shepherdesses with their sheep.