Greetings from Delhi!

Hello friends and family!  I've been one week in Delhi so far and it seems that there is a lot and yet very little to report.  The weekend was spent settling in to our new apartment in sector C, pocket 6, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.  Exploring has proved a touch difficult because Delhi is HUGE!  And very spread out.  But, never fear, the ubiquitous tuk-tuk is here!  Luckily the little golf-cart-like vehicles are everywhere are charge about half what cars do.  The city is hot, heavy, stark, beautiful, sprawling, green, crowded, dense, lush, and desolate.  Somehow all at the same time.  A difficult city to describe, I guess, but hopefully the pictures will give some idea...

On Saturday, John's boss from Bangkok was in town and took us to Kahn Market- a very crowded and dense open-air mall of sorts (nothing like the summit, louisville-ians...) where there were book shops and cafes and a bizarre eclectic mix of other goods on sale, some more legitimate than others.  It is one of the nicer markets, however, and even includes a branch of FabIndia- an amazing company that links craft-based, rural producers to urban markets.  The products are beautiful and all made from traditional techniques and skills.  I got some delicious soaps and my very first kurta!  Check them out! 

After the market, we went to the Lodi Gardens and then to a Tibetan photography exhibit at the India International Centre.  We dined on Punjabi food and then consumed the worse alcoholic/food concoction I've ever experienced- a green vodka shot poured into the top of a hollow fried dough ball filled with spicy legumes.  Note to self- there's a reason why we "shoot" shots and don't eat them.  (Unless of course they are the dark sweet nectar from the home-state wrapped in delicious chocolate, aka- bourbon balls, *sigh*). 

While John has been slaving away at his new job, I've tried to explore the surrounding area a bit.  One of the downsides of where we are located is that the response from anyone to the question, "where do we get/do _____" is, "the mall!"  So I'm trying to look "outside the mall" one might say.  There is a place called Hauz Khas Village, a tiny neighborhood that has Delhi's burgeoning art scene, some very chic boutiques, and even a slow food restaurant!  This weekend will hopefully lead us even further into the depths of the city, finding our way, bit by bit,  poco a poco.

My favorite thing so far here is a park in our neighborhood.  It is a fair sized park and, unlike the insane, thick, greenery that is everywhere else (trees growing in the middle of streets in some places!) the park is very manicured with a track around it, many benches, and a fountain in the middle.  And every day, at 6:00pm, every person in the neighborhood goes to the park to meet, power walk, relax, play, and enjoy the first breeze of the day that the late hour brings.

And speaking of, that bewitching hour is almost upon me, so I must scuttle to the park to resume my many chats with elder, sari-wearing, Indian women of Vasant Kunj- my new education! 

More to come soon!
xoxo