On our third morning in Delhi, we took the five year old subway line from our apartment to Old Delhi. In one moment you are underground in a modern, relatively clean facility, and as soon as you walk up the staircase, you are in the world’s most hectic, largest bazarre. I hadn’t experienced anything like it, but my friends who have been to bazaars in Istanbul, Morocco, Israel, and other places said that this was the most crazy one they have ever been to.
View of Old Delhi from Jama Masjid
I spent the couple of day trying to reflect on the few hours we spent walking around Old Delhi and no description could possibly do it justice. It was the craziest place I had ever been to (until the New Delhi train station the next morning). Imagine ancient, winding streets, with thousands of little shops/stalls and too many people. Rather than trying to paint an inacurate picture, I’ll give you a few impressions.
1) this place is not westernized. We went into Old Delhi thinking we could get a coffee at some rooftop cafe (aka Tikang Lu or Xintiandi). There were none. Old Delhi is still very much a real market. Only a few people tried to sell us stuff and there weren’t any tourist trap type places.
Random Street in Old Delhi...imagine this for many, many blocks
2) It would be a great case study of businesses clustering. I saw a number of businesses clustered together, including plumbing supplies, automotive supplies, spice sellers, clothes, and text books. My favorite cluster of businesses was the wedding card makers and paper sellers. Each of the dozens of shops proudly displayed its beautiful paper product on its wall.
A morning snack. Yum!
3) Although the streets and alleys were narrow, they were bustling with different modes of transportation. Scooters and carts weave around bike rickshaws and people walking. Nothing was separated, but it somehow seemed to work.
So many people, animals, and vehicles sharing this street!
I wish I had some more time to shop around old Delhi. It is an treasure that will surely change as more tourists come through and wealthy Indians look for some authenticity. Heck, I am ready to open up that rooftop coffee shop oasis!
