Saturday - Last day!
The morning was spent sightseeing in old Delhi. We met two students and staff from Seelampur, the slum supported through St Stephen' s at the entrance to the Red Fort.
Old Delhi was as chaotic as everywhere else in Delhi but narrower and busier. It was hard to stay together as a fifteen (Roanna was recovering back at the YWCA). Some were better at shopping than others and the most popular bazar was the spices shop (sorry if this spoils any surprises). Due to tired legs we opted for rickshaws on the way back and haggled them down to a fare equivalent to 20p each for the half hours in journey; Christian generosity! The traffic was ... well Delhi and we spent most of the ride stationary. Amanda remarked on what good condition our rickshaws were in compared to most, by which she meant they weren't held together with string and the brakes weren't held in place with a match box! To me the contrast which is India was someone outside a Smartphone shop using the old water pump to get their water.
Afternoon and more shopping; the market and Central Cottage Industries Emporium. The latter of these involves at least four different members of staff and three different queues to buy anything and so at least 15 minutes must be added to the purchase time. It is also a system which seems very likely for people to end up with the wrong items, but somehow they don't.
Cutting our time a bit tight, we did a rapid refresh before heading out for our final meal together at Gulati Restaurant, unfortunately minus Roanna who has still not fully recovered. Excellent food (but a bit more spicy than usually) and I hope some of us don't regret the ice we had in our drinks.
Back at the YWCA and now to pack...
The morning was spent sightseeing in old Delhi. We met two students and staff from Seelampur, the slum supported through St Stephen' s at the entrance to the Red Fort.
Old Delhi was as chaotic as everywhere else in Delhi but narrower and busier. It was hard to stay together as a fifteen (Roanna was recovering back at the YWCA). Some were better at shopping than others and the most popular bazar was the spices shop (sorry if this spoils any surprises). Due to tired legs we opted for rickshaws on the way back and haggled them down to a fare equivalent to 20p each for the half hours in journey; Christian generosity! The traffic was ... well Delhi and we spent most of the ride stationary. Amanda remarked on what good condition our rickshaws were in compared to most, by which she meant they weren't held together with string and the brakes weren't held in place with a match box! To me the contrast which is India was someone outside a Smartphone shop using the old water pump to get their water.
Afternoon and more shopping; the market and Central Cottage Industries Emporium. The latter of these involves at least four different members of staff and three different queues to buy anything and so at least 15 minutes must be added to the purchase time. It is also a system which seems very likely for people to end up with the wrong items, but somehow they don't.
Cutting our time a bit tight, we did a rapid refresh before heading out for our final meal together at Gulati Restaurant, unfortunately minus Roanna who has still not fully recovered. Excellent food (but a bit more spicy than usually) and I hope some of us don't regret the ice we had in our drinks.
Back at the YWCA and now to pack...
