Today is Tuesday. Shopping Day....I left at 10 am. Tuk tuk to the Metro station. Got on the Metro to Karl Bagh Station. Outside the station I was hungry so I bought five steamed momos....like steamed potstickers, but round shape...for 20 rupies at a shop that looked clean. Then I hired a Tuk Tuk to take me to Meena Bazaar, a store that sells Lehenge sarees. It should be 4 km away. The driver wanted 100 rupies to take me there. I tried to bargain down, but he was insistent. I gave in and said ok.
He drove off and kept going for a long way...past Sacred Heart Cathedral.......into the Chawri Chowk area......the streets of Old Delhi...Oh oh...There must be more than one Meena Bazaar. I should have been more specific with a street address or called the shop and had them speak to the driver before he took off. Oh, well. Here I am. Dropped off just outside the Jama Mesjid mosque Eastern Gate.
I walked into Meena Bazaar and looked for sarees. I was surprised to find quite a few shops with saree fabrics. When I say "shop", it is not four walls with a concrete floor. The shops were located next to each other under a makeshift roof and dirt or wooden floor and wooden shelves full of fabric. No doors. I asked different shops about Lehenge style fabrics. The fabric should be in packages of three pieces...skirt is one piece, blouse and sleeve is one piece, and the shawl one piece. The matching lining fabric is separate. I walked around and around for a few hours.
The space for pedestrians to walk under the covered areas is very narrow, wide enough for three people. The ground is uneven dirt with muddy spots. People were leading their goats through. Not odd for this market. Vendors were eager to have me stop and go into their shop, but I was looking specifically for Lehenge style sarees. A shop had a nice dress I liked for 750 rupies...after some bargaining. I completely searched the area where the fabrics shops were located. No sari. The street food looked and smelled delicious, but I was afraid to eat or drink anything.
Since I was right next to the mosque, I walked up the 770 red sandstone steps going into the East Gate of Jama Mesjid mosque. There were people sitting on the steps relaxing and people watching. Admission is free if you do not bring a camera or take any photos with a cell phone....200 rupies is charged if you do. I took off my shoes and put them inside my bag and then covered my head with my scarf. I wear the scarf everywhere. I walked past security slowly and was asked if I had a camera. I said no. He rearranged my scarf to cover my arms because my tunic top is sleeveless. No more questions. I was in.
The name Jama
Masjid refers to the weekly Friday noon congregational prayers of Muslims,
Jummah, which are usually done in a mosque, the "congregational
mosque" or "jāma masjid". The mosque also houses several relics in a
closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur'an written on
deer skin.
I went out the South Gate.....another hundreds of steps... into the busy streets filled with rickshaws, tuk tuks, wagons, carts, cars, pedestrians, and animals on their way to market. Up one of the side streets, I found a pretty pair of turquoise handmade shoes for 250 rupies. Another shop had bracelets, but they wanted too much for them.
Further down the street I found a shop that specialized in Lehenge
style sarees. The shopkeeper spoke good English. He had me sit on a bench and
showed me the range of fabrics he had. I only wanted polyester netting
fabric with hand embroidered designs. We settled on which fabrics and
colors I liked. Now he discussed prices. The nicest ones were 8,000
rupies. Cheapest ones were 5,000 rupies. I told him that it was way
over my budget. Then he said what is my budget...I said 2,000 rupies.
He showed me what I could get for that price....nothing I liked. So
back to bargaining for fabric I liked. After 30 minutes, I bought a
light turquoise colored fabric that had lovely embroidery on it for
4,500 rupies. When it was time to pay, I didn't have enough money! He
recounted the bills and I did have enough, but it didn't leave me with
money to pay the Tuk Tuk to get to the Metro and then to get from the
Metro to Eli's place. The man gave me some money back and laughed. He
got all the money I had brought with me. He included some lace with
dangling beads for the shawl for free. I told him I wanted to go back to the Metro station. He helped me get a rickshaw driver and told him to only charge me 20 rupies. Off I went into the night on the back of a rickshaw.
He went this way and that way down the street. When we got about a half block from the Metro station, I could hear and see a parade going by. Hundreds of people were there. I got off the rickshaw, paid the driver, and quickly took a few photos. People were carrying three large shrines of the goddess Durga down the street. Durga with many arms riding a tiger. The shrines were are a lit up. Musicians playing music and drums followed them. Boom Boom Boom. A large crowd of people followed behind them. I wish I could of captured it all on video. The short parade was over in a few minutes. I stood on the side of the street and watched people disperse. Individuals were walking around selling balloons and horns. Just like the parades in America.
I was hungry. Nothing to eat or drink since the momos around noon. I noticed a restaurant with bright neon signs up the street. I went up the narrow stairway to the restaurant. I asked where I could wash my hands. He pointed to a sink in a hallway. I washed my hands and sat down at a table to study the menu. I asked if they took credit cards. No. Only cash. Boo hoo. I didn't have enough money to order anything. He said there was an ATM down the street. OK. I went back down to the street. Looked around. Didn't see an ATM. Forget it. I went down into the Metro Station and went back to Eli's place.
I am happy. I will have a beautiful saree. Wait and see. I will make a appointment tomorrow with a tailor to cut the fabric and sew it together. Eli has a business card on his bulletin board for a tailor that has a shop in Tower A2 on the ground floor. Very convenient. Now that I have the fabric, I will be on alert for a necklace, earrings, and bracelets to match.
Another great day in India. Good night.
He drove off and kept going for a long way...past Sacred Heart Cathedral.......into the Chawri Chowk area......the streets of Old Delhi...Oh oh...There must be more than one Meena Bazaar. I should have been more specific with a street address or called the shop and had them speak to the driver before he took off. Oh, well. Here I am. Dropped off just outside the Jama Mesjid mosque Eastern Gate.
I walked into Meena Bazaar and looked for sarees. I was surprised to find quite a few shops with saree fabrics. When I say "shop", it is not four walls with a concrete floor. The shops were located next to each other under a makeshift roof and dirt or wooden floor and wooden shelves full of fabric. No doors. I asked different shops about Lehenge style fabrics. The fabric should be in packages of three pieces...skirt is one piece, blouse and sleeve is one piece, and the shawl one piece. The matching lining fabric is separate. I walked around and around for a few hours. The space for pedestrians to walk under the covered areas is very narrow, wide enough for three people. The ground is uneven dirt with muddy spots. People were leading their goats through. Not odd for this market. Vendors were eager to have me stop and go into their shop, but I was looking specifically for Lehenge style sarees. A shop had a nice dress I liked for 750 rupies...after some bargaining. I completely searched the area where the fabrics shops were located. No sari. The street food looked and smelled delicious, but I was afraid to eat or drink anything. Since I was right next to the mosque, I walked up the 770 red sandstone steps going into the East Gate of Jama Mesjid mosque. There were people sitting on the steps relaxing and people watching. Admission is free if you do not bring a camera or take any photos with a cell phone....200 rupies is charged if you do. I took off my shoes and put them inside my bag and then covered my head with my scarf. I wear the scarf everywhere. I walked past security slowly and was asked if I had a camera. I said no. He rearranged my scarf to cover my arms because my tunic top is sleeveless. No more questions. I was in.
The fifth
Mughal Emperor of India Shah Jahan had the mosque built with the efforts of
over 6,000 workers over a period of six years (1650–1656 AD). There are three great gates, four towers and two 40
meter high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white
marble. The mosque has a vast paved
rectangular courtyard which is large enough to hold up to
twenty-five thousand worshippers. The whole of the western
chamber is a big hall standing on 260 pillars all carved from Hindu and Jain
traditions. The Eastern side entrance leads to another
enclosure containing the mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed Shah.
Further down the street I found a shop that specialized in Lehenge
style sarees. The shopkeeper spoke good English. He had me sit on a bench and
showed me the range of fabrics he had. I only wanted polyester netting
fabric with hand embroidered designs. We settled on which fabrics and
colors I liked. Now he discussed prices. The nicest ones were 8,000
rupies. Cheapest ones were 5,000 rupies. I told him that it was way
over my budget. Then he said what is my budget...I said 2,000 rupies.
He showed me what I could get for that price....nothing I liked. So
back to bargaining for fabric I liked. After 30 minutes, I bought a
light turquoise colored fabric that had lovely embroidery on it for
4,500 rupies. When it was time to pay, I didn't have enough money! He
recounted the bills and I did have enough, but it didn't leave me with
money to pay the Tuk Tuk to get to the Metro and then to get from the
Metro to Eli's place. The man gave me some money back and laughed. He
got all the money I had brought with me. He included some lace with
dangling beads for the shawl for free. I told him I wanted to go back to the Metro station. He helped me get a rickshaw driver and told him to only charge me 20 rupies. Off I went into the night on the back of a rickshaw. He went this way and that way down the street. When we got about a half block from the Metro station, I could hear and see a parade going by. Hundreds of people were there. I got off the rickshaw, paid the driver, and quickly took a few photos. People were carrying three large shrines of the goddess Durga down the street. Durga with many arms riding a tiger. The shrines were are a lit up. Musicians playing music and drums followed them. Boom Boom Boom. A large crowd of people followed behind them. I wish I could of captured it all on video. The short parade was over in a few minutes. I stood on the side of the street and watched people disperse. Individuals were walking around selling balloons and horns. Just like the parades in America.I was hungry. Nothing to eat or drink since the momos around noon. I noticed a restaurant with bright neon signs up the street. I went up the narrow stairway to the restaurant. I asked where I could wash my hands. He pointed to a sink in a hallway. I washed my hands and sat down at a table to study the menu. I asked if they took credit cards. No. Only cash. Boo hoo. I didn't have enough money to order anything. He said there was an ATM down the street. OK. I went back down to the street. Looked around. Didn't see an ATM. Forget it. I went down into the Metro Station and went back to Eli's place.
I am happy. I will have a beautiful saree. Wait and see. I will make a appointment tomorrow with a tailor to cut the fabric and sew it together. Eli has a business card on his bulletin board for a tailor that has a shop in Tower A2 on the ground floor. Very convenient. Now that I have the fabric, I will be on alert for a necklace, earrings, and bracelets to match.
Another great day in India. Good night.
