TheJourneyofBethB

I am writing this during my 24 hour trip home. Our airplane is somewhere over Iceland and the view of the icy mountains below is really amazing.

Just a couple of night ago I had a very fun date with a young Indian man who works in the hotel where I am staying. He suggested we go to Hauz Khas Village. I had no idea what to expect. Turns out Hauz Khas Village is a very unique and fun experience. Picture downtown New Orleans meets The Alamo and Central Park!  It is a contemporary shopping center with hip bars and restaurants on the upper floors where you can stare down at the young hip crowd below.  Right outside is a huge park surrounding a lake, an ancient fort and an Indian Temple.

Shopping

We started our date by having Lebanese food and a couple of “breezers” close to the hotel.  A “breezer” is what they call a wine cooler, only these were made with Baccardi rum.  Then we took an Uber car to City Walk, which is a huge western style mall with everything from Sunglasses Hut to The Body Shop. They had a giant fake Christmas tree in the square outside and a skinny Indian Santa Clause.

The Park

After the mall we took a tuck tuck to the Village. Gagan suggest we walk through the park outside first. It was quite beautiful, in spite of the obviously polluted waters and flowering plants covered with dust. There were many white swans out on the lake, chipmunks running around and monkeys playing in the trees. The sky was blue and the temperature was perfect at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  Along one side of the lake is an ancient fort like structure where people were sitting on the ruins and smoking and laughing.  The unmistakable aroma of green bud filled my nostrils with smells from home!  We were entertained by a guitarist singing Indian folk songs. Many people were gathered around and singing along.

Drinks

Next we went to the Village and headed to the top deck of The Beer Garden for beers. I had a dark ale from Germany. The sun was setting and it started getting cold quickly so I decided I needed to buy a jacket. I found a gorgeous cobalt blue leather jacket for only 2200 Rupees, which is about $30 USD.  Not bad at all!
After that we headed up to the top floor hookah lounge.  We chose some green apple flavor tobacco and relaxed watching the sunset over the lake and forest.  It was one of those perfect moments I will never forget.

The sights and sounds

After it got dark I insisted on heading back as I’m still not comfortable out in the night life of a city that still feels foreign to me. As we waited for our Uber driver I took some pictures of the Indian temple outside all lit up and looking glorious. The smell of street food filled the night air and I could still hear the guitar in the background. It was a fun and special evening.