The End is Nigh

Delhi seems to have temporarily lost the sun this morning (Friday). After breakfast we take the short stroll round to Lodi Gardens to look at the flowers and see if we can spot any interesting birds. This park is 90 acres of relative peace and tranquility in Delhi and was created in the 1930s when the Governor-General's wife thought that a park would be a nice idea. Wikipedia does not mention what the inhabitants of the two villages that were demolished thought about her idea, but quite a lot of Delhi-ites do seem to enjoy the park without the aid of amplified sounds and without throwing litter everywhere. The flowers are looking good and the bougainvillea is in full bloom. This year we discover the bonsai collection and the Zen Garden. Somebody appears to have stolen the motorbike from the latter.

After the gardens we continue along Lodi Road until we come to the Indian Habitat Centre, which is not a shop full of poncey furniture but a complex of buildings that were designed to combine living accommodation, offices and commercial spaces as well as performance and exhibition areas.  The design is interesting, more like Berlin than Delhi. There are some bars and restaurants but most of them are members only and we fail to find somewhere to get a cup of tea. Next stop is JLN Stadium metro station whence we take the train up to Janpath, looking for a Tibetan Jewellery shop to see if we can find a particular type of earring. Although this is called a Tibetan Market it is mainly Kashmiris with the hard sell tactics and we head on towards the Tibetan Monastery Market, four stops by metro and then a short auto ride to a dubious looking hole under a major traffic flyover. There is a market here but it is all clothing despite what the guide books say. We do get a decent cup of tea however. The heat is getting oppressive and humidity is high so we opt for a return to base. We are not long in when the thunder and lightning starts, soon followed by heavy rain.

There is a break for a while and we go for afternoon tea, served inside as a result of the weather. Eventually it clears up and D nips round to the local market for some snacks to go with our sundowners.  An auto driver pulls up alongside and says "Sir. It is very dangerous to walk here. Many beggars and robbers." He is taking the mick. The only bandits around here live in the big houses with soldiers guarding their gates. Soon it is time to get ready for our dinner date. S is collecting us at 7.45 and we are going to dine at one of the restaurants in the Habitat Centre, quite a coincidence! S's mother, who is a member and very kindly signs us all in, joins us for a while as does one of his friends.  The food is great.  We have some southeast asian dishes and really interesting crispy fried spinach. The evening flies by and we finish it off with one desert and four spoons. We get home at around 11 p.m. , the latest that we have been up since we got here.