Still waiting for news about "our" house. Negotiations apparantly are not over yet, but we are not very positive. We shall see...in India, one needs time.

In the meantime I have been busy checking out the shopping areas in Delhi. The city is divided into "Colonies" and each colony has it's own shopping center. Every center has its own specialties, ranging from textiles to computers, antiques, silver, fabrics, or food. Khan market is of course very famous and frequented by diplomats, expats and rich Indians, but my favorite so far is Greater Kailash 1 with its friendly appearance and colourful Fabindia shops. I actually bought an Indian outfit there, consisting of a Salwaar (pants), a Kurta (tunic) and a Dupatta (shawl).

Shopping is quite an experience and I am glad that I am being shown where to go, because the best stuff is in places where no man has gone before, it seems. In India, one has to climb stairs, delve in basements, wiggle through backdoors or enter little seedy streets that look as if there is a mugger around every corner...but then a world of beautiful (though sometimes moldy, as I recently discovered) things opens up. The nicest fabrics, pieces of furniture, books, jewelry and coffeshops can be found in these places, like hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Actually, it is part of their charm.

In the midst of it all one can find cows lying side by side with motorbikes, monkeys eyeing peanut sellers and birds picking at the remains of...yes, of what? (Do I WANT to know?)
But no shopping for us this weekend because T is down with the flue (we think). Let's hope it will pass quickly...it's the second weekend in a row he is ill and I am starting to become anxious to do so sightseeing, because there is SO much to see here!