Bazaars - mama and I gone wild

India is also known as a shopping paradise with an abundance of markets, bazaars and the like. Things here are extremely cheap though most of the markets sell almost the same kinds of things - kurti tops (akin to a tunic, ending at mid-thigh), shoes, normal tops that we also find in Singapore (only CHEAPER!), more kurti tops, and random people coming up to you to sell you copy watches and sunglasses.

The atmostphere is crazy - filled with people shouting hard-to-beat deals, customers bargaining, some even arguing (at least, that's how it sounds to my mum and I), beggars putting out their palms one person to another, and the hunger-inducing smell of their road-side stalls selling savoury snacks. It's a whole combo right there!

First stop: Lajpat Nagar

Top to botom (L-R): The first two photos - Pakodas for sale topped with onions and green chilli sauce. Neembu Paani (fresh lime soda) under 38 degrees is god-sent! The bicycle trishaw - if you're heavy, pity the man cycling and don't take this please! Mama bargaining! Busy busy Lajpat Nagar! The last two photos: Frozen Kulfi - the best street-side dessert you can find on a hot day! So rich, so creamy and so divinely sinful!

Second stop: Janpath and Palika Bazaar (a Mall like Far-East Plaza)

Top to bottom (L-R): The first two photos are of Janpath - a very commercialised and touristy area and thus, things are more expensive and in India, you still find shoe-cleaning services like that. The next two are of Palika Bazaar, an underground mall which reminds me of Far-East Plaza with the bright neon lights selling jeans, tshirts, shoes and etc. I had to take a photo of "pArmanent body tattoo" haha.

That's Divya, a 10 year-old girl who trailed us for a good 10 minutes pleading us to buy the necklaces around her arm. She knew "me hunger", "me no business", "please buy Mdm" which shows she knows this is a tourist haunt and learned these basic phrases. In the end, next to a drinks cart, she pointed out to a Mango juice that she wanted and so i got that for her for 30 rupees. It was then that another boy came and said he wanted a drink too! I was probably another victim to her smart and cunning survival tactics! My mum and I ran!

Third stop: Sarojini Nagar

Top to bottom (L-R): The first 3 photos - this is a busy busy market as well. Some old school juicer right there - he had to bash the fruit with that wooden thing in his hand. But this Anar Juice is the best juice i've tasted in a long while - orange, pineapple and pomegranate - so refreshing if you don't look at how it's made! The streets are filled with these "walking stores" selling toys, socks, handkerchiefs, and etc.

This is how Paani Puri is made! The best street-side delicacy i've had. By far, my favourite! It's 20 rupees (SGD$0.55) for 6 pieces. The small balls are fried and crispy and a hole is made in it to fill it with the green sauce you see. To prevent this dining experience from getting messy, you gotta put the whole thing in your mouth! You'll have all the sweetness and spiciness exploding!You'll see a crowd around these stalls. All you gotta do is stand there, he'll give you a small plastic bowl, and you keep asking for one after another and when you've had enough, pay and walk away!