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Published: November 26th 2005
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Even though Connaught Place had the decency to be open today, there was a shortage of places selling phones. And the ones that did exist were quoting ludicrous prices for their supposedly cheapest handsets, so the boys in Paharganj ended up getting my custom. There was a strange moment part way through the transaction, when there was a commotion outside and suddenly the owner started bringing in all the tables from the street. It seems as though the police had been spotted further down the market, and it's actually illegal to have anything on the street - it should all be in the store itself. This meant that half the market disappeared in about 3 minutes.
I do think I'm getting better at spotting the touts and dealing with them appropriately. Based on what's happened so far on the trip, anyone who says that they want to practise their English, or says you have nice shoes, is a tout. They should be summarily dismissed by saying immediately that you aren't going to buy anything. But if you're not feeling up to being rude, other alternatives are to pretend you don't speak English, or to say you're staying with a (local)
And through the arched window today ...
... some apparatus for calculating azimuths, perihelions, and assorted geolunasolawhatsits. friend here, or that you're on your way to meet someone. I don't remember seeing anything about this in the Rough Guide, which seems a strange omission, but then maybe everyone else spots touts better than I do.
I did manage to fit in one bit of sight-seeing today, to Jantar Mantar, the stone/marble astronomical observatory built just under 300 years ago. The various instruments were used for observations such as measuring time, predicting eclipses, etc (though I would not pretend to understand how that was actually done). The largest one is 90 feet tall, so they're not the sort of thing you could fit in the average physics lab. They're set in a grassed area with a number of palm trees providing a modicum of shade, one of which I sat under to escape the sun for a while.
The place is also a hideout for courting couples who fancy some quality time together. One such couple sat down near my tree, and were clearly more interested in me than in each other. Eventually, the guy wandered over and made some small talk, then beckoned his girlfriend over. Their question was why on earth was I willing
to pay foreigner rates (Rs 100 vs Rs 5 for locals) to see Jantar Mantar? They had both been brought up in Delhi, so I assume they were suffering from the same apathy about their home town that lots of people have. This small conversation marks the first interaction that I have had with the locals that was purely for conversation's sake rather than some ulterior motive.
Just because I'm sure this will be of general interest, I would like to report that my bowels are in fairly good fettle so far. And my expertise with my left hand and a bowl of water is not to be sniffed at either.
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Eurfirst
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Great Pictures
I'm enjoying the photos as much as the blog. Thanks for doing both.