India: Part 15 - Delhi and the Souvenirs

At the end of my group tour, a couple of us were hanging around Delhi for one more day. Our awesome guide, even though he was off the clock now, offered to take us around to old Delhi and the markets so we could pick up goods to take home. The market is quite a confusing spot, so I definitely recommend taking someone who knows what they're doing.

I bought quite a few of these to bring home for myself and for gifts. And awesomely, this little shop takes American Express. Even though their machine was only half working and we had to walk outside to get a signal.

Since it's wedding season, it's pretty common for families to send platters of fruit and nuts to each other.

This market was up some stairs through a tiny building. Never would have known it was here.

After Hyderabad, I flew back to Delhi to catch my flight home. I had about 12 hours to spend in the city, so my coworkers from Amex India picked me up and took me around. They are the absolute best, and it was such a wonderful way to end my Amex career. Sameer and Pooja met me at the airport and we went shopping at the Santushi Shopping Complex. Of course all nice places that take Amex :)

One store - PlayClan - had the coolest art. I wanted all the things, and managed to buy a few that would fit in my suitcase.

Then we headed back to the Amex office complex for dinner and so could see some friends. This is Kulbir and Shailey - I met them at the very beginning of my Amex career in Phoenix. So incredible to see them again.

Dinner with Pooja. The office complex is really nice and has some great restaurants.

My Phoenix crew again - Kaushik, Kulbir, me and Shailey. They are so, so great. Friends across the world.

I did a quick tour of the building, even though I'd already turned in my badge. Cool to see all the places that my colleagues on the other side of the world spend their time in.

Then we went for a tour of the Oberoi - super fancy hotel where we had tea. If I'd ever gone over here for business, which sadly I didn't, I would have stayed here. Worth a mention, my coworkers who picked me up definitely all own cars and hire a driver. That's the thing here - it's so wild to drive, you either take shared cabs arranged by work, or you buy a car/hire a driver to take you around.

Around 10pm it was time to head to the airport. My flight to Dubai wasn't until 4am, so I had some time to kill. I did walk by and check out a little sleeping pod you could rent, but it was still kind of expensive and didn't seem worth it for around 4 hours.

I wasn't able to check into my flight until around midnight, so I had some time to kill out front. I found a spot to change clothes and then I sat. 

Time for a long journey home through Dubai and Los Angeles.

There's the LA temple and my old street below.

My bags were bulging but I managed to get home with everything. So let's review. 

Delicious sesame brittle snack.

Chai for gifts.

A few days after I got home, my rug arrived in the mail!

Placemats and napkins.

Fun coasters.

Elephant tapestry. Maybe I'll frame and hang up somewhere.

Pashminas - one for me and one for mom. Made with cashmere from Kashmir.

Fun little purse.

Another fun textile. Not quite sure what to do with it. It could be a table runner, but I also don't really have a dining table.

Notebooks from PlayClan.

These stunning envelopes for wedding season. 10 for $1! They're so beautiful.

More textiles - could be a scarf or a shawl or decoration on a table. I wish I had 10 of them.

Because Starbucks. This is a gift from a colleague.

Elephant pajamas! They're supposed to be one-size-fits-most and they're not quiiite the right fit but I still like them.

Quilts - I bought three and wish I had seven. This one went to a brother. It's full of colors.

And this one went to another brother. I kept the blue/green one for myself.

And then for Christmas I got an India puzzle!

That's the end of my Indian adventures. I'm really so glad I made it there and got to spend so much time exploring. I would definitely love go back and see more of Rajasthan, Mumbai, Calcutta, and the south. If you're debating a trip, I say go!