Bazaar

The word bazaar comes full circle when you encounter such places as Cairo and Delhi. The area of Paharganj in Delhi has a bazaar (row of markets) similar to that of Cairo but with one major difference - the addition of many transportation vehicles! Yes, Cairo's bazaar area has an occasional vehicle or human pulled cart but nothing like what I experienced here. This place is mad in the daytime up until at least 11 p.m. At 6 a.m. its hardly recognizable. Sometimes you can't walk through and caution must be exercised when cutting through between tires.

Every kind of person, animal & vehicle is found here. Westerners, locals, the poor, the very young, the very elderly, severly wounded or handicapped Indians, dogs (most of which have a hurt back leg), a few cats, mice, large Oxen, cows, apparently elephants (although I didn't see them), auto rickshaw, bicycle rickshaw, car, trucks, van, taxi, regular bike - oh, and did I mention this place is more like an alley rather than a large wide street? Chaos takes place every day and the noise is deafening at the least.

Why did I stay in this area if its like this, you ask? Well, many times travellers have mentioned this place especially since it is where most of them stay. Cheap accommodations with a central location is probably one reason as well as the fact that most other places in Delhi are much more expensive. I had to try it out for one night. I'd have to say it's not all that - just an experience. Its crazy to walk through - reminds me of trying to walk through a packed night club in the states and you're trying to get to the bar which you can see but nearly takes a half hour to walk 20 feet. Of course, the journey itself means meeting new people and if it weren't for that fact, you'd prolly just stand around all night milking the same drink wishing you had someone to talk to, right?