A Wander-Lust that Took us to the Streets of Delhi

While visiting glorious spots of a city is always a treasured exercise for all travel lovers, the real charm of exploring new places lies in covering its local areas, narrow lanes, and every raw and untainted site that gives it that authentic flavour. We, at Indiator, decided to discover that very rustic essence of the city by coming up with a fun series of Delhi tour called Explore More with Indiator. So two of us Indiator team members headed to explore the streets of Delhi and what followed was a day full of extreme fun, thrilling adventures, and of course lots and lots of food and shopping! Read along to find out how we had a gala time, discovering a side to Delhi that often goes unnoticed.

Shopping in the pulsating streets of Chandni Chowk

They say getting to good places is never easy and the crowded streets of Chandni Chowk were a testimony to that. Even on a Wednesday afternoon, the narrow streets of Chandni Chowk were full of people but that is what makes the place so lively. Our walk from the exit gate of Chandni Chowk Metro Station to the shops of the huge market was nothing but a colourful affair. No matter where we looked, every shop was adorned with strikingly vibrant clothes and accessories.

We went to Kinari Bazar that featured an array of gorgeous Indian wear and I caught myself hoping for some occasion to come up so that I could justify my urge to spend on those heavily embroidered dresses that looked so magnificent. We also wandered on the streets of Dariba Kalan which houses a stunning collection of jewellery. Being absolute lovers of a good retail therapy, we enjoyed this leg of our Delhi excursion to the core. However, after exploring the streets empty-stomach, the hunger pangs were getting out of hand and we knew it was time to get going for the one thing we were looking forward to with all our heart- the Old Delhi street food tour!

Taking our taste buds on a thrilling ride

Food and Delhi can never be separated. It’s a classic combination and visiting the streets of Old Delhi will prove it to you. After our Chandni Chowk shopping tour, we went straight to the famous Paranthe Wali Gali. Although there are a number of eateries that serve delicious paranthas or fried bread, we went to Pt. Kanhaiyalal and Durga Prasad Dixit Paranthe Wale which has been in business for over a hundred years old and is frequented by foreign travellers and celebrities from movie and film industry. We ordered their much loved mixed parantha along with the besan-methi parantha and the famous lassi. The paranthas are served with an assortment of vegetarian dishes like pumpkin, potato- curry and dry sabzi and some chutney. The food was so scrumptious that our stomachs were growling for more. But off we went to the next spot so that we could preserve some much needed stomach-space to try other delicious dishes.

Next, we stopped to try street food by local vendors. We came across a guy selling delicious ram-laddoo. We tried some and the mouth-watering taste of the snack never left us. To give our taste-buds a slight change, we tried a very refreshing fruit-chat with an assortment of juicy fruits like kiwi, plum, and grapes, to name a few. Among the tangy and spicy dishes that we relished, this succulent delight was a wonderful addition.

Like every market has some popular spots that you just can’t miss, our Chandni Chowk street food tour too had one- the famous Natraj Dahi Bhalla Corner. Established in 1940, the place has been making food lovers happy with their lip-smacking snacks for over a century. We ordered their famous dahi bhalla and aaloo-tikki and I think I can conclude that it was the best I’d tasted in a while!

No eating experience can end without digging into a delicious dessert so we decided to head to the old famous Jalebiwala and it turned out to be as delectable as the stories we’d heard about it. And with that delightful treat, we moved ahead to the next adventure awaiting us.

Riding like the locals

The other half of the day was no less adventurous than the first. In order to savour the flavour of the city like a true local, we took a thrilling Rickshaw ride from Chandni Chowk to the Kabootar Market which is a famous bird shop in Delhi. We had always heard that the old Delhi Rickshaw ride is one of the most fascinating things to do in Delhi and the experience stood up to the expectation. On reaching Kabootar Market, we came across some very endearing species of birds that added a colourful charm to the rustic lanes. After exploring the place for a little while longer, we moved to the last destination for the day- the Janpath Market.

A retail-therapy every shopaholic needs

After exploring the markets of Chandni Chowk, it was time to head to a smaller yet equally famous flea market which was the Janpath Market. While Chandni Chowk has excellent Indian wear, this place is a hub for some affordable Western wear, accessories, and home-décor. We tried our excellent bargaining skills and managed to buy some fun stuff at unbelievably inexpensive prices, which would’ve otherwise cost a bomb. After an hour-long Janpath Market tour, we were quite happy with our shopping and knew for a fact that the day had unfolded just as we had expected. We enjoyed every single aspect of this tour to Delhi and realized that the real charm of a city lies in its roots.

As fun as this day was, it has only stimulated the travel bug in the both of us so we will continue exploring a multitude of other places. So, stay tuned to read about another interesting tour. Until next time!