An exciting adventure in Old Delhi on a hot summer day.

Ginger booked an Old Delhi Bazaar Walk and Haveli Visit a couple weeks before our trip. It had gotten excellent reviews on Tripadvisor and seemed a unique way to spend half a day and learn about how the majority of the locals live. It was not a disappointment, as the picture captions will tell.

: This is the woman who taught me that they are just as curious about our behavior as we are of theirs. She wanted to know why I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Dhruv explained to her that it was for the same reason she dressed as she did: Its comfortable. One of her “protectors” asked to take a photo with him as though we were celebrities.

: Farmer’s Market. The produce is all brought from outside the City limits.

: Enjoying a yogurt drink from a pottery cup.

: Lou sniffing the fresh cilantro.

: Lost in the crowd.

: A fresh batch of betel leaves.

: That tiny little bit of betel leaves made me lose my lunch later in the day.

: Lou seems to love the leaves.

: They don’t have much of a smell but they pack a powerful punch.

: This guy had no idea what his shirt said … or did he? Actually, Dhruv said it was quite common for people to wear western clothes without knowing what they said.

: Fresh tea leaves.

: The spices were making me sneeze.

: Lou was getting a special blessing from a very happy vendor.

: We bought some dates to bring home.

: The flower market smell marvelous.

: Lou got a special greeting. He was very popular amongst the vendors.

: The stairs here are very steep, slippery and unstable. Tread carefully.

: I was starting to feel a little hungry.

: Cow power!

: If you can’t make it to the temple, the temple comes to you.

: This guy carts all those cans on pedal power.

: Propane tanks carted on three wheels. This one was taken specially for Lou.

: Our second rickshaw driver. He was very apologetic about the concussion he almost gave me.

: Posing outside our guide’s home.

: The front entry of our guide’s home.

: Washing up before dinner.

: Lou washing up before dinner.

: Waiting in the formal living room for our guide.

: A lunch prepared just for us.

: Taking the inside stairs to the second level of our guide’s home.

: Our guide’s bike. Later we would be sitting three astride, but only for a short distance.

: A selfie with our guide.

: I was on the bike behind Lou. Too bad I left my selfie stick back in the room.

: Aggressive beggars are few. We were advised to completely ignore them. This one was banging and scraping on my window and yelling something at me.

: Hands free communications.

: Riding side-saddle. Sometimes they have their children sandwiched between them, which is illegal but not always enforced.

: One of the hotel hostesses gave us a glimpse into a “pre-wedding” reception.

: The beginning of our tour. Notice the ladder under one of the top story windows? Our guide told us someone jumps out of it at 8:15 every morning. We were horrified until he confessed he was joking.

: An ice seller by day, politician by afternoon.

: An example of the tangle of electrical wires that power Old Delhi.

: Donkeys waiting patiently for their drivers at the subway station.

: Garlic and flowers are tied around and above shops for good luck.

: Preparing betel leaves for smoking.

: A naan bread making machine.

: Lou giving the soup a stir.

: Lou learning how to flip the fry bread. It looks and tastes a lot like a sopapilla.

: A hot and delicious breakfast in Old Delhi.

: Very thin slices of silver which is used to wrap delicacies. Its edible!

: A simple dessert of semolina, butter and honey.

: Making springs of all sizes and thicknesses.

: Receiving our daily blessing.

: Dhruv taught us how to say a daily blessing.

: Lou rings the luck bell.

: A walk-up blessing window for people who are too busy to take off their shoes.

: Lou tries driving the water.

: Getting ready to race in aero position.

: Rooftop pigeon games. They’re training to fly and return on command. If someone else’s pigeon returns with yours you keep them until they’re ransomed.