You can read about day 1 here.
I was wide awake at 5:00 am and got up to workout in the fitness center of the Hyatt Centric…it wasn’t a great gym, but it was sufficient and I got a good workout in and did some cardio before leaving the hotel around 7:45 am in search of coffee.
Regular readers know that coffee is a critical part of my day and I figured that in a city as populous as Delhi, there had to be many great coffee shops, like the one I had found the previous evening.
An Indian coffee chain called Blue Tokai appeared very highly so that was my first stop, though it was a blustery morning with wind and rain and so my walk was a bit slower than it otherwise would have been. Thankfully, though, the rain cooled the temperature and made the air a bit cleaner…
On the way, I stopped at a little park I walked by the night before that had built-in workout area did a circuit through the various machines…we have those in LA and in Germany too and they are appreciated! It’s wise public policy to encourage preventative health through exercise.
I finally reached the coffee shop and it was worth the walk…the café had a La Marzocco machine and my flat white was excellent.
Rather than have a second cup, I walked down the road to my next coffee shop, called Tan Coffee (though oddly using pi π as its sign…maybe some math person can explain it to me). This place was just opening, but I had a seat on the very nice terrace and enjoyed my second cup of coffee.
Rather than walk back to the hotel (about 30 minutes), I took an Uber.
Back at the hotel, I had some breakfast…the Hyatt Centric had a nice spread with Indian and Western items, though I did not try the coffee or tea.
Today I would pivot from the Hyatt Centric to the Hyatt Regency Delhi, located near Bhikaji Cama Place. The Uber ride across town took about 30 minutes and the hotel was bustling when I checked in.
My room was nice enough and I headed down to the spa to use the sauna and steam room, which is always refreshing.
As the sun began to set, I decided I’d head out Connaught Place and walk around a bit…that Uber ride also took far too long to go such a short distance, but I found myself dropped off in front of the Palika Bazaar, an underground market that reminded me of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.
The touts were very strong, but I just walked through and did not buy anything.
Outside, there was a coffee shop called Plum where I think I got scammed, though at least the coffee was good.
I noticed on the menu on the wall that a cortado was 255 INR (about 2.64 USD at current exchange rates) and ordered one. It was brought to me and was nice…but the waiter was not happy that I was not buying food or hookah.
I asked for my bill and it came, but instead of 255INR for the coffee, it was charged at 395 and a service fee was added along with government taxes…so my 255 INR coffee became 456. That’s about what I pay for a coffee in LA, so I wasn’t pleased. I saw at the bottom of the receipt I could have had the service charge removed, but decided to just leave it and head out.
There happened to be a Taco Bell around the corner…lol. So I had a little snack (not dinner!) as I continued my walk.
Next, I thought I’d head over to the India Gate. I walked by a building called The American Center…Happy 250th America…
I reached the India Gate and it was very crowded and also a whole lot of walking to go from the India Gate down the Kartavya Path to the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was dark out, but still incredibly hot and I was ready to head back to the hotel after burring lot of calories and getting a lot of steps in.
The Hyatt Regency Delhi has several restaurants and. I decided to try the Lebanese restaurant called Syrah. I ordered lamb cutlets, which were very delicious, and served with some hummus and pickled vegetables.
For dessert, I could not pass up the knafeh, which was perfect.
Another full day but surprisingly, despite the extended midday nap the day before, I had adjusted to the time and went to bed around 11:00 pm and slept through the night.
That Lebanese lamb looks delicious! (More Taco Bell?!) Great photo of you at the India Gate. Wonder if the “Bomb Detection Team” of the “Delhi Police” sell T-Shirts… could wear it on the flight home… (jkjk…)
Are you approached constantly by locals trying to scam you?
It’s Delhi. Every second person is either a politician or a scammer (or both).
Nice check in. Healthy safe exercised and well fed. The question is who got the photo???
Staying tuned!
Objects in the mirror are prettier than they appear?
Teehee *blushing*
What great pictures, Matt ! It has been about 40 years since I have been in Delhi and your pictures brought back so many memories. Thanks !
Hi Matt, Its not pi π as its sign, its TC , full form for Tan Coffee
Darn it, once you point it out, you can’t unsee it.
Helpful! Thanks.
Goodness, you are so handsome!
MATT! You need to be in Delhi when I am in Delhi — my parents were born/grew up there, my grandparents (on both sides) fled to settle there following partition of 1947, and my cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews are all based there. I go there every year, stay for weeks on end, and work from my offices there. You need to have a local person, who speaks Hindi, who WAS YOUR COWORKER dating back to 2013, to take you under your wing. Next time, we’ll align — you need to shoot me a text, it’s been too long.
I’m coming to LA in September for several days for work and for Dorkfest. Let’s meetup, and I want to have you on the Airways Podcast