Visiting the Indian middle class (Day 34 of the world trip)

08.10.2019

Unbelievable! We are up to date :D

As mentioned yesterday, our accommodation is in South Delhi, an affluent part of the city. We explored that today.

But first, the day started with us waking up around 7 am (pretty late for us :O But there's no proper window, so we don't wake up at sunrise^^) and since our roommates were still asleep or at least lying silently in bed, I messaged Jonas on Whatsapp :D That's how communication works in our generation :p So, a little bit about the logistics: We have two bunk beds and Jonas and I sleep on the top ones. We can see each other but can't make each other notice through secret knocks ;-)

Around 7:30 am or so, we went downstairs to the terrace, this time with mosquito repellent. Ha! Actually, we wanted to sit in the "lobby", but one of the hostel staff was still asleep (deja vu to Konya^^). Well. We then started working on the blog entries of the last two days and already had our breakfast ready (toast, Nutella, bananas). It seemed like no one else in the hostel was awake yet or they simply stayed in their rooms. Strange for us :D

After a while, the South Indian guy from yesterday joined us and we talked a bit. He mentioned that he is studying medicine in China and at the moment, he really wants to become an ophthalmologist. He had visited his hometown during the semester break but forgot to register it beforehand at the Chinese Consulate. Since he is in China on a student visa, he cannot leave the country randomly for visits home. So now he has the problem that he needs a new visa because he "violated" his old one. So he is stuck in Delhi because the Chinese Embassy is here and he has a visa agent who is helping him get a new visa. Quite complicated!

Our roommates are also here because they are waiting for a visa... So it seems like it's kind of a thing that you end up in our hostel for waiting :D

After breakfast (I think the Nutella, which expired a year ago, is no longer good, but Jonas keeps eating it :p), we watched some YouTube videos and then went to the shopping mall :D :D :D

Those who know us know that neither of us is the shopping type, but according to the internet, there is a supermarket in the mall and I really felt like having some yogurt, so yeah. On the way there, Jonas also considered getting a haircut. Said and done :)

Already when leaving the hostel, the street view is completely different from what we have seen in India so far. There are sidewalks (with really nice, colorful paving stones), trash cans, parking spaces, and the roads are wide and without potholes. Along the road, there are gated communities, residential areas guarded by a gate and security personnel. Around them is barbed wire fence. One can tell - they really want to feel safe here :O There is also a "Street Crime Police" patrol and overall, the police presence is quite high. Whether it is really necessary or if it's a bit of a prestige thing, we cannot answer, but it's definitely different ;-)

When the mall came into view, we immediately saw Indians, but also whites and East Asians in fancy clothes and expensive cars. There is an underground parking lot, but you can also drive up to the main entrance like at a hotel and be greeted by a man in a suit. Not bad ;-)

Upon entering the mall, there is security, like at the airport. Women and men go through the scanners separately, and women are checked by a female employee, men by a male. Instead of looking bored or even in a bad mood, the security guards greeted us with a smile and welcomed us.

It's almost creepy how much you are appreciated here... Jonas was wearing shorts and flip-flops, I was wearing my harem pants and an old t-shirt, hair in a loose ponytail. We were dressed like tourists who might be going to the beach, not like the Indians who were walking around in their best outfits. But sadly, it was probably just because of our skin color. We are white and therefore considered rich or treated that way...

The Ambience Mall is a typical mall following the American model and has a selection you would find in America. GAP, Nike, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, and various other stores can be found in abundance here. It is clear what ideal they are striving for, and it is probably also accepted. While we were walking around, we wondered how many Indians actually shop here, how many locals have an income that allows them to shop here.

Short answer: we don't know. But there were noticeably many non-Indian-looking people in the mall. Maybe they are business people who send their children to international schools here, or they are teachers, professors, or employees of aid organizations. There were also quite a few white teenagers, so from a socio-political perspective, the mall was an interesting visit :)

After some back and forth, Jonas decided to go to the hairdresser as planned. The communication worked quite well in English, and he was happy with the result :) While I was waiting, I was offered free water and got to observe the ladies getting their eyebrows plucked, hair dyed, and curls done. They were on their phones the whole time (regardless of age!) and hardly paid any attention to the hairdressers. To me, it seemed a bit arrogant, but then again, I have never been to a salon like this in Germany :D Maybe that's normal? I don't know. The customers definitely seemed to have high demands^^

By the way, we did find the supermarket we were looking for, but it turned out to be a gourmet store with imports from all over the world. Here, Americans, Brits, and Europeans can find the groceries they know from home. Whether it's Kiri cheese, Kölln flakes, or Bonne Maman jam - you'll find it here! In the fruit and vegetable section, you can tell that you are not at home. They have red bananas, dragon fruit, and other delicacies.

Oh, and Diwali, the biggest Indian festival that is a bit reminiscent of Christmas, is at the end of the month. Gifts are exchanged, and lights are lit. People visit their families and spend time with their loved ones. In line with this time, the supermarket had gift baskets, and there was also a gift wrapping station upstairs in the mall. Actually, it's quite nice to see it like this :) Unfortunately, Diwali is apparently not celebrated as much or not at all in the south, so we won't experience the festival to its fullest, but that's okay ;-)

To conclude, we each bought a scoop of ice cream (with some difficulty and communication challenges) as a treat (it's almost the same as the yogurt I originally wanted to buy in the supermarket :p), and then we headed back to the hostel because we wanted to go to the bouldering gym.

The bouldering gym was like Jonas' Diwali ;-) He had been looking forward to going bouldering there for days or weeks, and now the time had come :) Not surprisingly, there was a doorman in front of the building, but again, we were allowed to pass without any problems (and it made us wonder if it would have been the same if we were not white?) and inside, we had to watch a safety video first and then provide some information during registration in order to be allowed to boulder.

The price, at 700 rupees, was just slightly below what you would also have to pay in German gyms - an indication of the prestige of this sport. But it fits perfectly into this neighborhood ;-)

The audience at the bouldering gym was mixed. There were Indians (or at least they looked like it to us) as well as North Americans/Europeans. I heard a little bit of French, but mainly English. Even the Indians (or who we thought were Indians) were speaking English among themselves. So we also wondered if that was a coincidence or if speaking English is a kind of elite thing. The few kids running around in the gym also spoke English, without any Indian accent...

Otherwise, the gym was really cool. It's also rather small, but unlike in Istanbul, the routes are clearly marked, and I was able to climb a few that weren't too difficult :) They also have a library, a warm-up room with weights, yoga mats, and a warm-up wall, and yeah. The equipment was really professional! We were there for about 2 hours, even though it wasn't that big, and it was really fun :)

I still felt the effects of the past week a bit (or at least I did^^) since I got tired quickly. But Jonas was in a good mood, maybe also because he was just happy that we were there? ;-)

At the end of the session, just for fun, we stood on a scale and when Jonas realized that he had lost seven kilos, we bought two packs of chips afterwards. The chocolate cookies are apparently not enough :D :D In the evening, here at the hostel, I had a sandwich and fries, and Jonas had rice with chicken.

Now it's just chilling and planning where to get more food from :p :D

This morning, we had already looked at what we are interested in sightseeing-wise in Delhi. It looks like we will buy a 3-day metro card tomorrow and then go to Old Delhi and see the "big" things like Red Fort or India Gate :)