This morning I was reflecting on the cost of medication in India. It is dirt cheap! I was wondering if the drugs were real. The tour guide advised me that pharmaceuticals are very cheap in India. For example, Ciprofloxacin 500mg 10 pack was only INR45! That is less than AUD$1! I may have to stock up before I fly home.
1) In this restaurant the listed price is not truly reflective. You need to wait for the "unmentioned" add-on costs for things that would normally be added to a dish.
2) What I ordered was Chicken Biryani INR430. Bottle of Coke INR58.
3) But when the waiter asks you if you want boneless chicken they do not mention it is an extra INR50. They ask if you want yoghurt with that dish without mentioning the INR140 price. Lucky I didn't ask for salt and pepper! The options were a little under 50% of the main dish cost...that doesn't make sense. The final price, inclusive of the invoiced 10% service charge was INR772. Quite a departure from the advertised price, even after sales taxes.
4) It was obvious that the guide takes all the tour groups to this place (multiple tour groups were there as well from other organisations). There is a quid pro quo arrangement between the guide and the restaurant. It leaves a sour taste that a guide would do that.
It is not a matter of the cost (because it is very cheap by Western standards). It is a matter of principle. I despise being scammed.
This will not be forgotten when it comes time to tip the guide at the end of the tour. The break in trust far outweighs the minuscule INR of the food cost. The penalty will be much more. Tour guides should never take advantage of their clients...because we dictate your final tips.
Much like Azerbaijan, everyone in India is doing-you-over-constantly. Okay, that is being unfair to India, Azerbaijan was 100% ripping you off (particularly not returning the correct change). India is say maybe 70% of the time trying to rip you off in transactions. It does reflect badly on the people as a whole. Whether that is fair or not, that reputation has been earned through real interactions. Hope it changes as the travel progresses.
Breakfast this morning was a nice Masala Dhosa. Full of taste and not heavy. A mild amount of spice. This could be my only meal for the day. Just beautiful food.
After breakfast I went with the tour group to Chandni Chowk. I wasn't sure if I had actually visited this place on my first day in Delhi. It was confirmed that I actually did not go to Chandni Chowk initially, and I was pleased that I got to tick it off this morning.
Chandni Chowk is very busy and also has a lot of tight laneways and streets. The hustle and bustle gets tiring. I needed to get to somewhere quiet. The best place was to go back to Lodi Gardens. On the same yellow train line and only a short walk from the metro stop. Opposite the Lodi Gardens appear to be where some of the rich Delhi people live. Nice big mansions.
In the gardens it was good to sit and relax in relative peace and quiet...quiet for Delhi anyway (where I was located). When I went walking around the gardens, I noticed all the locals hanging out on the grass. It is the place to be.
I did miss visiting a building within the Lodi Gardens in my first visit. Lucky I didn't miss it this time around
Tonight we catch an overnight sleeper train to Bikaner. Hope I sleep well.
I have had my fill of Delhi for now. I only have one more day in Delhi, at the midpoint of the tour (9 January) when the Northern tour finishes and I then head onto the Southern tour. I will get to finish off the two sites I was unable to complete; Rashtrapati Bhavan and Purana Quila.
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