Break at B19 after Dilli Haat and dinner

Lunch was excellent - a little too spicy for me, but everyone else thought it was delish. The paneer dish was especially exciting. After lunch, we went to Dilli Haat, an open-air marketplace with a bunch of stalls selling handicrafts, pashminas, etc. We found some dangly earrings, pillow covers, pashminas, notecards, etc. The Lonely Planet guide suggested that we barter, which we did, but not very aggressively because everything was already quite inexpensive. We had to refrain from buying too much as this was just our first day.

While we were driving today, we saw children wandering along the highways. When cars would stop (rarely, as stoplights are purely decorative it seems), the children would weave through the cars, playing drums and music, and dancing, begging for money. Once they spotted us, a car of foreigners, they tried especially hard to convince us to give them money, asking for 10 rupees. Although we know that any money we give would only serve to perpetuate the exploitation of these children, it was extremely difficult to turn the other cheek. We also encountered this situation at Dilli Haat, which requires a nominal entrance fee to "keeps] out the riffraff". As we walked between the car and the marketplace, we were approached by a mother and child begging for money as well as other small children.

We are now back at B19. Had some cookies and tea. Plan on heading to dinner at Connaught Place/Janpath. We had planned to go to Qutub Minar after Dilli Haat, but apparently Qutub Minar closes at 5PM, so we'll try to head over tomorrow.

Quack