It had been awhile since Amit had been to the park & confidently informed me there were only about 2 or 3 deer—not to expect anything major. I was cool, so happy to be out of my room & seeing something new. I wouldn’t have cared if it was a poster of a deer at that point! So I was stunned when we turned the corner & there were dozens of them!! All spotted, called Chital, I’d never seen deer like that [many never ‘seens’ for me in India] so the child in me surfaced—actually she never seems far away LOL! I was gurgling with glee as I negotiated with the barbwire fence to get a clear shot. OHMYGAWD, & there was a he-uge peacock, but he wasn’t ready for his close-up & fled the scene so I had to settle for a much smaller version atop a small roof. He too wasn’t keen on my shutter machine & wasn’t very cooperative as I shifted into ‘Gordon Park-ette’ on assignment for National Geographic mode. The troll wudn’t havin’ it & oh crap! the sucka fah-lew! I DIDN’T KNOW PEACOCKS COULD FLY!! Ok, maybe I had a duh-ah moment, but since when have you seen a picture of them FLYING, hmmm…????!
Photo by Jacquie Bird
Photo by Jacquie Bird
Then we were off to a spot Amit used to kill time when one of the The Danceworx studios was located just down the road. It was a cool temple-like structure that had fallen in ill repair but the kids hanging out had a field day in the open tunnels.
My last stop was exactly what the guide books advise against—eating at the outdoor stalls & unbeknownst to me, we were headed straight to the Bengali market in GK-II. A bit cautious, I decided to let him order for himself, I’d taste it & if I liked it I’d indulge further. He ordered a chicken egg roll, the exact name escapes me, he told me but it sounded like rrrrrrrrrrrrrrikeipgdhneovgrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! After a bite I knew I had to have my own, man it was good!! I later found out the Bengalis are known for their food, can make any Indian dish with their own flair, creating something so Bengali. I was often asked if I liked spicy food, & when I replied in the affirmative, the next question was from what region. Shoot, it’s just called Indian food at home but I realized perhaps I hadn’t paid enough attention & will upon my return. I further realized my favorite restaurant, Bengali Express, must have featured food from that region—but alas, they’ve gone out of business!
Photo by Jacquie Bird
Photo by Jacquie Bird
Photo by Jacquie Bird