A Saturday In Connaught Place : Agrasen ki Baoli, Rajdhani Thali Restaurant, and Janpath

I have been living in National Capital Region of New Delhi, in and out, for about 10 years now and have been to many places in Delhi, from old to new to archaic. Undoubtedly Connaught Place, a.k.a CP, has been one of my favorite hang out places in Delhi because of its vicissitudinousness. One can go to United Coffee House for ‎Price range: Rs. 2,100 for two people (approx.) and also it has Indian Coffee House for Price range: Rs. 200 for two people (approx.). Apart from that there are differences in shopping places. There are showrooms where there is no bargaining; i.e. the inner CP circle; where as there are flea markets in Janpath where bargaining is very rampant and customary. This place encompasses everyone and has something or the other to offer to anyone with any pocket size and taste. I have been a frequent visitor of this place since I was a student and now when I am a working class citizen.

Picture By @meera.in.me on Instagram

This Saturday, a day before Valentine's Day, three travel bugs were set out for a get together in Connaught Place (CP). The three of us congregated at Rajiv Cowk Metro station's gate number 6 from there we all went to Agrasen ki Baoli. This was my umpteenth visit to this place but the first one for @chidiyyaaa and @meera.in.me. In my previous post on Agrasen ki Baoli I had clearly warned against coming here on weekends because of the crowd. As we entered into Agrasen ki Baoli we saw people; some taking selfies while pouting, smiling, scorning and laughing, while some getting their pictures clicked by others making poses with arms half bent, protruded on the sides, like Shahrukh Khan of DDLJ, while some making more casual and routine poses. There was a rush of crowd at the pit of the Baoli, with noise and dust around, so it was avoided by us. I was not astonished at this site, as it was expected with the backdrop of it being a weekend day. My friends on the other hand looked a little baffled and amused at the sight of it, but I could tell from their eyes that they liked the place. I was too pleased in company of two fine friends to be bothered about the chaos around. After hanging around at this place for some 90 minutes chatting, joking, laughing our hearts out, clicking pictures, and monkeying around a little we started walking towards our next destination, which was food.

Before I start with my description of this next destination let us go through the basic characteristics of 'Gemini' sun sign:

'Gemini' gets fascinated by almost everything in the world and they have a feeling as if there is not enough time to experience everything they want to see. Gemini is versatile, inquisitive, fun loving and wants to experience everything out there, so their company is never boring.'

On some similar lines were the characteristics of this place called Rajdhani Thali Restaurant. Dishes, chapatis, chutneys, sweets, buttered milk drinks etc etc were floating around you like asteroids in space. People were coming at our table incessantly with some dish or the other. At one point I was so lost that I was eating rice and found myself holding a chapati in my hand from nowhere. Then a voice "Sir Ghee?" came to my ears breaking the spell and disclosing the mystery of the chapati in my hand. This situation for me can be best described by words like 'baffling', 'flabbergasting', 'stupefying'. Food was a little overpriced but the overall experience was good.

After this we went for a Janpath Shopping Marathon where I was a mute spectator, witnessing the art of shopping and bargaining which was being displayed conspicuously by @chidiyyaaa and @meera.in.me. It was fun being around with these two shopping enthusiasts. We went into many shops from 1469 (full of bad vibes) to Nice on Girls to Kalaniketan to flea markets. After exhausting ourselves out physically we finally went to Handloom House Cafe for coffee and spent the last part of our day giggling, laughing, jesting, coffee-ing and watching the sun setting down.        

Agrasen Ki Baoli: The Archaic Vs The Modern

Agrasen Ki Baoli placed in the heart of Cannaught Place. In the midst of multistory modern buildings this archaic structure transforms you into a different world and time. The place has a powerful vibe and energy because of its structure and age. The long series of stairs accompanied by large walls with arched niches on both sides gives this place a sense of closeness when you move downwards and a sense of openness when you move upwards on the stairs.

This is definitely one of the places which demands you spending at least a day there with a book on a nice sunny day to imbibe the real feel of this place. I will advise that you come here on a weekday, because weekends are mostly crowded with tourists, families, cuddly couples displaying the act of their amorous feelings, painters, intellectuals and other people like us. So all in all it becomes crowded on weekends, and if you are someone like me who is not so gregarious then you should follow my advice and spend a weekday here.

This is one of the many places in Delhi where I like spending my quite time alone. Be receptive/silent when here and this place has a lot to offer. Some also label it as a haunted place, but this place always had a soothing and calming effect on my being. Places like these always gets some legend/myth associated with it along the line. So I will completely rubbish this claim of it being a haunted place.

       "Agrasen Ki Baoli" Pic             @BeeLikeMakkhi Instagram

Btwin Rockrider 300: Riding in The City

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler."

-Henry David Thoreau

I have read this quote from Thoreau long ago during my college days. 'Live the life you've imagined' part of it had stayed there in my subconscious since then. I have always imagined myself living a life of an adventurer, sports enthusiast, and a healthy human being. But had been able to achieve very little in this life endeavour. Living a life in a city with a corporate job sometimes can create impediments in this pursuit. So what can be that one solution which can act as a catalyst for you in achieving this threefold goal of being an adventurer, sports enthusiast, and a healthy human being. The answer is a bicycle. There cannot be a better and simpler human invention than a cycle. 

So with this I went to Decathlon store located in Noida Sector 18 with the purpose of buying the simplest Cycle available. I am a person who likes to keep things simple and believe in doing things one thing at a time. Decathlon had the following 3 bikes of my choice and budget:

Btwin My Bike (No Gear) Rs. 4000 - In Budget

Btwin 7S (7 Gears) Rs. 7999 - In Budget

Btwin Rockrider 300 (21 Gears) Rs. 9999 - A Little Out Of Budget

Fortunately, they did not have the first two bikes in large size. When buying a bicycle, it is important to choose the right size according to your height. 

M 54         5'6" - 5'9"

L 57          5'9" - 6'1" 

XL 60       6'1" - 6'4" 

XXL 63    6'4" - 6'7"

"My Btwin Rockrider 300"

So I had to go for the third option i.e. Btwin Rockrider 300 with 21 gears thinking what I will do with 21 gears. Then I thought what the heck, I will learn how and where to use them. Instead of this being a little out of my budget I went ahead with the purchase. I came to learn that in Rs. 9999 they are providing only the cycle in its crude form, without some essential accessories. The essential accessory items according to me are as follows:

Back Mud Guard (Front Mud Guard can be omitted) Rs. 400

Back Pouch to Keep the key for the bike lock and other small items (As I have a bad habit of losing keys and small items) Rs. 300

Back Light and Front Light (So that when riding at night, you can be spotted easily and from distance) Rs 349

Seat Cover (Which I did not buy initially, but had to buy it eventually as the bike had literally started being a 'pain in the ass') Rs. 349

Helmet (Which is obvious) Rs, 1599

Biking gloves (Which are optional. I bought it because I needed some cushion for my wrists. I don't have very strong wrists) Rs. 349

Bike Lock and Key (Theft precautionary measure) Rs. 120

Total: Rs. 3466

This is a small video of the bike that I purchased: Btwin Rockrider 300

I was now all set to ride my Btwin Rockrider 300 from my home to office and back covering a total of 27 Kilometers every day. It had only been a week for me following this routine, but I have learnt a few things about Riding In The City and Btwin Rockrider 300. 

"Day One: Btwin Rockrider 300 Riding in The City" (Sports Tracker App From Google Play Store)

Lesson Number 1: It is very important to use back light and front light when you are riding in city and that too at night. 

Lesson Number 2: No matter how much gaudy and show off it seems, but always wear helmet/head guard while riding (In India especially where the culture of wearing helmet had always been scarce, obsolete and discouraged) 

Lesson Number 3: You need to adjust the gear orientation of your Btwin Rockrider 300 according to your comfort. This you will know after riding your bike. You can make adjustments to it with the help of this tutorial video (Not specifically for Rockrider 300, but every gear system is almost the same in almost every bikes)

Overall Rating of  Btwin Rockrider 300 after Riding it for a week in City:

Comfort: 2.5/5. The seat of this bike is uncomfortable. You need to buy a Gelatinous seat cover for extra cushion. Keep in mind to refer to size chart before buying a bike if you don't want to get a hunch back because the handle bars are low and cannot be raised.

Gear Shift: 4/5 after a few initial adjustments in the gear system, the gear shift of this bike has been smooth and accurate. 

Weight: 3/5 A little heavier than other mountain bikes, but in Rs. 9999 it is okay.

Tires: 4/5 Broad and sturdy tires which has really good grip. I have tried this bike on paths with no roads, with bumps and sand, and it holds good.

Balance: 4/5 I happy with the balance of this bike. In cases where the speed goes to a minimal I don't have to keep my feet down.

Overall: 4/5 overall it is good bike, with a price worth paying. It is suitable for all kinds of terrain and purposes except racing because of its weight and tire dimensions.  

For any suggestions/feedback/interaction feel free to make use of the comments section below.