Laad Bazaar

Why have I been wasting my time in the malls?  Today I went to a real Indian market.

I asked my driver to pick me up earlier than usual so I could go to the bazaar before the heat set in (as if!).  We set off for Laad Bazaar, near Char Minar in the Hyderabad's Old City.

Char Minar (meaning 4 minarets) is a 400-year-old mosque in what was once the center of  the city.  The Laad Bazaar is a warren of stores, stalls, and vendors nearby.  It took us a long time to get there, but I didn't mind because there was so much to look at as we drove through the city.  The neighborhoods of Hyderabad are such a jumble of beauty and ugliness, with the fancy houses of film stars right next to the blue-tarp-covered hovels of the poor.  We also passed several nice-looking parks that I hope to explore another time.

As we got closer to the Old City, the streets became busier with all manner of people buying and selling all manner of goods -- fruits, vegetables, hoses, inlaid wood furniture, mirrors, handkerchiefs, bamboo, fabric, shoes.  Not to mention the traffic --overloaded autorickshaws and motor bikes, bicycles, cars, little trucks, the occasional tractor or wagon -- and people walking in the street or trying to cross.  It's not uncommon to see a woman in a beautiful embroidered saree carrying what looks like a large dish full of mud on her head.  In theory, people here drive on the left side of the road.  In actuality, they frequently veer into the wrong lane to avoid obstacles (rubble, animals, people, holes in the road, police checkpoint barriers).  Rotary-style intersections are common -- it feels like total chaos to me.

The driver finally dropped me off at Laad Bazaar around 11:30.  For awhile, I just walked around trying to get a feel for the place.  Most of the stalls were just opening up, putting out their goods, sweeping up.  I was surprised because no one was bothering me.  I went down what turned out to be a residential alleyway. There were some long-eared goats and a few little children running around.  One of them bumped into me and we both said Sorry, and then Sorry again, and again -- it was a game. And no, he didn't try to pick my pocket.

When I stopped to examine some scarves on display, I began to get an idea of how shopping works here.  The vendor came over and greeted me.  I asked him how much was this scarf and he told me (150 rupees, which is about $3).  My job at this point was to say something like, "I can't afford that!"  The vendor's job was to show me more stuff and then offer me his "best price."  I didn't really haggle much, so I'm sure I paid more than I had to.  Oh well, it's only money.

At some stores, the vendor invites you in.  You remove your shoes and sit down, cross-legged, on a large mattress that covers the whole floor.  It's very comfortable.  The vendor takes things off the shelves and shows them to you until you've seen enough.  At one place, I wanted to buy the very first thing I looked at -- the vendor seemed really disappointed.

At some point, I stopped at a little place and had a Sprite so I could sit in the shade and watch the world go by.  Compared to other parts of the city, there seemed to be more women in black burkas here.  When you look closely, you notice that the burkas are often embellished with sequins, embroidery, or other needlework.  Some of the fabrics are subtly patterned or pin-striped.  I've seen a lot of burka- or saree-clad women on the back of motor bikes, too -- riding sidesaddle of course. 

The only time anyone really bothered me was when I was standing on the corner waiting for my driver to pick me up again.  A guy was trying to sell me a pair of Rayban sunglasses.  He wanted 3500 rupees.  I said no.  Him: Well how much would you be willing to pay?  Me: 200 rupees (thinking this would be so insultingly low that he would go away).  Him:  Is that your best price?  It turned out he was willing to accept 200 rupees for them. Boy was he mad when I said I didn't want to buy them at any price, leave me alone, go away, etc.  I was very happy to jump into my car when it arrived!  Even happier when the driver handed me a big, cold bottle of water for the trip back to the hotel.