Home Sweet Home

Well, I finally settled on a 1 bedroom apartment on a farmhouse outside of Vasant Kunj. After looking in Gurgaon & South Delhi, I couldn't resit the location and peace this home offered. Gurgaon is about 30 minutes from the outskirts of Delhi, from closer to city center, the time can double to nearly an hour. Both cities have a lot to offer and I considered both seriously.

First, Gurgaon:

Gurgaon is a relatively new town to India. It is just across the state border of Haryana, about 30 minutes from the Delhi Airport. The town itself developed as a result of a luxury home development for wealthy Delhi residents & careful economic planning on the part of the state. The city has developed into one of the most prominent outsourcing centers in South East Asia. The market is skewed Non-IT & really took off when GE launched a major call center here in 1997.

The city has 200,000 residents and is almost all less than 10 years old. Gurgaon is the home to what feels like 90% of India's Malls & is a decidedly suburban city. However, the city is also home to a fairly large population of slum dwellers who have settled between the golf courses, private clubs, housing estates & office buildings. That said, there are MANY western comfort in town with stores like the Body Shop, Benneton, Marks & Spencer, Calvin Klien, and even a Ruby Tuesdays to dine at.

South Delhi:

Delhi on the other hand is an old city, seemingly full of Old Money. The communities are lush, and the city is known as one of the greenest in Asia. On the outskirts, you will find many farm houses tucked away with large yards, pools & doting staff. Deeper in Delhi, communities center around the markets. I've had a chance to visit a few of the more common including Vasant Vihar, Defence Colony Market & Khan Market.

After looking in both locations, I've decided to take an apartment on the outskirts of town near to the Vasant Vihar market. In Vasant Kunj, I'm less than 30 minutes to work & less than 30 minutes to all the markets in South Delhi. Additionally, the house I've settled on is very quiet, with a large green grass lawn out front, and rolling natural land over the back wall.

In the two nights I've spent at the house, I've awoken early to the sounds of a partridge nesting in the yard.... Who knew I'd find such a peaceful home in a country of 1 billion people! Enjoy the tour & I apologize for my rambling. I hadn't held a conversation in nearly 3 days at the point of filming!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for creating this blog! It's great to see how your journey is going! We miss you already.

shelmes said...

Thanks Sam! We will see how long I can keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for calling me out smartypants!

I'm only worried about you getting fleeced by desis...but I guess you got that covered by a name like 'goradesi'!!!!

ttyl bud!

shelmes said...

I appreciate the concern & help.I think it is EASY to get taken here. Everything can be marked up easily!