I haven't been able to write for a while as I have been busy doing what I like writing about - - yes, traveling! The past few months have seen us travel to Sweden, Denmark, Delhi and Amritsar. While all of them were special in their own way and I will write about a few of them subsequently, this post is about a little outing in aamchi Mumbai. This post is about exploring a small part of the city, The Husband and I have called home for 4 years now.
One Sunday morning in late October, we shocked ourselves by waking up fairly early (by our benchmark). We were quite bright eyed and bushy tailed at 9:30 am (don't roll your eyes, we usually don't emerge from our slumber much before noon). The people who we can't live with our without - the maids - had also very kindly come and gone early, leaving us to ourselves for the rest of the day. And, this of course meant that we were itching to go somewhere. Alas, our lovely, but pricey Scandinavian holiday had made sure we couldn't afford a jaunt outside Maximum City.
We had been meaning to visit the 150-year old Chor Bazaar, or the erstwhile Shor Bazaar (nicknamed because of its noisy nature), but never got around to doing it. This seemed like the perfect day to tick it off our list.
I was quite excited to go for two reasons 1. The bazaar is known to be the largest flea market in India, which meant shopping galore and 2. It is located on Mutton Street, which gave me mental pictures of succulent kebabs, biryani and stew.
Since Mutton Street is located in a very crowded part of South Mumbai (where finding a parking slot is like finding a house with balconies in Mumbai) we decided to take a taxi. Equipped with walking shoes, loose, long clothing (advisable) and a bottle of water, we set out on our adventure.
When we told the taxi driver about our destination, the dramatic man acted like we had asked him to take us to some place 'off the grid'. He dropped us off somewhere which he claimed was the beginning or Chor Bazaar and sped off. Not finding any shops or people selling the kind of stuff I had read about, we asked around only to find out that we had to walk 10-15 minutes further to reach our destination.
We started walking towards the bazaar sweating and puffing (we later found out that we had chosen one of the most hot and humid days Mumbai had experienced in 70 years, to embark on this little adventure) and enroute discovered a really interesting Attar store. One has to stop when the beautifully cut bottles holding liquid of various colours call out to you.
So,stop we did.
The enterprising shop keeper sold us some really nice fragrances and I also found some surma (which I applied wrongly the next day and resembled Manjulika from Bhul Bhuliya) and went on our way.
Finally arriving at the bazaar, I was quite happy to see rows and rows of shops filled with all kinds of stuff: antiques, old posters, tin boxes, electrical fittings, wires, headphones, statues and knick knacks. But, to my disappointment, I didn't spot any shops selling mutton specialties, bah! Getting over the disappointment quickly, I concentrated on discovering the many lanes, selling various interesting things.
Shor Bazaar - phonetically corrupted to Chor Bazaar by the Brits - came to be known, in the olden days, for stolen goods. But, today, it sells second hand stuff and replicas of antiques, mostly. You may find some originals if you dig around. The shops and shop keepers are organised in an unorganized sort of way and don't entertain too much bargaining.
We did see some foreigners there, but not the kind of numbers which would justify the obstinance of shopkeepers, unwilling to bargain more than a couple of hundred rupees lower than their original quote. I guess they are more interested in exporting their goods these days.
I managed to hunt around and find a few things to buy: a little bronze fan, (which I am someday going to dismantle, paint in bright colours and assemble again), an ornamental clock (which replaced an old railway clock we had at home), a garden kettle, (which now poses as a flower vase at home) and an old, rusty horse shoe (which I am yet to think about how I want to salvage).
I bargained until the shopkeepers lost interest and were about to ask me to leave. And even then, I wouldn't say that I got stuff at throwaway prices. They were reasonable at best. But, more than the shopping itself, the trip was an interesting experience in itself and gave me a lot of raw material for my weekend DIY projects.
So, if you are someone who loves quirky stuff, enjoy crowded markets and the experience of digging around and haggling and are enthusiastic about DIY projects, this place is a MUST visit.
*Best time to go: December to February when the weather is bearable
*The market is open from 11 am to 7 pm and shut on Fridays
*Carry water as there aren't many shops around selling food. Carry something to munch if you plan to spend more that 3-4 hours
*You will need at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours to see the place
*Bargain as much as you can
*It is safe, but best if you can go in a group of 2 at least
*Wear loose, long clothing as the market is located in a conservative neighborhood
Happy exploring!
One Sunday morning in late October, we shocked ourselves by waking up fairly early (by our benchmark). We were quite bright eyed and bushy tailed at 9:30 am (don't roll your eyes, we usually don't emerge from our slumber much before noon). The people who we can't live with our without - the maids - had also very kindly come and gone early, leaving us to ourselves for the rest of the day. And, this of course meant that we were itching to go somewhere. Alas, our lovely, but pricey Scandinavian holiday had made sure we couldn't afford a jaunt outside Maximum City.
We had been meaning to visit the 150-year old Chor Bazaar, or the erstwhile Shor Bazaar (nicknamed because of its noisy nature), but never got around to doing it. This seemed like the perfect day to tick it off our list.
I was quite excited to go for two reasons 1. The bazaar is known to be the largest flea market in India, which meant shopping galore and 2. It is located on Mutton Street, which gave me mental pictures of succulent kebabs, biryani and stew.
Since Mutton Street is located in a very crowded part of South Mumbai (where finding a parking slot is like finding a house with balconies in Mumbai) we decided to take a taxi. Equipped with walking shoes, loose, long clothing (advisable) and a bottle of water, we set out on our adventure.
When we told the taxi driver about our destination, the dramatic man acted like we had asked him to take us to some place 'off the grid'. He dropped us off somewhere which he claimed was the beginning or Chor Bazaar and sped off. Not finding any shops or people selling the kind of stuff I had read about, we asked around only to find out that we had to walk 10-15 minutes further to reach our destination.
We started walking towards the bazaar sweating and puffing (we later found out that we had chosen one of the most hot and humid days Mumbai had experienced in 70 years, to embark on this little adventure) and enroute discovered a really interesting Attar store. One has to stop when the beautifully cut bottles holding liquid of various colours call out to you.
So,stop we did.
The enterprising shop keeper sold us some really nice fragrances and I also found some surma (which I applied wrongly the next day and resembled Manjulika from Bhul Bhuliya) and went on our way.
Finally arriving at the bazaar, I was quite happy to see rows and rows of shops filled with all kinds of stuff: antiques, old posters, tin boxes, electrical fittings, wires, headphones, statues and knick knacks. But, to my disappointment, I didn't spot any shops selling mutton specialties, bah! Getting over the disappointment quickly, I concentrated on discovering the many lanes, selling various interesting things.
Shor Bazaar - phonetically corrupted to Chor Bazaar by the Brits - came to be known, in the olden days, for stolen goods. But, today, it sells second hand stuff and replicas of antiques, mostly. You may find some originals if you dig around. The shops and shop keepers are organised in an unorganized sort of way and don't entertain too much bargaining.
We did see some foreigners there, but not the kind of numbers which would justify the obstinance of shopkeepers, unwilling to bargain more than a couple of hundred rupees lower than their original quote. I guess they are more interested in exporting their goods these days.
I managed to hunt around and find a few things to buy: a little bronze fan, (which I am someday going to dismantle, paint in bright colours and assemble again), an ornamental clock (which replaced an old railway clock we had at home), a garden kettle, (which now poses as a flower vase at home) and an old, rusty horse shoe (which I am yet to think about how I want to salvage).
I bargained until the shopkeepers lost interest and were about to ask me to leave. And even then, I wouldn't say that I got stuff at throwaway prices. They were reasonable at best. But, more than the shopping itself, the trip was an interesting experience in itself and gave me a lot of raw material for my weekend DIY projects.
So, if you are someone who loves quirky stuff, enjoy crowded markets and the experience of digging around and haggling and are enthusiastic about DIY projects, this place is a MUST visit.
*Best time to go: December to February when the weather is bearable
*The market is open from 11 am to 7 pm and shut on Fridays
*Carry water as there aren't many shops around selling food. Carry something to munch if you plan to spend more that 3-4 hours
*You will need at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours to see the place
*Bargain as much as you can
*It is safe, but best if you can go in a group of 2 at least
*Wear loose, long clothing as the market is located in a conservative neighborhood
Happy exploring!
