This is the third blog post in a series titled Wonderful Websites. The first focused on general health and can be read here. The second post focused on mental health and mental illness and can be read here.
This post lists websites for shopping.
1. Ebay has a wide range of products for sale by a wide range of sellers. You can buy practically anything legal on ebay. Items are usually low cost but high quality. Items are posted and arrive quickly.
Ebay beats Amazon to number one as recently Amazon has gone downhill. Amazon has started having delays in dispatching items, App delivery notifications can’t be relied upon and more than once Amazon Logistics have lost ordered items.
I have to say that Amazon’s customer service has been good at sorting out problems, but in the past I never had any of these problems. As a non-Prime member I feel that I’m not as important to Amazon as a customer that is a member of Prime. I’m sad to write that I am loosing confidence in Amazon.
2. Amazon sells anything and everything. Their website is easy to use and has a great search function. I like that Amazon provides reviews for products written by Amazon customers.
3. Waterstones sells books and stationary. I love all things books and stationary. Waterstones is great as they have book shops you can actually go into in real life.
4. ASDA sell groceries, home ware, books, DVDs, accessories, TVs, almost everything these days. But if an item is out of stock in store you can order the item from their warehouses on their website. You can have the item delivered to your home or delivered to your local store for free.
5. IKEA is a Swedish company that sells furniture and home wear. Ideal if you’re moving home, redecorating a room or just have a passion for flat pack furniture.
If you enjoy shopping for clothes as I do, Delhi is the perfect place to visit with an empty suitcase. As Indian’s like their clothes.
I exchanged my money at the airport (see photo left). ₹500 (five hundred Rupee) is currently worth about £5 (five British Pounds).
My first shopping trip was on my first full day in Delhi. Robert, Michael, Neha, Neha’s sisters and brothers-in-law and I went shopping for an wedding outfit. Robert choose an attractive gold colour, Michael choose a grey and gold colour combination and I choose a fabulous purple colour.
Below is a photo of our wedding outfits, see my last blog post for photos of us in our outfits:
Wedding outfit shopping.
Then we headed to an outdoor market where we bought some wedding shoes. These shoes were more about style than comfort and I named them The shoes of DEATH after they shredded my feet.
Prior to travelling to Delhi, I had been talking to a lovely guy named Eddie. I needed to buy Neha’s parents a thank you gift and was in need of a guide and shopping buddy. So I hired Eddie and a taxi for the day. Eddie was gorgeous, patient, kind and caring. We quickly connected and became more than friends. During my stay in Delhi I visited at least five Malls, two Bazaars and four outdoor market places.
On my first shopping trip with Eddie (there were a few) we went to Benetton where I bought a fleeced hoodie, a smart shirt, two plain t-shirts and two t-shirts with designs all for £55. On another occasion Eddie took me to an outdoor market and I got two pairs of smart work shoes for £8. I bought two real leather belts for £1.90. Delhi could be cheap or expensive depending on where you shopped and who you shopped with.
Eddie helped me buy some small gifts for close family and some of my friends. Believe it or not is where most of my money went – on other people. When Indian’s see foreigners they triple their prices. So having Eddie who spoke Hindi helped barter the prices down. I am extremely grateful to him for his language skills, superb company and for soo much more ;).
My favourite place to shop was Connaught Place. It had a good mix of shops, a Bazaar and an outdoor market place. Plus, it has plenty of places to buy good coffee. However most importantly for me, it was where Eddie and I created some amazing memories.
After much searching, Eddie and I found the perfect gift for Neha’s parents (to thank them for taking such good care of me). We found this lovely stylish mirror in the shape of the sun, which was the perfect gift for them.
Wherever you shop in Delhi there’s plenty of roadside stalls selling drinks and ice cream. There’s copious Tuk Tuk bikes and auto Rickshaws that you can use to get around. Or there’s always the Delhi Metro. The Delhi Metro is cheaper than Tuk Tuk bikes or auto Rickshaws and is quite an experience.
Eddie introduced me to the Metro and we used it together on about six journeys while I was in Delhi. The Metro in Delhi has been so popular that it is currently being extended. By 2020 they want 50% of people travelling on the Metro, which in the sky, and 50% of people using the roads. This will ease the current road congestion problem Delhi has, along with reducing air pollution. The Metro is exactly like the London Underground, just above ground rather than under it.
The first two Metro carriages of every Metro line are reserved for women, along with woman only seats in the other carriages. Getting on and off the Metro was a bit of a challenge at times, with a little fast-paced pushing and feet shuffling required.
I got plenty of stirs on the Metro because of my white skin. They were stirs of curiosity because most people hadn’t ever seen someone with white skin. After a while it did leave me feeling a bit awkward and unsure of how to respond. I wasn’t sure whether to stir back, smile or do a little dance. Luckily for the the other Metro users it was too cramped to allow me to do a little dance. On most journeys Eddie and I held-hands and no one stirred because of this or seemed to even notice it.
Whether you’re shopping or using the Metro there are many security check points. Where civilians in official, security, looking uniforms will ask you to walk through a metal detector and put your bags through an x-ray scanner. They then frisk you with a hand-held metal detector.
Eddie is gorgeous and looks so young. I want to reassure you that he is in fact twenty-two years old and I am twenty-nine years old. He is funny, kind, caring, intelligent and multi-talented. He has already had much success and many achievements. He seems to do well at anything he takes his hand to, which is no doubt due to lots of hard work and determination. I know that I’m a very lucky man. Here are some photos of the gorgeous Eddie and me:
Eddie and I outside one of the many Malls we visited.
Eddie & I on a Tuk Tuk Bike.
Can you recognise the brands photographed below?
Starbucks Coffee :D.
Me with a scary looking Ronald McDonald statue outside of a vegetarian McDonalds Restaurant.
I was pleased to be able to get a decent coffee from Starbucks, but the prices where the same as in the UK making it an expensive luxury in India. Costa Coffee was much more reasonably priced. Coffee’s from both shops tasted the same as they would in the UK.
Other recognisable brands in Delhi, India included: Pizza Hut, Dominos, KFC, Burger King, Vans, Levis, Van Heusen, Nike, adidas and Marks & Spencer’s.
On the departure from London Heathrow my suitcase weighed 11KGS. On the way back home it weighed 20KGS, which just gives you an idea of how much I bought during my time in Delhi. And it didn’t cost me a fortune.
In next part blog post in the series titled My India Adventure (Part 4) – Delicious Food, I will be talking food. It will be coming soon, so don’t forget to check back for updates.
This year I did very little in the Spring, a lot in the Summer, bits in the Autumn and Winter. Here’s what I’ve been up to this year, click on any photo for full size image:
Simon and I went to Mid-Wales to The Lovely Penrhos Cottage for the weekend. While there we took the time to relax. The Saturday it was gloriously sunny and hot, so we went to Aberdovey Beach. On the Sunday we went to King Arthur’s Labyrinth.
I published my short story The Good Teen. The Good Teen is a modern-day telling of The Good Samaritan parable, with a hint of magic. I wrote it after I saw a call for submissions from the BBC Radio 4 ‘Opening Lines’ programme. Unfortunately it wasn’t accepted, but it’s still a good story – even if I do say so myself.
June
Rivington: A Gorgeous View
I spent several days walking around Rivington. I feel fortunate to have such a beautiful and gorgeous natural place close by.
My at-the-time boyfriend and I went to Blackpool to the Sealife Centre and Madame Tussauds. We saw various fish and waxworks respectively.
Steve and I went watching The Lady Boys of Bangkok in Manchester. We were both slightly disappointed with the Lady Boys to be honest, but it was still good to get out and we even managed a few alcofrolic drinks afterwards.
I felt saddened at the unexpected death of Robin Williams and began thinking about the importance of good mental & emotional health.
I read and reviewed Light by Michael Grant, which was the last book in The Gone Series. I thoroughly enjoyed The Gone Series which was about kids being trapped in a Dome without adults and developing powers.
A friend and I went to stay for a weekend at Penrhos Cottage and visited the Animalarium, which is Borth’s Zoo on the way home. There where some lovely animals there that looked well cared for.
Christmas has been relaxed, enjoyable and fun. I have celebrated it with family and friends. People have kindly bought presents for me:
Presents Kindly Bought For Me.
But the best thing was the opportunity to spend time with people that I love.
Next year I’ll be spreading out activities, experiences and goals throughout the year. So keep an eye out for my Goals & New Experiences for 2015 blog post.
While Simon and I were away (see Mid-Wales, Part 1: The Lovely Penrhos Cottage), on the Saturday morning the sun shone gloriously and the temperature was set to soar. So we went to Aberdovey Beach for the day. It felt like being abroad. The sand was golden and reflected the sun. The sea was calm with the faint scent of salt in the air. The smell of coconut sun lotion drifted by from the people that had come to the beach to make the most of the weather. I imagine that this is what heaven is like. Here are some photos (click on any image for full size photo):
Aberdovey Beach: Felt like being abroad.
Aberdovey Beach 2.
Aberdovey Beach: Sailing boats and glorious sandy beaches. It got busier as the day went on.
People watching.
Simon and I spent the time people watching and sitting in a small gardens with coffee. We walked along the sea front and I had an ice cream. I think I spent too long in the sun, as my arms were a lobster red colour by the end of the day. More photos:
The compass of the circled bench seating area.
Walk along the sea front.
Ice cream: Just want I needed.
Lobster Red: Think I spent a bit too much time in the sun?
Our whole time in Wales was brilliant. Throughout the trip we ate out often. We drove home through Betws-y-Coed and Conway. On the way to Wales we had bought lotto tickets. While at the cottage Simon and I had talked about what we’d do if we won. Simon had said: “I’d be happy with just £50.” and guess what? We actually won £46 which was a pleasant ending to our awesome trip.
