Delhi--Feb. 23

Up late and slow to get moving today, in Delhi we do head out into the chaotic traffic. We return to Overseas Carpets Limited for Hamid to finish some paper work—I get to sit in an empty office. I do not understand why Hamid insists on returning to places we have been to before to see a handful of new arrivals. I agreed to return briefly so Hamid could do his two minutes worth of work—we needed to cross town anyways. Once at the office he tries to convince me again to stay for lunch and look at this handful of new carpets. I decline as politely as I can be while still managing to hopefully get my point across. I want to go to as many places as possible, ideally places Angus would not go to or have the time to or have the time to see. At first this slow pace was nice—it let me think, understand and act. Now it is frustrating and I fear this frustration is starting to show. Today is the 23rd and I have been to 25 different warehouses and showrooms. I feel like this number should be a fair bit higher. One the days I have been out to various places I average around 2 ½ suppliers a day. There is a lot of unnecessary downtown.
We head from OCL to a nearby market for what is my breakfast and Hamid’s lunch as I was not prepared to wake up before 9:30 for the Hotel breakfast after yesterday’s late arrival. One of the few Indian meals I have in Indian is at an international sports bar, the same place Vargha, Farsal and myself tried to get a lunch pint at prior to our flight to Varanasi on Feb. 5th—seems like a long time ago.
We go from lunch to the Baha’I Lotus temple so Hamid can see his family one more time, and end up giving them a ride. I hop out at Ferozson Exports to check out their silk carpets stock for Angus and Hamid follows his family back to their hotels using OCL’s driver. I have only half been looking at silk carpets, just keeping an eye out for deals more than anything at this place I was there to see the good stuff. The most expensive piece was going for over $30000 U.S., and this was on the supplier’s end so you can imagine what we would have to sell it at; amazing pieces, some taking 5-6 weavers 2 years to make. I am to look; getting an idea of selections and prices. I will say I like them, whether or not we can do business is another thing; nice people. Too often suppliers are push, talk down to me and lie to my face in an obvious way. Out of the 26 places I have now visited there have been a handful of people I like and the group at Ferozson is amongst this group. The even personally drive me 90 minutes back to my hotel when I had offered to take the metro. Good group in a business filled with the opposite.