I visited the Anarkali market in the old town of Lahore, Pakistan.
My mission was to find a nice shalwar kameez, the traditional local dress that Pakistani men wear.
I thought it would be easy to find in the bazaar, but I struggled to find it and also struggled with the traffic. The area is chaotic, with pedestrians having to fight against vehicles to move down the street.
Some friendly locals told me that I was looking for a shalwar kameez in the wrong part of the bazaar. I was in Old Anarkali and they told me I'd find traditional clothing in the New Anarkali Bazaar.
I was headed towards the New Anarkali market area when a Lahori policeman saw me and invited me for lunch. He and his colleague ordered a bunch of local food from a street side stall and we sat there, having some banter and enjoy the delicious desi food.
Two plates of Golgappa (Pani Puri) were brought to the table. The policemen were really keen to see how a foreigner would manage eating this local street food. Fortunately, it was not my first time eating this snack. Although, the puris (fried bread balls) were very big and the pani (water) was extremely spicy, so I did still struggle a little bit.
We also ate fruit salad, or as they called it 'Pakistani Salad'. It was a bowl full of energy with all sorts of fresh fruits and nuts in there, covered in syrup. There were so many ingredients. There were kiwi, grapes, pomegranate seeds, pineapple, banana, dates and almonds. And probably more that I didn't notice.
After eating that I was full of energy to go exploring in the market.
Straight away a sunglasses vendor approached me with a handful of knockoff shades. I tried a few and liked them all, so I bought all three of them. My favourites were the fake Ray-Bans, which looked authentic and even came in a case.
I finally made my way into New Anarkali, to look for a salwar kameez.
In market areas in Pakistan and India, they are usually split up into sections, so once you find the item you're looking for, there will be dozens of shops selling the same type of stuff right beside it, but you likely won't find that item at all elsewhere in the market.
Fortunately I came across a bunch of shops selling traditional wear and one with the prices clearly market. 1,500 PKR ($8 USD) for the shalwar kameez, top and bottoms, seemed like a good deal to me.
The shop was operated by a bunch of young guys, all of whom were wearing American style clothes. I ended up being the only one there who was wearing the traditional Pakistani clothing.
The shalwar kameez that I bought did feel over-sized and quite loose, but at least it felt comfortable to walk around in. Perhaps one day I'll spend a bit more money and get one tailored.
Market hunting makes me thirsty, so after my successful purchase I went searing for the local juice vendors. I visited one guy who makes orange juice and another who does pomegranate.
0:00 Old Anarkali
4:13 Police Invite Me To Eat
8:40 Pakistani Pani Puri
12:33 Pakistani Fruit Salad
14:21 Fake Ray-Ban Seller
21:40 Shalwar Kameez
31:45 Fresh Orange Juice
36:29 Fresh Pomegranate Juice
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