Day 1
Up early, checked out and on the road to Agra to see one of the 7 wonders…the Taj Mahal. “Riding in Style” as Kim put it. PRIVATE DRIVER. Maria and Emily’s FIB (Fake Indian Boyfriend) set us up for a seven day adventure sans trains or buses and led by Nog, our driver. And as I write (in my convenient little notebook) we are approaching Agra.
12/13
When I last scribbled down my thoughts in my little notebook, I was on the way to the Taj Mahal. We are now out of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and entering Jaipur. The driver also just mentioned something about monkeys! The animals here are kind of awesome. Dogs are everywhere and so are cows. There are goats and camels and moneys and pigs just chillin on the streets. I am sure I have never experienced a place with this many "wild" animals in urban environment. But before we get to city 3 (Jaipur), let me go back to Day 1.
So we made it to our hostel/hotel and checked in. The driver took us to a restaurant, "coincidentally" the restaurant name was the same as the hotel. Lunch was good. It was my first meal in India after all. According to Emily and Maria it was double the price of their meal yesterday and half as good. There were a lot of westerners also. We decided that we needed to find more authentic food in the future. After lunch, we finally made our way to the main event… The Taj Mahal!
The Taj Mahal was as grand and as beautiful as it has even been described. The manicured grounds framed the monument to showcase its splendor. The sun highlighted the brilliant white marble and made the decorative garnet and jade flower inlays of the pietra dura sparkle. But what took my breath away was inside the edifice. The marble lattice that surrounds the cenotaphs of the once monarchs was amazing. It was so intricate and extensive. There was even more inlays, some of gold. It was truly beautiful.
After about two hours and hundreds of pictures, we left the monument of love. And all the traveling had apparently caught up with us. We returned to our rooms to work but we all ended up napping until dinner. Kim continued her sleep through meal time and the rest of us went to a dimly lit restaurant that Nog drove us to. Again, the food was pretty good and but there were a good deal of westerners. We complimented our meals with chai and split three dishes (saag, aloo, and some other traditional meal). The restaurant began to empty out so we got our check and headed back to the hotel where were again, attempted work until sleep overcame us.
DAY 2
We started out early to Jaipur. But before we left UP, we visited the Fatehpur Sikri, an ancient city still surrounded by the walls of its protective fortress. The palace was huge and surrounded by beautiful views of countryside and ruins. We explored the numerous chambers and courtyards before venturing to the mosque on the far side of the grounds. I was very excited to visit the mosque. There was a small one at the Taj Mahal but this was the only other time I had been to one. My excitement was a bit squelched by the hordes of hawkers and beggers and faux tour guides. By the time we left the mosque the other girls were completely frazzled by the whole experience. Despite the annoyances, I did find the mosque beautiful and the views of the villages to the south below the grounds were amazing also. Most stirring was being in the shrine (Tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti). The white marble and shards of mother-of-pearl decorating the ceiling were secondary to the ritual and ceremony of those inside the shrine. The heavy scent of incenses and the melodious prayers in the background engulfed me as I watched men and women lay out shrouds of brightly colored cloth and sprinkle flower pedals on top before mouthing a silent prayer. I have been to Catholic masses and other Christian church services but I think this was the first time that I ever experienced a religion so different from my own in action.
After the mosque we returned to Nog and got back on the road to Jaipur. And now, we shall see monkeys.
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