Travel India

I truly enjoyed my experience in India. So much so that I want to share my experience with anyone who'll listen and since this is my blog and I can do anything I want, I'm going to bore you with every nitty gritty detail of my 6 days in Incredible India!

Day 1 (6 April 2008)

We arrived at the yet to be completely renovated Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi late at night. Our prearranged driver (Mr Gopal!) picked us up and dropped us off at a Sacchin's guest house. FYI, Sacchin is actually a friend of a friend and haven't even met the guy up to this point (and won't even meet him until we get to Agra) and yet not only did he welcome us to his home with open arms, but he also arranged every single minute detail from our driver, accommodation, sights we should see and the food we should eat! He and his family are the epitome of hospitality and I am told that this is very common in India. Blows me away just thinking about it...

Day 2 (7 April 2008)

We take to the road at 8 am for a 4 hour drive to Agra. Took my first few snap shots above. Interestingly, we saw lots of commercial lorries with "horn please" painted on the rear. As almost everyone honks their horn at the slightest provocation (merely driving next to another vehicle warrants a honk or two) I don't see why they have to remind people. It's inbred I think. Driving in India you are constantly surrounded by a symphony of horns, honks, toots and the occasional blasphemy. Mr Gopal even quipped that to drive in India you must 3 essential things: a good horn, good brakes and good luck! Hehehe. Oh, and check out the cow standing in the middle of the road! It was serenely chewing on cud, oblivious to the traffic and content on its sacred status in India.

Upon arriving in Agra, we checked into the Holiday Inn and finally got to meet Sacchin for the very first time! He was as warm and funny as his emails, and proceeded to arrange our day's tour around Agra.

First off, we went to the Agra Fort (pictured above) or what is also known as Lal Qila, Fort Rouge and Red Fort of Agra. It is a walled palatial city, complete with palaces and mosques. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it boasts amazing architecture and beautiful examples of sand stone carving and pietra dura or what is also known as inlaid marble. Agra Fort is well known as the place where Shah Jahan (the Maharaja who most famously built the Taj Mahal for his one true love) was kept under house arrest by his son. The picture on the bottom right most corner is where he supposedly died, gazing at the Taj Mahal from afar.

After a bout of tourist trap shopping (Tip: DO NOT under any circumstance trust your guide when they say they want to take you to their friend's shop where you can get good discounts on Indian handicrafts, jewelry, etc. You WILL get ripped off), we headed to THE biggest attraction in India: The Taj Mahal (pictures below).

I've been to many of the world's wonders (the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Eiffel Tower and the Stonehenge amongst others) and I've been sadly disappointed by one or two but the Taj Mahal far exceeded my expectations. It was gorgeous people! A trip to India just wouldn't be complete without a stop here. As you can see from the pictures above, we were there just in time for sunset. I'm told that if you want a complete experience of the Taj, you should also check it out during sunrise as the colors reflecting off its white marble is entirely different.

Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Taj Mahal was originally the sole tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, favorite wife and consort to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I. Shah Jahan had originally intended to build an exact replica of the Taj Mahal in onyx across the Yamuna River for himself but his plans were thwarted when his son seized the throne and placed him under house arrest at the Agra Fort (read above). When he died, he was laid to rest next to his beloved Mumtaz.

Made entirely of white marble and inlaid with semi precious stones (pietra dura again) styled in Islamic calligraphy and beautifully proportionate flowers and vines, The Taj Mahal has been cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." Word y'all.

Some of the sights around the Taj pictured above. It is surrounded by beautiful park lands and behind it is the lush Yamuna River. You'll be surprised to find that there are lots of birds (eagles too!) and monkeys hanging around amongst the local and foreign tourists.

After our day of gallivanting around Agra, we had dinner with Sacchin and his lovely wife at the Mughal Palace. Man, I've always loved Northern Indian cuisine but now I'm officially hooked! We had a sort of dhal that is cooked for 24 hours to perfection. Must remember to look it up or pester Sacchin for the name...

::: Whoops, gotta push off. Will continue my retinue of Indian sights and sounds a little later on. Stay tuned! :::

As if you haven't seen enough already, here's a slideshow!