Delhi, Agra, the Taj Mahal, Jaipur/Goodbye Asia

I left for the trip I was probably most excited for on SAS on Friday, March 12.  We had to be up by 4 AM for our flight to Delhi.   The flight was pretty standard, just like flying in the U.S., but the airport was a lot different.  We got off the plane and we were in the middle of the runway.  There was no terminal there to walk out onto.  We had to take a shuttle from the plane to the actual airport.   We then met up with our tour guide and headed for a much needed breakfast. 

The first thing I noticed while driving through Delhi was how the city contrasted itself.  There were slums, homeless people, and then a beautiful office or apartment building.  It was just strange.    Our first stop were the remains of a Mughal fort.  It was an enclosed structure with a tower, and mosque.   Just like when I was in Japan and China, you could just feel the history radiating off of the building.  They are hundreds and hundreds of years old and the awesomeness of them is amazing. 
We then proceeded to Humayn’s Tomb.  This is a tomb built in the same style of the Taj Mahal and was an excellent prelude to it.  The buildings were in the same style and the gardens leading up to it were beautiful.   There were a lot of Indian tourists as well as Westerners. 

Finally we then got to the hotel, the Shangri-La.  It was a five-star hotel in the middle of Delhi.  SAS trips really put you up in some nice places and you get your money’s worth.  This hotel also shows how much contrast is in India.  You had a five star hotel and only a few yards away were homeless people.  You feel guilty staying in such a nice place, eating as much food as you like at the buffet, and then there are starving people visible.   Still, I enjoyed myself while there and the buffet had lots of American food and I realized how much I missed it.   I got to bed early as we had another early wake up call the following day. 

We were up again at 4 AM and had to catch a train to Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located.  Getting into the train station was an adventure; poor and homeless people wanting money or food mauled us until we got on the train.   The train ride was okay, only because we were in air-conditioned first class seats.   Second class had open windows and they looked like mini villages.  There were tons of people inside and at every stop there were security guards getting people off of the second-class cars.  The ride there was interesting.  We passed through a lot of countryside, and saw a lot of different things.  People were “squatting” everywhere relieving themselves, as anywhere is a bathroom in the Indian countryside.  I’ve also never seen so much trash piled up everywhere.   We arrived in Agra a little after 8 AM and had a breakfast at another five-star, gated hotel in Agra.  The breakfast was excellent, but you again felt guilty after seeing such poverty and homelessness coming into the city.    From the top floor of this hotel you could see the Taj and it was a great way to warm up for it.

After breakfast we finally headed to the Taj.  We got there and were again mauled by street hawkers and homeless people.  Our tour guide (a bit of a character) just had us cut in line so our group could stay together.  He just did it and didn’t seem to think anything of it.  We cut in front of Indians, and if the situation were reversed (Indians cutting in front of Americans in the U.S.) I don’t think it would have gone down so well with the Americans in line.     Those we cut in front of didn’t seem to care and were probably thinking “arrogant Americans.”

After we got past security we all headed straight for the monument itself.   When I was actually staring at it I had to pinch myself to make sure if was really happening!  I mean this wasn’t a picture online or on a postcard…this was the real thing!  It’s just there, adorned in splendor in the sun, staring at you.  The water in front of it makes it look even more perfect and it truly is one of the wonders of this world.  Staring at it is an awesome sight and there really are no words to describe it. 

We took pictures with the help of the gardeners there and then walked around the building.  It was neat to walk inside but a bit of a let down.  Inside isn’t that great; just a bunch of empty rooms with a tomb in the middle.  The building from the outside is a much better view.  I took plenty of great pictures I will upload them all…hopefully in Mauritius. 

We left the Taj and headed to the Red Fort of Agra.  It literally is read and was a pretty awesome fort.  It was used by the Mughals and again by the British when the occupied the country.  After the Red Fort, we went to a marble factory.  The same marble that was there was used to build the Taj Mahal.  I would have loved to buy some of it, but it was over $100 for almost everything in the place.  And it’s worth it.  Some of the tables and bigger pieces take eight years to build.  Definitely a fine art. 

After the marble factory, we had lunch at the same hotel as breakfast and then headed on a five-hour bus ride to the city of Jaipur.    The bus ride was interesting and we again were able to see a lot of the countryside in India.   We also stopped at the Abandoned City on the way there.   The city was build as a home for a Mughal emperor, but he moved to Agra when he discovered that the water there wasn’t drinkable.  Speaking of water, there was a pool in the middle of the city and the water was green.  I mean really green and it looked toxic.  This Indian boy did a dive in for us and we were all shocked.  I mean this water was the most disgusting water I’ve ever seen in my life.  He thought nothing of it and just smiled and wanted a tip from us.  

We then continued on our drive and it was getting dark by then and most people just napped or listened to music.  Traffic on the streets of India is crazy…nothing compared to Vietnam.  There are auto-rickshaws (the most fun way to travel), cars, motorcycles, and animals.  Dogs, cows, camels, and pigs just roam the streets and people look out for them.   I have no idea how the driver made it three days without hitting anything.  It definitely is a skill.  

We stayed at another five-star hotel in Jaipur, the Ramada.  It was nice and even nicer to get to sleep after such a long day of traveling.   The next day was total surprise to me.  We rode elephants!!!  It had been on the itinerary and I remembered reading it when the guide told us what we were doing, but it was a surprise.  We rode them up a hillside where there was yet another Mughal fort.   They were awesome animals and it was so cool to actually ride them.   The only negative thing was the smell.  Not that pleasant.  I also got a lot of cool pictures with the guys playing music with the cobra snakes.   After that we went back to the hotel and had the afternoon off.  Most people just wanted to sleep and I was one of them.  I took a nice nap and then had a great evening with my friends on the trip.  We relaxed at the hotel and enjoyed a few drinks at the bar. 

We left early in the morning for our flight to Cochin where the ship was.  The flights took forever as the two cities we were going to had terror warnings.  A terrorist attack had been foiled in Mumbai the day before and Cochin was/still is under a high terror alert.   Rumors were spreading all over our group that we weren’t going to be able to get back to the ship, that the ship wasn’t docking in Cochin and all other sorts of crazy things.  There really was a terror warning and security was heightened everywhere, but we didn’t have a problem.  Just shows how easily rumors get started. 

It was great to get back to the ship.  We relaxed for a little and then headed out to see a Bollywood movie.  The movie was entirely in Hindi, with no English subtitles, but it was funny to watch and try to piece the story together.   It was an action/love/musical all in one.   Two characters fell in love mixed with gunfire and singing.  The singing was a little different but interesting.  It was also interesting to see how conservative the film industry is in India.   No kissing, sex, and barely any skin was shown by any of the characters in the entire film, which is very different from movies in this genre (love) in the U.S.    Seeing a movie is also A LOT cheaper.  Tickets, popcorn, and a drink cost about $2.  A nice break from the $20-25 you pay when seeing a film at home. 

The next morning we took an auto-rickshaw drive around the city of Cochin and saw various parts of city.  The city’s main industry seems to be the resorts.  Signs were everywhere for resorts that are located inside of the city.  It really is a perfect resort town: tropical, hot, and right on the ocean.  It would be a nice to take a vacation there one day. 

So as my time in India comes to a close, I have mixed feelings on the country.  It is a country of majesty, history, and amazing architecture.  There also is a different side:  poverty, homelessness, garbage, running sewage, and helpless children.  I got a nice mix of all India has to offer.  I’ve also really seen how privileged we are in the United States.  We have so much compared to these people.   It’s hard to ignore children begging for food and mothers with babies begging for anything.  I’m glad I saw it and again, I’ve seen just how easy and blessed I have it.  My everyday problems seem meaningless compared to the problems of the people here.  

So we’re officially done with Asia!  I can’t believe it.  We’ve been to Japan, China, Vietnam and India…where did it all go!?!?  We now set sail for Africa and are heading home.  Our first stop is Mauritius and I’m really excited for this little island off the coast of Africa.  I had no idea how to pronounce it or even that is existed until about a year ago when I saw the itinerary for SAS Spring 2010.  Google Image “Mauritius”  and see what comes up.  It’s going to be a nice break there before we’re actually on the African continent.   Only six days of ship life until we arrive!