Taj Mahal

Have to admit, I was worried before seeing the Taj Mahal. I thought it would disappoint me. I mean, after SO much hype, how could anything ever live up to the expectation?

Miraculously, the Taj manages to live up to it all and more.

First, logistics. To get to the Taj you have to first get to the walking point. After that, there's only rickshaws and government buses allowed. You can take one to a certain point, and then you have to continue on foot, no vehicles allowed, so really, the drivers aren't trying to cheat you. It's 750 Rs. currently for foreigners to get into the Taj Mahal. You enter, and there are two lines, one for men, one for women, because you have to be patted down and go through a security screen. They look through your bag, and and then you finally get a glimpse of the entrance gate.

*Note, this is the story told us by our guide, not sure of its validity

There are three gates, one built for each wife of Shah Jahan, the ruler who had the Taj built. You see, one wife he had, Mumtaz Mahal, his third wife, was stricken ill, on her deathbed, and supposedly her husband asked her what he could do to prove his love for her to the world. She gave him three answers: 1) Take care of my children (she was the only wife to have children, and she gave him plenty) 2) Build a monument to me as such the world has never seen and 3) Never marry again. According to Muslim tradition a man must take four wives to please God, but he kept him promise, and enver married again. And of course, built the Taj Majal as a burial site for her. He is now buried there as well.

It's a beautiful, romantic story, and the Taj is enchanting. The gardens leading up to it are stunning, and the Taj itself is exactly what I always pictured my palace looking like when I wanted to be a princess as a little girl. It's strange how something you've seen a thousand times in photographs and look so different and strike you in a powerful way when you see it in person. Van Gogh has the same affect on me.

Anyway, inlaid to the Taj Mahal is stonework, all the the many figures of flowers and plants, many of them alternating blooming and wilting, are made by inlaying semiprecious stones into the work. The same family that once made these pieces in the Taj are still using the same processes to repair the Taj, as well as to make their own pieces to sell to wealthy families. The Taj is closed every Sunday for cleaning.

While inside the Taj, walking around the grave, one of my earrings slipped off. I of course started looking for it, rather urgently, because it was one of my late grandmother's and so it has a lot of sentimental value. However, my leaning down led to a gaggle, maybe even a googleplex of Indian people gathering around me, smushing me, and basically ending all hope of finding the piece trying to see if I was ok. I freaked, and ran away, sans earring. I was pretty upset about it for a few minutes, but then decided I would eventually lose some of her pieces anyway, it wasn't expensive, and if I was going to lose it anywhere, she'd want it to be in the Taj Mahal. The river in the back of the Taj is a beautiful site, and luckily I enjoyed the whole rest of my stay there.

The Road to Agra

The trip to Agra (the site of the Taj Mahal) was my first experience with Indian highways. And by highway, I mean a 2 lane road, which people and animals constantly causing the driver to come to an abrupt stop from 60 mph, and swerve practically into the trees on the side of road. About 1-2 times an hour, we would think were about to die, and I'd like to say the driver was used to it and wasn't worried, but the sound of him sucking in his breath and the grip of the steering wheel let us know we had legitimate concern. I wish I could describe the roads better. There are rarely cities to be driven through, though when we do it's literally on the main road, so highway status even by India standards disappears. And of course, animals, and strangely people, always think they have the right of way, and the constant honking (which they do because no one has sideview mirrors) doesn't seem to help. Apparently traffic deaths are incredibly common here, usually bystanders. Big surprise. Luckily, we lived.

The hotel we stayed at was all right, but really, I wish people in India believed in blankets. I have yet to discover anywhere that believes in blankets, including the place I'm staying in Gurgaon, and since it's so hot you have to sleep with the fan on, that means I'm freezing from the constant air flow. There's just no winning.

Food, Glorious Food!

If you recognize that line, you may have been in nearly as many musicals as me. And are probably a nerd, like me.

Of course everyone wants to know what food is like in India. However, I used to eat Indian food at least twice a week at home, so I didn't meet with any surprises. It's not very spicy, since they always assume I can't handle it, but it is delicious. I of course have lots of Channa Masala, and palak paneer, mutter paneer, and a new favorite, shahi paneer. And of course, the naan is fabulous, as always. However, the best restaurant we've found is...Pizza hut. I know, I know, but here it's super nice, like a fancy restaurant, and they actually make spicy Indian pizza with delicious salads and some great pasta. Sad, but true. And of course, one of the most delicious things I've had...the McVeggie sandwich. Which is simply a falafel sandwich, but damn if McDonalds doesn't make it scrumptous.

New Delhi: Rajghat

This might be my favorite place we went to. This is a memorial to Ghandi, and I have to admit it was a very peaceful place. It reminded me of the eternal flame at Arlington. The grounds were beautiful, they had his inscriptions everywhere, and it was away from all the noise and traffic you can usually hear everywhere in Delhi. A definite must see for everyone in my opinion. This was the end of our Delhi site seeing, but there is much more to talk about! I promise :)

New Delhi: La Quila/ Red Fort

So, there are a number of forts in each city, all of which are famous, and Delhi's is Red Fort. I have to confess by this time I was tired of big stone building with no meaning to me, so I didn't pay the 500 rs. to get in. It was enough to see the outside and what used to be the large moat, now covered in grass. While there however, we had lots of people ask to take my picture, I guess because my hair is long and light? I kept saying no, and they got really angry and insistent, which made me really uncomfortable. To be honest the highlight was the guy selling the ugliest fake beard/mustaches I've ever seen. As you can tell, by this time my interest in touristic places had waned.

New Delhi:India Gate

India Gate is a huge arch in the middle of Rajpath, a street in Delhi that leads to the house of the President, as well the ever touristic Connaught Place, one of my now favorite haunts. It is actually quite similar to the Arc de Triomph, and is a war memorial. We were pretty lucky that while we were there we got to see a changing of the flowers, which is on the memorial, and so we saw the marching and rituals of the army. Very cool, even though there are so many beggars around, and I got punched by a little girl for not giving her money. Seriously, children hate me here. I think they can smell fear.

New Delhi: Qutab Minar

This was our first stop our second day of siteseeing. The oldest architectural site in Delhi. It's a huge minaret, carved all over with sayings from the Koran. A beautiful piece, but honestly, I've started to get really tired of old things made of stone. I'm a bad tourist, what can I say. The most exciting thing that happened to us there were the insane amounts of people following us taking our pictures. It started with one guy, literally following us, asking every two seconds or so for our picture. We indulged him, twice, and then started to get a little annoyed. So then a huge group of young Indian guys wanted our pics...then more groups...then the same creepy guy...and they loved taking secret pics with their cell phones, a very common occurence for us. I realized early on this creeps me out and that I'm not comfortable with dozens of pics of me with people I don't even know...again, foreshadowing.