India 2019: Agra, Delhi and Varanasi
Agra, home of the famous Taj Mahal, then on to Delhi and Varanasi
Incredible India day 17: Agra
It was a great drive from Jaipur to Agra and shorter than expected. On the way, we saw a few camels walking alongside the road. How adorable to see this tiny baby! But the real treat was arriving at the Aman Homestay (Ranjawa and daughter Lena), which was clean and lovely. We decided right away to extend our stay for another night.
Incredible India day 17 – Taj Mahal
We had decided to wear our saree to the Taj Mahal and ham it up for some photos, but outfitting took a decided amount of time. We had plotted a way to put on a saree “Western Style” (easy in, minimal pins), but they somehow didn’t look exactly like they should have once the process was complete. Still, we thought we had done an admirable job and were equally convinced that everything would remain in place for the duration.
Seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time is simply breathtaking. I have seen numerous photos that attempt to show its splendor, but being there in person is something else, obviously. We dressed for the occasion – very saree (sari) – and felt like movie stars as at least a dozen people wanted to have their photos taken with us… we were wondering why (maybe it was because our saree weren’t pleated and tucked properly?) Anyway, it was really quite fun – lots of smiles and conversations – happy people, happy us. Tons of people wanted their photos taken with us and we gladly complied. We felt like glamorous movie stars, lol!
Incredible India day 18 – Agra
The next day, we went off to see the “baby Taj” and Agra Fort, but only after sitting for something like three hours with the nice Indian family from Mumbai also staying at our guesthouse following brekky. They were delightful and we all wished we had more time together. We exchanged contact info and took photos, and we promised we would visit when we returned to Mumbai. They are foodies and arranged to have some samosas delivered to us from a special restaurant that afternoon. We also met some lovely women at dinner from London and Michele would plan to go on a slum tour in Delhi with them Sunday when I leave for Varanasi.
I assumed that after the Taj Mahal everything else would pale in comparison, but I was surprised. We visited the “baby Taj” which predates the Taj Mahal, and then Agra Fort. Both were lovely and not crowded at all. Agra itself isn’t to be recommended, but one simply must see the sights.
Also, beyond fantastic, was our home stay here. Such a warm and lovely family, amazing home cooking, and clean comfy rooms. We have been invited to return for their daughter’s wedding whenever that will be (the arranging of marriage process will begin shortly!) In fact, better than just an invitation to attend the wedding, we were asked to come ten days early and be involved in all the shopping and preparations. We are definitely coming back for this! How cool is that?
Incredible India days 18: Delhi and Varanasi
We said goodbye (for now) to our lovely hosts at Aman home stay in Agra and headed to our next destination, Delhi. Only 3 ½ hours from Agra, the drive was great and the city a completely different world. The Neem, a bed and breakfast with great reviews, did not disappoint. We have a clean and beautiful room for half of what a typical hotel would cost. We got settled in, had a cup of tea, and then went to explore the Khan market followed by high tea at the Taj hotel Delhi.
Khan is an upscale gathering of stores, both Indian and International. We browsed though the upscale Khan market in the afternoon, which provided a bit of contrast and culture shock after spending time in the remote desert locations of Rajasthan. We wanted to get more Ayurvedic skin care products to bring back and a place to repair my bangles, which came unsoldered. We also found the much-searched-for and very elusive “camel milk” chocolate. Unfortunately, the Taj no longer was offering high tea, so back to our B&B for dinner – better for our waistlines anyway.
Incredible India day 19: Varanasi
This morning, I took a short flight down to Varanasi on the Ganges, believed to be the birthplace of Buddhism and one of the most holy cities in India. Michele didn’t want to travel there and I didn’t want to miss it, so she stayed in Delhi and I ventured off. I’d fly back and we’d then fly together from Delhi back to the US.
Varanasi is comprised of tiny little alleyways bending this way and that – a maze of shops, temples, and street vendors, alongside wandering cows (or more often, they are just standing in the middle of the road blocking traffic, LOL!), dogs, and tourists. Horns are honking as tuk-tuks try to avoid mowing down aforementioned wanderers, and drums beat loudly to signal the arrival of a wedding procession. It is complete sensory overload. It is everything we’ve seen so far in India (filthy, colorful, loud, warmhearted, poor, splendid, glamorous, aromatic, spiced) to the extreme and seriously compressed – 2.2m people in 10km. And then, magically, the Ganges appears before you. There is something about it that captures and transfixes you.
This evening I took a rowboat trip up and down the river… saw the nightly ceremonies and the cremations that go on 24 hours a day every day of the year. It is thought to be very holy to die here, though I’d prefer to skip that particular experience for quite a while. Hundreds of boats rowed or motored by, and at least as many tiny little lights dotted the water… candles placed in paper cups, surrounded with flowers, lit and set adrift along with hopes and prayers for the future. I added mine to the others.
The lovely little sandals I got outside the Taj fell apart ($3 so what the heck) but I didn’t have another pair, so I hobbled along for about 20 minutes until I found the “Walmart of India” and bought the least-ugly pair that fit me.
Tomorrow it’s back to Delhi, one more day and night then pack up (no small feat with all of our purchases) and return to the US. So the plan that was so good in theory (buy local Indian clothing, wear them for the three weeks we were here and then donate them to a good cause prior to departure), did not work well in practice. We weren’t counting on falling in love with the clothing we bought – saree included! Neither Michele nor I were able to part with one single article of clothing purchased here. That’s not entirely true… the least-ugly sandals from Varanasi did not make the cut. We justified it all by saying we knew we’d return to India and have an opportunity to wear these lovely outfits again some time. And who wouldn’t love to have a gorgeous silk saree to wear to a wedding there? Yes, lots of rationalizing put into play here. 😊
Incredible India day 21 – 22: Delhi
I flew back to Delhi from Varanasi and enjoyed an afternoon of neighborhood exploration before starting to pack up in preparation for the long flight back this evening.
Oh, did I say we were flying back tonight??? That was before the Indian and Pakistani air forces started shooting at one another and flights to/from the US were diverted or cancelled. First available rebooking was for Friday… we now have two extra days to enjoy India!
Incredible India day 25 of the 23-day trip: Delhi
Still here. Scheduled/hope to fly out tomorrow. 😀
Incredible India day 28 of the 23-day trip:
Finally, we have made it back (flying from Delhi via Singapore and San Francisco to NJ) and so concludes this trip. India lives up to its reputation of being a place you both love and don’t. As much as we enjoyed and embraced the wonders of Rajasthan, Varanasi and the Ganges, the Taj, the cities of Mumbai and Delhi, the people we met, the colorful flowing clothing and the delicious cuisine, that’s how much we disliked the snail-paced bureaucracy and frustrating inefficiencies we encountered during 5 days of trying to leave the country and make our way back.
I won’t bore you with details of the 9+ hours we spent on various lines at the airport to get rebooked and ticketed after our flight was canceled, or the fact that in the end, we wound up flying around the entire planet on this trip. But that is as much a part of this country’s heritage and soul as everything else. For me, the scale still tips mostly on the love India side and I am sure I will visit there again. Right now I am not sure what time my inner clock thinks it is, but ready for a good long snooze after 3 days of sleeping in airline seats!