I made it to the north, and wow, it's been a wild ride. I'll try to go in order, but it's already jumbling together. But here goes...
On Friday morning I flew reallllly early in the morning to Delhi to meet my driver and guide who was supposed to speak really good English. At the airport in Delhi (+1 for Delhi - much nicer arrivals area than Banagalore) I found my driver Surinden and also learned he spoke almost no English. The words I remeber him knowing were 'English,' 'Taj,' times of day, 'eating,' 'car,' 'husband,' 'music,' and 'guide'. Yes, it was a long and quiet five hours Agra, though I attempted to learn a few Hindi words with the help of Lonely Planet's phrase section.
Our first stop was Agra Fort which was a very beautiful and peaceful fort that had been built by some rulers of Persian origin. The windows of the fort had an amazing view of the Taj and it was one of the first clean, quiet places I'd seen in India. Very nice!
Surinden got lost going to my hotel that evening, but the place turned out to be a gorgeous old relic from the colonial days. It was empty because it was off season and very very hot, but everyone was very nice and the room had ac. There was a small incident with what I only hope was a cricket... I ended up putting a room service mug over it because I couldn't find anything to use to swat it and it was a little larger than anything I'm comfortable swatting. All in all, not too bad.
The next morning we went to the Taj and it was quite the experience. It was beautiful, a gorgeous building surrounded by lush grounds that somehow never make it into the famous pictures. The shade was so nice that it made the whole experience even better. Interestingly, I report with a strange feeling of guilt, I think the Taj is somewhat overhyped. It was very pretty, but it wasn't the kind of thing that changes you when you see it. I think a lot of that has to do with the expectations I had set and all that I had heard before about the Taj, but the experience is just nothing compared to the temperature change you experience when you stand in front of the statue of David in Florence or walk along the train tracks into Auschwitz or taste your first glass of really good Chateneuf de Pape.
On Friday morning I flew reallllly early in the morning to Delhi to meet my driver and guide who was supposed to speak really good English. At the airport in Delhi (+1 for Delhi - much nicer arrivals area than Banagalore) I found my driver Surinden and also learned he spoke almost no English. The words I remeber him knowing were 'English,' 'Taj,' times of day, 'eating,' 'car,' 'husband,' 'music,' and 'guide'. Yes, it was a long and quiet five hours Agra, though I attempted to learn a few Hindi words with the help of Lonely Planet's phrase section.
Our first stop was Agra Fort which was a very beautiful and peaceful fort that had been built by some rulers of Persian origin. The windows of the fort had an amazing view of the Taj and it was one of the first clean, quiet places I'd seen in India. Very nice!
Surinden got lost going to my hotel that evening, but the place turned out to be a gorgeous old relic from the colonial days. It was empty because it was off season and very very hot, but everyone was very nice and the room had ac. There was a small incident with what I only hope was a cricket... I ended up putting a room service mug over it because I couldn't find anything to use to swat it and it was a little larger than anything I'm comfortable swatting. All in all, not too bad.
The next morning we went to the Taj and it was quite the experience. It was beautiful, a gorgeous building surrounded by lush grounds that somehow never make it into the famous pictures. The shade was so nice that it made the whole experience even better. Interestingly, I report with a strange feeling of guilt, I think the Taj is somewhat overhyped. It was very pretty, but it wasn't the kind of thing that changes you when you see it. I think a lot of that has to do with the expectations I had set and all that I had heard before about the Taj, but the experience is just nothing compared to the temperature change you experience when you stand in front of the statue of David in Florence or walk along the train tracks into Auschwitz or taste your first glass of really good Chateneuf de Pape.
Not to dog on the Taj, it really is pretty, but I hesitate to use the word spectacular. Perhaps the funniest thing that happened to me there, and apparently to most other fair-haired foreign women, is the onslaught of people wanting to take their pictures with you. I ended up using it to my advantage and asking them to snap some with my camera, but it was a very strange experience. It started off with a few shy young girls, then become whole families, then a huge group of guys who each wanted a picture with me by himself, and then just a mess of all kinds of people. Some of the men were a little audacious and I slapped many hands off my shoulders, but they still seemed to want to have a picture with me even after I pushed them six inches off to my side. I've heard that this happens to most foreign women so can't be too flattered, but wow, what a strange obsession they have taking pictures of foreign women!
Driving back from Agra to Delhi was a bit more exciting than I hoped for... an autorickshaw crashed into the driver's side of our car (it really was the auto driver's fault completely) and that took a good 40 minutes to sort out. Surinden turned off the car and rolled down the windows, but good lord it was hot. I've developed a good glare, at least I think I must have, but after I kept glaring at people for a few minutes they finally stopped putting their faces into my open window. My mean face has matured so much in India!
Finally made it back to Delhi and nearly cried tears of joy at the sight of my hotel room. It was amazing. So clean and modern that I felt like I'd been taken home to DC for the day. I never wanted to leave! I did have to leave though and I met a colleague from work in Baltimore for dinner. I've realized there are two Indias and she happens to inhabit the one belonging to the ultra wealthy. She took me to the Hyatt for the most wonderful meal with wine and sushi and japanese style food cooked on the skillet at the table. I was so overwhelmed with this India of the wealthy and I didn't know how to thank her for letting me into her club for a few hours last night.
All good things must come to an end though, and at 5am I left Delhi to come here to Leh. Leh is a pretty spare town compared to Delhi, but I just love it. It's at such an altitude that the hotel managers make everyone drink a lot on arrival and then shuttle them off to their rooms for rest. You're supposed to spend minimum 24 hours concentrating only on rest and rehydration. The stories people have told about dumb people who get off the plane and go trekking immediately were enough to scare me into submission. Invariably the people who don't rest end up in a clinic or hospital. So, here I am typing and trying to be very restful. I'm content just to sit outside and look around... the plane ride here offered such a beautiful view I had to blink a few times to keep my eyes dry. I've just never seen anything quite like the Himalayas and then to fly down into them to land in a valley, wow is about the only word I could think of.
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