Andrew’s…Enter the Taj

Yes, I’m still being lazy!!!  Here is Andrew’s reflection on our visit to Agra. More to come from our travels in the days ahead.

When last you heard we were departing Delhi for Agra,
looking forward to some serenity on a first class
train.

Exiting Delhi in the pre-dawn light proved to be
hassle-free.  Traffic was light, and it was a pleasant
enough to walk down to the station, past the
multitudes of sleeping stray dogs, the squeaking rats,
the sacred cows, and sleeping disenfranchised.  The
train was on time, and the seats comfortable.
Complimentary water and meal (kind of like airline
fare, not exactly what you might like) was provided,
and all told, the voyage was uneventful and serene.  I
highly recommend first class train travel,
particularly in light of what the second class areas
look like - picture little travelling prison cells.
Perhaps not quite that bad, but certainly not anything
I want to try out anytime soon.  Crowded,
uncomfortable, and with bars on windows… see what I
mean?!

On arrival, just past the exit, awaits a horde of taxi
and rickshaw-wallahs, all clamoring to get your
business.  Hah, with the pre-paid stand in sight, I
don’t think so Mr. Cheap-fare-for-you.  That taken
care of, we actually have a non-frightening ride to
the Taj Ganj area of Agra, a part of the old city with
narrow winding streets, and the usual suspects… like
cows, dogs, sheep, goats, and people of course.  The
area is thick with touts, like a creamy aloo gobi with
chunks of potatoes, and they all want you to visit
their stores.  You’d be amazed, but Lucky is fairly
prodigious - at 9 years old, he has his own marble
factory, not to mention business cards that put mine
own to shame.

Happily, we have pre-booked a place in the exclusion
zone by the Taj, an area where no mechanized vehicular
traffic is allowed.  Far more serene than what we have
been witness to thus far, though the gauntlet of
afore-mentioned touts and cycle-rickshaw drivers make
it just that much more special than it could have
been.  Still, it is a sudden breath of fresh air,
where you can hear birds rather than cars and mopeds.
At the Hotel Sheela we find real to goodness peace,
there is a nice quiet garden restaurant, pleasant (if
almost cool) breeze from the nearby river, and a nice
clean room.  Sure none of the plumbing actually works
(trust me when I say that you DON’T want to know about
the initial adventures with the toilet), but hell, at
least it’s quiet… and the leaking toilet, sink, and
shower is relaxing, like having a fountain behind the
door.

We manage to spend the first day just wandering the
narrow streets, enjoying our first view of the Taj
Mahal from a rooftop restaurant. 

After verifying when the Taj opens for business in the
morning, “I assure you sir, it open at 6:00 AM”, we
get ready to capture this magnificent site in the
beautiful morning light....  Waking up at 05:00, we
make sure to get out there, just in case something
comes up and delays entry.  Well, wouldn’t you know
it… something does.  As 06:00 rolls by, people mill
around and nothing gets done.  Wait patiently,
watching the beautiful morning sunrise illuminating
the gate in a pinkish light.  Well, sometime around
7:30 we finally manage to get through the first line,
the security line, and finally inside, where the hazy
morning smog has descended.  Thank you Incredible
India!

Ah, but the Taj is indeed magnificent.  The cold
marble, the artistic touches, the symmetry… it is a
spectacular site.  You wish you could have it all to
yourself, but that is not an option to folks like us.
As with other places that have had famous photographs
taken, there are people who try and position you to
take the same amazing picture.  It can actually be
more than a little irritating, but honestly, this is a
site that shouldn’t be missed.

Afterwards we are off to purchase onwards tickets
(going to bag me a tiger in Ranthambhore National
Park), and then Agra Fort.  The fort is so much more
than what we saw in Delhi… expansive, grand, and
imposing.  We spend a couple of hours exploring the
site and enjoying the views and bits of history.  For
an encore, we decide to visit Fatehpur Sikri in the
afternoon… a deserted city about 40 km outside of
Agra.

Getting there proves to be your typical drive through
the hectic roads of India.  Numerous close calls and
tight squeezes later, and we arrive at our
destination.  That 40 km drive ended up taking over an
hour, and unfortunately our time at the site is fairly
limited, but from what we see, it is most impressive
yet again.  The setting sun lights the sandstone in a
deep red color, and you can appreciate the majesty of
the site before it was abandoned due to water
shortages.  Head back to the taxi as the sun sets
behind us… little did we know what was awaiting us.

Every so often you hear, see, or read a little
warning, avoid travel by night.  We now know why.
Here is my recollection of what unfolded: 

... but nothing prepares us for the harrowing,
death-inviting ride back to Agra.  How to describe the
event, I am at a loss for words, but one word does
come to mind - suicidal.  I have never seen such total
disregard for self-preservation.  The highway sees
pedestrians, bikes, horse-carts, rickshaws, cars,
buses and trucks.  None of the slow moving have
anything reflective on the rear to give away their
presence, instead suddenly materializing out of the
darkness as you approach.  Oncoming traffic makes good
use of their high-beams, rarely if ever shutting them
off, and blinding traffic heading the other way.
Rules of the road don’t change, vehicles pass even
with oncoming traffic, forcing others onto the
shoulders… where you can only hope someone /
something isn’t plodding along.  How this doesn’t
become fatal carnage on a massive scale boggles the
mind ...

I could go on, but suffice it to say, if you ever need
an adrenaline rush, this is a good way to do it!

The following day was to be pretty easy, leisurely
morning, short train ride and relaxing at a pleasant
resort near Ranthambhore park… but that would have
been exactly that, too easy.

To be continued in Brown, Bourbon and Bananas…

Posted on January 25, 2009 at 9:58 AM

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