To the Taj!

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  Agra, India
Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Short entry comin' up-- I think- tired. My last night in Delhi was pretty fun- for how nuts that place is, I sort of got used to it, although I pretty much lost my patience for walking around yesterday so spent the majority of the day hanging out with the guys at my guest house. Kannir's brother talked me in to exchanging $100USD with him as he was headed to Hanoi yesterday and needed some USD- understood. I had a little extra on me and went for it- "NO commission."- which he thought was funny. I did walk about and find a couple of gifts... One for one of you, One for me... and then got sick of being followed and talked to (I understand the curiosity and the trying to get you to come to their shop or whatever but it just started driving me mad) and so ducked in to this little divey restaurant where I ended up making conversation with a Brit and a Scot- two guys who were getting the hell out of India that night- they'd had it- just too hard. Wimps! ha, ha. The British guy was leaving for Thailand that night and the Scot and his girlfriend were leaving today. Good conversation and travel stories over a couple of beers, and then I headed to the internet cafe where I wrote a few emails... then headed back to the guest house where I hung out with Kannir until it was bed time. I'd bought a sari and couldn't remember how to put it on, but with some help I modeled it- it's really pretty- but again, not exactly the wisest purchase I've ever made. "Hmmm... Dinner at Red Agave. What should I wear? The sari, of course!" "Grocery shopping at Trader Joe's on a Sunday afternoon. I'll just throw the sari on and be out the door!" Anyway- it was a fun night overall. Really hard to say goodbye to Kinnar as i was leaving at a$$crack in the morning to jump on the train- but I did, and then went to bed, and about four hours later, I got up, showered, packed, and hired a rickshaw driver to take me to the station (I would have walked but the five minutes might have cost me the train. Wee bit late.) It was actually effortless, getting on the train. I"d read about swarms of folks and getting surreptitiously molested, etc, but folks were friendly and helped me find where i needed to go to get on the train. MUCH easier having pre-booked and obtained my ticket. It was a quick two hour trip during which they fed you samosas, tea (everything here is tea, done with tea, always tea, tea, tea...) and mango juice, and cookies, all different servings- the porter guys were constantly putting stuff down and picking it up again. Oh, and a free paper. It's funny- the news here is totally sensationalized, at least in today's paper it was. Some stories about the earthquake depicting insane fear, etc., and there was even an entertainment section that - I kid you not - says somehing about how feminism is demanding equality in having affairs, basically, too, pointing out Hollywood examples.. Said something about how a man has an affair and even if he is apologetic, repentful, whatever, the bad, bad woman doesn't forgive him and how now she wants equality too in going and soliciting extramarital affairs... Feminism gone awry (again) according to the author... I'm saving that clip.

Okay- so I arrived pretty much feeling like total crap- up late hanging out with the crew and now it seems I've gotten a bit of a cold. I couldn't check in to my hotel right away, so walked five steep stories or whatever to the rooftop restaurant with my pack which is now heavier- moan, grunt... (I chose this hotel because of this-- You can see the Taj from there) and sort of sat silently suffering until they could check me in. Not complaining about the view, don't get me wrong, not complaining about anything. I didn't pack any sudafed, not thinking that would be an issue.. The locals have suggested sticking Vicks up my nose and taking hot water and rum before bed. So, huffing and drinking it is. We'll see how bad it is when I lie down. I did go to the pharmacy to get some tissue, went with the Vicks idea, and also picked up some sleeping pills (handy- can't remember what they are, but it was a familiar name, soo...) and once I checked in I stuffed Vicks up my nose and ate a pill. Rested, I just finished dinner- but not before seeing a wedding procession (I had to ask to figure it out) meander down the street complete with camels, some car-like thing with big loudspeakers playing music, a haphazard and bejeweled marching band, and a white horse carrying what had to be the bride all hidden under a sari, people in a procession, meanwhile they are all fighting autorickshaw traffic and goats and dogs and bicycles with huge bundles tacked on the backs of them headed every which way, and honking, honking, and yelling.

What a trip. Okay, it's early, but this cold is taking its toll. I may head back to the pharm and see what else they've got in store for me! "Better living through pharmaceuticals," said my brother Ethan, once... I bet they've got some kind of decongestant or cold remedy other than a shot of booze...