To Taj or Not To Taj?
Trip Start
Dec 08, 2008
1
13
27
Trip End
Dec 24, 2008
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh,
India
Friday, December 12, 2008
After Fatehpur Sikri, another hour+ ride back to Agra, hard to stay awake. Then lunch to a nice restaurant called Cozy? something like that. have some local Korma and Sekh Kabobs. Then trying to decide what next, we figure we should go see the Taj since we came all this way.
More driving through all the slummy parts of Agra, monkeys and took tooks and stuff everywhere, a complete visual feast. This whole time I'm thinking this isn't gonna be all that, it's just something you need to do
Stairs on the outside of the building
. Then I saw it. From a distance, but it was incredible. Then we actually get to go closer.Never been affected by architecture before. It was moving. Joy and sadness at the same time. Would be more at peace if all the names of the artists who built it was recorded somewhere, so at least they get some credit, and their lifes weren't forfeit to disappear into history.
Random asian photographer standing on the beach (with a really nice camera) keeps wanting pictures of us, Rebecca gets embarrased. We leave, then discussing the possibility that the guy is chinese. So we decide to go back, intercepted by a group of Indian tweens asking to take pictures with us. Mostly Rebecca, but me too. Finally make it to asian group of tourists, Rebecca asks if they speak chinese (in mandarin) and you've never seen such an excited group of people. Nice conversation, a bunch more pictures, we exchange emails and blog sites, and eventually go back to the driver.
A little while to spare, driver suggests this place up on a hill, only 15 or 20 mintues. We walk in and it immediatelly looks like high-pressure high-ticket items. Then we actually look at the the few pricetags that are visible and it's beyond imagination
Shot out car window
. We go outside and walk around, the pressure to buy is high all over the place, but we try to ignore it. Eventually get back in the cab and go back to the train station. Driver is helpful, delivers us to a cafe where we can get a soda and candy bar before the train. We go to our track number and there is a different train there that isn't ours. Some guy walks up and gives us the skinny that the train is late, then immediately start trying to shine my shoes. 50 rupees. We walk away, very difficult to shake him. We go all the way around the station. Ask about tickets at conductors office, he says to ask the guy on the train. People and beggars everywhere. Seen many amputees today... old guy at intersection, prepping himself for quite a period of time to make sure he looks right, then sees me in the car and immediately swoops in.Eventually get on train (25 min late)... don't know which car, so we hop in the nearest chair car. Very different experience than what we had on the way down. Openable windows, tons of people, window doesn't shut, they keep the back door open, very cold. keeps getting colder. Guy sleeping in luggage rack up top. Rebecca is completely wasted. We keep rearranging to try to find a way of being warm. Looking forward to getting out and hopping in a warm cab.
Taxi driver calls, doesn't speak engliish at all..
Shot out car window
. keeps saying "kaun? (who is this?)" doesn't seem to accept that my name is kirby. I give up. We'll see him when we get to the station. I call Delhi Taxi when we get to the station, tell them I'm here. They say they will have the driver call me immediately. The driver calls and starts asking me what time I want to be picked up tomorrow morning. I tell him I'm at the station now and need a pickup. They don't understand me enough to make any progress. This one driver is standing there very politely waiting for me to figure out what's going on. We're freezing, I ask the price, he says 300, a little steep, but within reason. So we take his ride, and make it home very safe and warm. DelhiCab hasn't gotten a single ride correct for us yet.... maybe that's just the way it is.Rebecca crashes, I stay up to process photos and write stuff down. Then I crash hard. Mehendi tomorrow.
Comments
No Taj?
So, after all that you never got to actually see Taj? That sucks!
Re: No Taj?
Oh, we got to see it! We just didn't get to go inside or get up close. The view from across the river is really pretty special and we are both glad we got to experience that. Going inside will just need to wait for our next trip to India.