The Taj, Wedding and Final Thoughts on India
Trip Start
May 22, 2005
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88
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Trip End
Jan 22, 2006
Agra,
India
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
On an aside, when Mel was visiting her aunt's spa in Hong Kong, one of her aunt's friends who had recently been to India had been kind enough to share some advice. Mel was anticipating some wise words on how to avoid getting sick, or how to deal with the overcrowded trains and buses. Instead her aunt's friend in a very serious tone told Mel to make sure she wore bright colours when visiting the Taj so that she would be sure to "pop" in her pictures. Mel smiled politely and said "thanks".
The Taj Mahal was built in the 1600s by the Mughal Emperor Shah Johan as a tribute to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. Having 14 children would probably kill anyone. The Taj is set in the large park called the Chahar Bagh, or Gardens of Paradise, and we arrived before the sunrise at 7:00 am. We walked through "paradise" in quiet anticipation of seeing the Taj in the early morning light. There are a few famous sights in this world that are so engrained in our collective imagination that when you are confronted with the real thing the experience is bizarrely surreal. As we passed through the huge gates that framed the entrance to the Taj we were caught up by the surreal sight of the beautiful white marble mausoleum. The Taj is exquisite. We arrived in the early morning so it appeared pinkish in the morning mist. We stayed until the afternoon, by which time it had turned milky white in the sunlight. Apparently, at nighttime the Taj turns golden in the moonlight. The changes are said to depict the different moods of women--with the same amount of complexity and variation.
The Taj itself with its elegant dome and four minarets is proportioned perfectly. Even the surroundings that frame the Taj are in perfect symmetry. Two beautiful red sandstone buildings guard either side of the Taj. The buildings were originally built to be mosaics so that the Taj would be in the centre of what was symbolically the courtyard of a religious temple. The building on the west side is a mosque and the building on the east is identical for symmetry but not a mosque.
We took our time enjoying our visit. We snapped hundreds of pics in hopes of capturing that perfect image, and Mel hammed it up by striking the famous "Princess Diana pose". In time we actually approached the Taj, put on the funny shoe slippers and explored the impossibly decorative and sublimely beautiful building itself. Our sense of surreal fascination and amazement didn't end until we turned the final corner and lost sight of Mumtaz Mahal's final resting place.
That night we walked out for dinner at a nearby restaurant. On the way back to our hotel we were caught up by a raucous wedding procession that was making its way down the street. The wedding procession was a literal explosion of flashing lights and blasting music. It was like some extreme version of the Disneyland electric parade, with the characters hopped up on speed. The traditionally garbed groom sat high on a white horse with a child seated in front of him. Directly behind the groom was a gigantic psychedelic neon spinning wheel of fortune that was being carried by four men. On either side of the groom, two lines of men carried bright white lamps on their heads. All of these electric contraptions were powered by a large generator pulled by donkeys that followed behind the procession. The revelers celebrated around the groom and their partying was powered by a band dressed in bright red uniforms who played their music at full volume over a rigged loud speaker system. Now that's the way to get married. Our presence caused quite a stir and the revelers happily posed for our pictures and videos. Indian married life must be a bore after the frenzied wedding.
Before we left India, Mel wanted to buy a traditional sari. So on our last day in Agra we jumped into a tut tut and made our way down to the market (Kinari Bizarre). The market was a jumbled, fragrant, throbbing mess. We couldn't locate any stalls that sold saris so we asked a group of locals. They listened to us intently as we repeatedly said that we were looking for "saris". They looked at us blankly. Finally, after a few minutes of us repeating "sari" one of the gentleman said, "Oh, you mean SARI" and proceeded to point us in the right direction. We could not tell the difference between how the local pronounced "sari" and our pronunciation. Perhaps our gesturing hands created the confusion?
We took the night train from Agra back to Delhi where we spent one more night before taking an early flight back to Hong Kong in order to connect to Singapore. Upon arriving at the gleaming HK airport we quickly found a Chinese restaurant and gorged ourselves on BBQ pork on rice and wonton noodles. We finished off our desperate feast with three of our favorite icy Chinese desserts.
India was an experience unlike any other. We left definitely wanting to go back. Here are some random closing reflections on India:
1) India is packed with people. The streets are packed. The buses are packed. The taxis are packed. The trains are packed. We saw vehicles so impossibly stuffed with people that you can't help but wonder if someone is passed out in the middle of the mess.
2) The poverty in India is extreme. There are everyday scenes of debilitating poverty on the streets of India which almost shatter your faith in a benevolent God. Outside the Delhi train station there are literally rows upon rows of people sleeping in the streets.
3) A myriad of animals have free rein over Indian streets. Cows, due to their holy status, are given the right of way. Families will let their cows out during the day to graze on garbage knowingly that they will return at night. Scavenging wild boars and monkeys compete for food with the cows.
4) We tried to eat as much local food as possible. Only once did we cave and try out the local Pizza Hut in Agra. Sadly the food was only mediocre. Any chicken you were served was guaranteed to be impossibly stringy. Our favourites ended up being variations on mutter (peas), palak (spinach) and aloo (potatoes). One dish called a thali was a mix of everything served with naan bread and rice. We did come to enjoy the great banana lassis--kinda like sweet banana milkshakes.
5) All the men in India wear collared shirts. No matter how tattered or worn, all of their shirts have collars. Indian men also hold hands and bob their heads like Bollywood stars when they speak to you.
6) Marrying the right person is a big deal in India. Any local paper will have hundreds of ads for grooms and brides. The typical ad would say "fair, convent-educated, charming girl seeks educated, same caste boy".
7) The security at the Delhi airport was the strictest that we had yet to encounter. Due to the extreme threat of terrorism you cannot enter the airport without a ticket. Your bags get scanned before you enter the airport with metal detectors set on high.
8) The contrasts in India are extreme. Ugliness and desperation seem to live side by side with beauty and hope. It is truly an amazing place.
