Exploring Delhi and Agra

December 7th- On to Delhi

The alarm woke us at 5 a.m. and we had room service breakfast (an unusual experience for me) next to our picture window with it’s view of early morning Tokyo. At 6:50, we caught the Airport Limosine ( actually a big bus!) to Narita Airport. Our JAL flight to Delhi, India lasted ten hours but was uneventful, very nice.

“ ... we could see the Taj Mahal from our room...”

The ride in the taxi from the airport to the Oberoi/Delhi (our hotel) was an eye opener. People, cars, rickshaws, trucks, auto rickshaws & buses are everywhere all over the road. The chaos on the road was a shock after the orderliness on US roads and freeways.

Our room (#842) at the Oberoi is gorgeous with lots of dark wood and a view over the Delhi Golf Club’s golf course. We grabbed some dinner at the Travertino Restaurant in the hotel which serves genuine Italian cuisine and is very good. *********** December 8th

We checked out on Friday morning and were picked up by our driver, Karan, who we had arranged through the hotel concierge. The car was an Avis rental, a small Toyota Innova SUV which was large enough to hold all of our luggage, thank goodness!

Our first stop was Humayun’s tomb where we spent an hour exploring. Humayun was the second of the Mughal emperors of India and after he died in 1556, his wife erected this mausoleum for him. It is said to be the model on which his grandson, Shah Jahan based his Taj Majal. Over the last few years there has been a major revitalization of the gardens surrounding the tomb. This is a definite “must see” on any trip to Delhi.

Next we drove past the India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India. Next on the list was a stop at the Kashmiri Emporium where we made a carpet purchase.

Before starting the long drive to Agra, Karan dropped us at the Claridge Hotel's Pickwick Restaurant and we ate a good buffet lunch with a great selection of good Indian food.

*** We started on our way to Agra at 2:30 and didn’t arrive until 6:30---

Travel on any road here is an adventure and driving should be done only by the brave! The roads are shared with pedestrians, bikes, rickshaws, auto rickshaws, motor scooters, cars, buses, trucks, carts pulled by tractors, water buffalo or camels... If there are two lanes (marked or not) then there are at least three vehicles sharing and if there are three lanes then there are four or five sharing. Lane markings seem to be mere suggestions which are not heeded. A lone cow laying in the middle of the road is not touched and a monkey or two playing on the top of a wall can be seen as we drive by.

The one constant on any roadway here is the continual honking of horns as an almost constant announcement of your presence. You can’t drive here without a hand on your horn (and turn signals are rarely used). Noted in large letters on the backs of most buses and truck are the words: “Blow Horn” and they do! Also, as an added challenge, every now and then there will be a vehicle or two coming in the wrong direction!

From Delhi to Agra is about 220km (around 120 miles) but this drive takes at least four hours. There is no freeway here! and even on the roads where you can drive a little faster, you must watch out for bikes ( sometimes with incredible loads), animals pulling carts and people walking. Many times when the traffic stops or you are sitting at a traffic light, a small child will be pounding on the car door or window begging for money. It is difficult viewing the poverty in some places here. Many women are carrying large loads on their heads and I even saw a small child carrying a liter bottle of water on her head, what balance! There are some goats on top of the roof of someone’s house, there are carts almost on the road where they are selling fruit, nuts & more and beautiful bouganvilla is growing everywhere.

We checked into the luxurious and very beautiful Amarvila Resort, which is only 600 meters (1/2 mile) from the Taj Mahal and left our luggage in our room, #312, before heading to dinner. Though it was dark, we could see the outline of the Taj Mahal in the near distance. We had hoped to get a nightime picture but the Taj Majal is not lit at night because it is a burial place. We had a nice Indian meal at one of the restaurants at the Hotel. The service was impeccable and food was delicious. I had a lentil dish and a chicken curry. I cheated on my diet and had some yummy Indian nan! ***********

December 9th - Agra

When we arose early on Saturday morning, unfortunately, though we could see the Taj Majal from our room, the smoke and fog in the air made it very hazy. During the colder winter months, many people burn fires to keep warm in addition to cooking and it produces a lot of smoke plus there is a lot of fog which adds to the visual problems.

After breakfast we met up with Karan again and he brought with him our guide for the day, Afzal. Afzal had a golf cart and a driver to take us the mile or so to the entrance of the Taj Mahl grounds. Vehicles with gas driven engines are not allowed near the monument.

We needed to go through a very thorough security search before entering, women and men seperately, searched our purses/bags and gave everybody a pat-down. They are very seriuos here about their security since 9/11. Afzal gave us a great background on what we were seeing and even acted as our photographer a couple of times when we wanted our picture together.

This monument to Shah Jahan’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal, is an incredible work of art. The inlaid semi-precious and precious stone in the white marble is exquisite. It is amazing to think that it only took 22 years to build this amazing place but apparently there were 20,000 workers working on it’s completion 24 hours per day.

Our guide was certainly correct when he said that the Taj Majal can not truly be appreciated from a picture but needs to be experienced in person. I feel truly blessed to have been able to see this monument to love.

We returned to the hotel to meet up with Karan and our luggage and head out to several shopping stops. Our first stop was the place where the tradition of the beautiful inlaid stonework of the Taj Majal is continued on by 250 families from the time of the building. They have kept the secret to the “glue” all these years (one ingredient is marble dust). We bought a beautiful 17” round table top which we will use in our family room and several small Christmas gifts (it’s only two weeks away!). This marble is extremely hard, difficult to break and non-porous unlike the Carrera marble from Italy.

We then stopped for a couple more purchases before heading to lunch at the Priya Restaurant in Agra for a nice Indian meal. We then said goodbye to Afzal and started on the long drive back to Delhi. By the way, you’ve never experienced a real traffic jam until you’ve been to India- patience is a virtue!

Karan explained that many of the most jammed locations are due for construction of a flyover and the place where it was so bad will have new constuction in 2008. He also explained that the road to Agra is better in several places now due to new flyovers which have been constructed recently.

When we returned to the Oberoi in Delhi, our new room was #226 and had a view over the pool. We ate dinner at the Taipan, the Chinese restaurant on the hotel’s top floor. I ordered a stir-fried lamb dish. *****************

December 10th- Delhi

We slept in and went to breakfast at 360 degrees, the hotel’s all day restaurant. They serve a nice large continental buffet breakfast with an opton for hot breakfast also. We then went to the Business Center to use a couple of computers to catch up on email.

Yesterday we had asked Karan to return and drive us around Delhi some more today. Luckily he was not already hired and was eager to drive us. He has been very professional, pleasant, informative and always anticipates when we need to be picked up again, always there. Also, he is an amazing driver. You certainly need to be to drive here!!!

Karan was here promptly at 2p.m. as promised to drive us to the Red Fort, which is aptly named due to it’s red sandstone battlements. This fort was built by Shah Jahan (of Taj Majal fame) in 1639, took nine years to build and was the seat of Mughal power until 1857.

I was amazed by the crowds of tens of thousands who were on the main road to the Red Fort. As it was Sunday, the sidewalks were filled with sellers and buyers in a huge Indian version of a flea market that went on for miles.

Once at the Red Fort, we needed to purchase special tickets for foreigners, at a higher price, of course, but on this day with incredibly long lines to get in, our more expensive ticket got us close to the head of the line. After a very thorough search (with pat-down like the Taj Majal) we entered and took many pictures. Karan had lent us his phone to call when we were on our way out and he was waiting for us when we arrived back at Netaji Subhash Marg (the main road).

Next was a visit to the Ghandi Memorial at Rajghat. This is the site of Mahatma Ghandi’s cremation and is a revered site of nationalism. There is a large black granite platform there which is inscribed “He Ram” (Oh, God!), his last words. There are always garlands of of flowers draped over it and a flame behind. The attendant was putting on fresh flowers when we arrived.

We drove past the Old Fort (Purana Qila) (pre-300 BC) and returned to the hotel for afternoon coffee and then we met Karan again to look for nice night views so Gary could take some pictures. As the Lotus Temple was too far to drive in the time that we had, he instead took us to a very large and ornate Hindu temple which was completed about a year ago. It was lighted and very beautiful but unfortunately they would not allow us to take a camera on to the grounds. Karan then drove us around the area until he and Gary found a good spot ona bridge where Gary could take a picture.....

Then it was on to the India Gate for more pictures. The India Gate is a large arch (30 feet wide) that is a war memorial built to commemorate the Indian and British soldiers who died in World War I.

We returned to the hotel at around 8 p.m. and had dinner at the 360 Degree Restaurant. When we returned to our room, we could see fireworks in the distance. I’m not aware of the reason but it was a nice end for the day. ************************

December 11th & 12th - Delhi

Monday, the 11th, was spent just relaxing and reading at the hotel while Gary had a couple of business meetings to attend elsewhere in Delhi.

Then the meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning, the 12th, was never finalized so one of Gary’s Indian coworkers lent us his driver until 3 p.m.

Our first stop was the Qutb Minar and the Mehrauli Archaeological Park which surrounds it. The Qutb Minar is the highest stone tower in India (72 1/2 meters) and the building of it started in 1199A.D. This complex still has remnants of original Hindu panels and Islamic domes and arches which were added later and shows the mingling of the two cultures. We were able to get some nice picture of the ruins here and we were really glad that we were able to visit the site- a World Heritage Site. There was an early morning fog which started to clear as we were visiting the site that really added a nice element to our photographs that day.

Next was a drive by anther Hindu temple and then it was on to Jantar Mantar with it’s large brick and plaster observatory which was built in 1724. The astronomer erected huge astronomical instruments to calculate eclipses and planetary positions. Also, the Samrat Yantra is a gigantic sundial and is located at the same site.

We drove by the Red Fort and then around the Jamu Masud, the largest mosque in Delhi. The street was very narrow here and also very crowded. Finally, our driver dropped us at the Splash Restaurant near Connaught Place for an authentic Indian lunch.

After Gary’s last meeting and then our dinner at Travertino Italian Restaurant, it was time to go to the airport to finish the last part of our journey around the world. The flight to Chicago took 16 hours and then another 5 hours to San Jose and home again. It’s time for Christmas decorating and shopping.......