Week 19- India( New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur)
30th of November to the 6th of December
India....what a bright, intoxicating experience this was??!! Flavours, colours, culture...all meshed up in a vibrant brijani - tantalising taste sensation!!! A little bit hot, a little bit sweaty, beautiful to look at and sometimes just completely overwhelming....
Our flight from Krabi, Thailand, took us through Kuala Lampur Airport in Malaysia. The pretty long stop over there gave us enough time to sleep read and demolish a BIG box of loom bands!! The girls had so much fun creating hairbands, bracelets and little mini figures. Their creativity do not know any bounds!! Alana has taking to making clothes for the little loom- figures. So cute!!!
Well we arrived close to midnight at the Kabli Hotel, about an hour's drive from the airport in the south east of the new City of Delhi. So just to orientate you - The down town section is referred to as Old Delhi, north of the palace (still in use today). Then there is central Delhi, with the India Gate ( a war memorial to the 90 000 soldiers who laid down their lives during the First World War) in the centre of one of the biggest round a bouts in the world. North of the India gate lies the palace and government buildings. The broad streets is here a bare witness to the British reconstruction of Old Delhi into a more colonial set -up. It stand in stark contrast with the total chaos of the New Delhi, mainly to be found towards the south. Here the city is divided into a grit-street pattern with each section given a bock number. Inside each block there is just a mush of houses and streets and I guess you just find your way in there through experiences of 'not finding your way'!!!
After British occupation brought an end to the 5th dynasty of the Mogul Empire, an era of stripping this country of many of its natural resources followed ( not to mention all/ or at least most of the precious stones that were used in various religious temples, palaces and tombs). In 1947 India gained independence fro Brittan and on 26the of January, 1950, the constitution of the new India was inaugurated. Since then, every year, a big massive celebration is held. Local and international leaders are invited to a day of parades of the air force, artillery and fleet, complete with camels, horses and elephants taking part in the 12 km march from the palace, by the India Gate to the Red Fort. (3 months of preparations is followed by a day of spectacle, and then 2 months of tidy-upping round it off. Next year Mr Obama will be the invited dignity!!)
So after arriving at our hotel ( we booked a airport pick up...strongly suggested!!!) in one of the southern blocks, we just collapsed on our beds!!! Although we arrived so late at night, we really wanted to meet some Christians in India...so at the crack of down on Sunday morning we were up again! Surprisingly, the kids were all up for the little adventure to find the Delhi Bible Church. Our Aberdonian friends, Donna and Graham, have once again helped us to connect with locals in a city on our itinerary. This time it was through their local pastor in Aberdeen, Scotland. Vijay's parents have started this church and 3 orphanages more than 40 years ago in Delhi, India!! Vijay's brother, Sujay, has now taken over from their ageing parents and he is pastoring the church, close to Green Park, in the Green Park Extension block. So we had an idea where to find the church, but it was left in our hand to help our taxi driver to locate number T23!! Hee hee. He was very patient, had to ask a few times once we were inside the block...we even got there in time for the start of the service at 9am!!!! Achievement!!!
It was a wonderful experience walking into the church, knowing nobody but still feeling welcome and at home!! The worship was led by a bunch of students from The Congo!! We even knew ALL the songs!! It was a special service to celebrate the 16 th birthday of a young man. His dad's testimony made my eye's laugh and cry!! God is so good and faithful.... And there is no wasted moment when we invest into teaching and training our children to walk in His ways. They will remind us of His goodness and His ever present help!! After the service we connected with the Proud daddy, Akil. We were also invited to tea with the wonderful gentle couple who has started it all...all those years ago. Now in their 80's, we felt so in awe of sitting in the company of giants!! Wat a blessing this day has been??!!! This visit has again highlighted the fact, that regardless of colour, tongue, nation or culture - in Christ Jesus we are all connected..we are all brothers and sisters!
Monday morning started with an early call to pray...not from Arno, but from the nearby mosk!! We found the synergy in which the Hindu and Islam religions operate here in India so interesting. At least what we've seen and experienced in the province of Delhi and then Rajastan ( province just west of Delhi). Muslim neighbourhoods beside Hindu, and then there is the whole new world religion (Bahai Faith), with all faiths mushed together in the image of the Lotus temple. The lotus flower is still the epitomising symbol of Hinduism, the curved arches with the centre pointing skywards and the mosk dome indicating Islam, and the cross referring to Christianity.
Ok, back to meeting our driver, Mr Manuu on Monday morning. He was there pretty sharp, 8am. We got ourselves organised inside our 7 seater...ready for some sightseeing in Delhi, before hitting the road to Agra. Mr Manuu's English was passable...but straight away we realised that the company who has sent him, did not really gave him the full details of the itinerary that we agreed between myself and our Indian travel consultant, Nisha. So eventually we got him to understand that: No, we were not heading straight for Agra...and Yes we wanted to do a bit of sightseeing in Delhi first ( as it s stipulated on our itinerary....). A few hundred phone calls, eventually got this all sorted out...just remember we were still just sitting in a parked vehicle outside the hotel and it was now nearly 9am..... Eventually we were driven over to the India Gate....what are we waiting for now?? The guide...oh, the guide that we said we did not really wanted...oh, that guide...the one who is now stuck in traffic??!! I nearly had a fit! We were now hanging about a monument..I told the kids from the guidebook, what the importance of the monument was and then we were hanging around waiting....tick tock, tick tock. The kids were really getting antsy, I needed the loo...not a good start to our 5 day pre-booked tour of the golden triangle..... By booking this 5 day tour, driver and guides included, I really envisioned it to help us to experience a it more of the main tourist attractions, doing it in our own timing, but making the most of it. Well, needless to say, I was suddenly starting to doubt that pre-conceived idea....
Just to take you bit further in quickly...we did see most of the sights that we wanted to ( and a lot of time was waisted by our driver insisting on taking us to places that we did not want to see.....) So in retrospect...our aim was to get under the skin of India, to see the REAL India...to get away from the picture perfect tourist tracks..... If we wanted to or not...if we were happy or not about it...we totally experienced the REAL India. Chaotic, spectacular, beautiful, energy draining, immensely in-your-face, fascinating, wild and gentle...a kaleidoscope of colour, culture and religion. We were absolutely worn out at the end of our 5 days, but so blessed with the hospitality, friendliness and the opportunity to peek through the key-hole of the REAL INDIA.
After some frustrating hours, we picked up our guide, found a posh loo and was shown around the palace grounds and Parliament street of Delhi, before taken to the tomb of Humayan, Mugal Emperor. This tomb, was commissioned by his wife in 1562. It was the first garden tomb in India and the first structure to be using red sandstone at this scale. Together with the charbagh garden (typical Persian/Iran- garden), Humayan's tomb set the precedent for Mugal architecture of royal mausolea to follow, culminating in all grander of the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Our guide then insisted on us going to see how traditional double-knotted hand woven carpets were being made. After a the lovely cinnamon tea was served...I started to get an Moroccan feeling...carpet upon carpet upon carpet wee rolled out, while the clock was ticking down the minutes!!!! After a long process of getting ourselves de-tangled from the carpet seller, we were taken to a restaurant for lunch. At this stage we were really beyond caring about time, because we were absolutely famished. By the time we left Delhi (eventually...this is now after being driven around in circles to meet one of the " bothers"of our driver....AND a semi-forced stop at not so cheap 'Cheap John'.....trying our hardest to avoid the in your face selling of unwanted crafts....) it was nearly 3:30pm!!!!! Now, what I was concerned about was now a matter of fact.... We were leaving Delhi for the 4 to 6hour (depending on traffic AND road-blockades AND road-conditions....) to Agra...240km away!!! With 4 young children....departing on a long journey at 3:30pm, after a full day of 'sightseeing', was not something that any parent would consider.... But we were in it...and had to deal with it!! REAL INDIA!!!
Praise God, Mr Manuu was a very good driver. We were leaving Delhi in rush hour traffic, negotiating many people, stationary vehicles of ANY size, cows, potholes and the odd traffic officer, who wanted to close any random road for any random reason.... Most of our journey was done in the very hazardous dark....praise Jesus...we arrived at Amer Hotel just after 9pm. WHAT A DAY!!!! We celebrate our arrival in Agra by ordering ice cream in our room and then just crashed..exhausted.....so thankful for God's protection over us!!!
A new day, a new dawn and there was a stir in the house!!!!!!! We were all loaded with anticipation...for a few days now there was not much else we've been talking about...seeing the Taj Mahal...or 'Taj' in the now familiar lingo of those who have been blessed to meet 'her' up close and personal!
Agra was once a capital of India under Mugal (Muslim rulers) reign. Besides the Taj Majal,which was contracted by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Agra Fort or 'Red Ford', built in 1565 by Shah Jahan's grand father, is Agra's other tourist magnet. Then there is also the tomb of Daulah (Itmad-Ud-Daulah) or in tourist lingo: 'Baby Taj'.
So on the second morning of our 5 day Golden Triangle trip, we were met by our guide, Manush, at our hotel at 9:30am. The plan was to visit the Taj first to make an attempt to avoid the bulk of the 20 000 daily visitors to this iconic monument. The Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world!! (So this will be our second 'Wonder of the World' to be experience, since leaving Scotland...Great Wall of China was the other one.)
Little side note: Up to date Arno and I have seen 4 out of 7... Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and the Colosseum in Rome has also been ticked off!! We still need to visit Machu Picchu(Peru), Chichen Itza(Mexico) and Petra (Jordan)...at least we know that one of our friends or family has made sure that they are all still standing...during the last two or three years!!
Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of 22 years and employed 20 000 workers. It was complete in 1648 at w cost of 32 million rupees. The Taj is is built entirely out of white marble and western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The interlocking arabesque concept was used, in which each of the elements stands on its own and then perfectly integrates with the main structure. The whole building shouts about geometrical symmetry. The gracefull 'lady' rises to a height of 213ft. The entire mausoleum (inside and outside!!) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems and stones(agate and jasper). Besides the marble mausoleum, the mosk on the left is counter balanced with a guesthouse on the right.
The impressive south gate, where we got our first view of the beauty, was designed and built as a entrance to the 16 gardens and 48 fountains. In red sand stone, it is almost as impressive as the Taj herself!! But once through the arch in the gate, there is no looking back!!!
The captivating beauty of the Taj is really hard to describe. Every single aspect of the building has a counter part either left or right...the only unsymmetrical aspect is the fact that Shah Jahan's grave is positioned beside Mumtaz's in the very beautiful inside.... Further EVERYTHING is in symmetry!!! Shah Jahan built this lovely mausoleum to honour his favourite (out of 3) wives. The Christian and Hindu wives did not produces any offspring. Poor Mumtaz died at the age of 38, while giving birth to their 14th baby........ Understandably Jahan was very sad. So in the beauty of the Taj also lies hidden sadness. History takes it even further...he was de-throned by his son before he could finish the 'Black Taj" on the other side of the river Jamuna. He was then put in house arrest for 8 years before he was buried beside the love of his life.
I was so fascinated by the amazing stone inlay work, all over the building. Inside the tomb, no photography is allowed....there to be found the most delicate an well preserved floral designs. I really could not get enough of this building...and really did not wanted to leave.
After a short stop at a marble inlay work shop (I got a beautifully crafted, very heavy and very expensive Christmas gift here.....) we continued on to the Agra Red Fort- or walled palatial city. All the great mugal emperors lived here and ruled the country from here. Originally a brick ford and mentioned first in 1080, the county of India was first ruled form here in 1517 by its Afghan leader.
In 1558 the Mughals defeated the Afghans and Akbar decided to rebuilt the brick structure with red sand stone. Shah Jahan, Akbar's grandson,added all the marble structures, lived here and were placed on house arrest here. The view towards the Taj, from the beautifully marble rooms, where he eventually died, is just exquisite!!! The Mugal kings were based here until the British occupation of India 1857.
Next up was a visit to the Baby Taj. Beside a few other local tourists, numerous monkeys and us were the only visitors. Built by Empress Nur Jehan for her father( he was the chief minister to emperor Jahangir) the Itmad-Ud-Daulah stands alone 13 meters tall. The walls of white marble from Rajastan, are decorated with semi precious stones.The pieta dura, inlay designs and latticework copies many of the elements of the Taj Mahal. The kids absolutely loved playing inside the biggest jewelry box in the world!!!
After a few hours resting at our hotel, we eventually managed to convince Mr Manuu to take us to the close proximity of our restaurant of choice...but not after we had to make a stop of two at his suggestions for our REAL INDIAN ( tatty tourist) experience!! We found the name of Saniya Palace Rooftop restaurant in our Lonely Planet guidebook, and were again not disappointed!! It took us a bit of a trek through the old traffic-less medina of Agra to reach our goal. Mr Manuu ( after realising that we were determined to go where we wanted to go...) took it on himself to escort us there. We were quite thankful for his ability to speak in Punjab, because we had to ask for directions on a few occasions!! But, oh my!!!!! So worth it!!!! Nice and quiet and with the most spectacular night time view of the Taj. We loved the place so much that we ( sneakily, to avoid our avid escort) hailed an Agra 3-wheeled taxi the following morning at dusk, to see the sun rises over "her" from here.
This is a great suggestion for all you Taj lovers. Stay in the cheap backpackers area (Saniya Palaces good accommodation too) and just snap away to your hearts content from the rooftop gardens/ restaurants. You do not need to pay the entrance fee to the Taj more than once, but can still be close enough to "her" to feast your eye's on her for as long as you want!there is a twice daily train from New Delhi to Agra. Also, go for the up close and personal visit early in the morning( you can enter the gates already at 6am in the morning..and I would recommend to go then!!!) To witness her beuatiful golden glow, after 4pm will be good too, but then you might need to fight the other 15 000 who had the same idea..... You also do not need to buy the shoe- protectors. Just pop your sandals in your back pack and enjoy the feel of the sun-kissed marble underneath your feet!
Day 3 got kick started brightened early with coffee on the rooftop and then leisurely breakfast back at our. Before leaving Agra, we picked up some kind of colourful sweets, made from fruit balls (?) soaked on different flavours (the consistency can only be described as the sweet old fashioned kafferwaartlemoenkonfytstukke- sorry do not know the pc for that Afrikaans word...)According to Mr Manuu, Agra should be 'world famous' for these sweeties.....
About 40km form Agra we made a brief visit to Fatehpur Sikri, political capital of India during Mugal king Agbar's reign, till 1585. It was abandoned then, due to the lack of water ( reminded me so much of a similar senario playing itself out in Ankor Wat, Cambodia) so the legend goes, that Akbar came here to visit sufi saint Salim Christi with the result of a long longed for son borned to him. As a way of thanksgiving, Akbar, built the city of Fatehpur Sikri. Another strong belief is that there was a tunnel, dug out from here to Delhi on the one side and to Agra on the other side. Due to non-maintenance the tunnel had been closed since 1952. (Nobody can actually proof that the tunnel went really all the way to Delhi, but for 500m that has been explored...)
After arriving so late in Agra, Mr Manuu promised me the driving in the dark is not going to happen again..... At least on day 3 we arrived with seconds to spare before the sun set over Jaipur, or the Pink City (founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh).
Again we had to wrestle Mr Manuu to take us to our choice of restaurant...vegetarian rustic real Indian outdoor cuisine on top of the old city wall. Beside another pair of whites with a Lonely planet Guidebook sitting beside them on the table, we were the only Westerners at this joint!! Again the bestest butter nan and chickpea masala!!
We met our Jaipur guide at our hotel, Jaipur Palace ( wannabe 3 stars.......) and were driven thought the Pink City( painted so to impress visiting dignitaries form abroad!!) We laid eye on the Palace of Winds, or Hawa Mahal for the first time. The palace was built in 1799 to overlook one of the main streets inside the old city. The aim of it was to offer the ladies of the court a vantage point, behind stone carved screens to observe the daily activities in the street below.
The top three stories are just a room thick, but the overall screen has over 900 niches and a mass of semi-octagonal bays, grills and domes. The 953 windows permits wind to flow freely through the palace, therefor the local name: Palace of the Winds.
Onward and upward on a painted elephant's back to the Jaipur Amber Fort. The fort is all built in red sandstone and white marble and the reflection on the Maotho Lake is captivating. The outside sand stone body of the fort dates form 1592, but gives a good protection to the delicate marble inner courts. There are too many little detailed bits to tell you about, but we were totally fascinated by the hall of mirrors...the white plaster work with mirror inlay created a magical court. Our guide pointed out to us all the ring-hooks that were used to hold all the drapes and curtains...all the colours in the material was then reflected in the mirrored walls, ceilings and floor...I could just imagine....
The highlight of our day was a actually to spend some time amongst the largest stone observatory in the world, Jantar Mantar. The collection of architectural astronomical instruments still provides accurate information which can be compare with today's modern instruments!. Completely built out of marble and stone, the 14 statistical instruments measure time, predicting eclipses and other astronomical events. The sundial tells the time on an accuracy of 2 seconds in local Jaipur time! Amazing!!!!
Our visit to the next door City Palace was rounded off with getting some very elaborate and traditional henna tattoos. We were soaking up the history of Hindu Maharaja's by walking through the costume and weapon museums...we were transported back into time. I was almost expecting an Aladdin to swoop pass us on a carpet, smiling into the face of his Jasmin!
We went back to our Jaipur Palace hotel...and now we could see the resemblance of our hotel (painted pink with little balconies and bays). After a rest we were picked up by our faithful driver, Mr Manuu, to be taken to a what can only be described as a traditional old fashioned Indian theme/culture park, Chokhi Dhani, or as it is called by the locals, an ' ethnic village'. Here we could pay for rides on camels, elephants, bullock carts, we could watch a snake charmer and magician or take part in traditional dances. We got as far as the welcome drink( salted lassie- almost tasted like a lentil soup mixed with yogurt...surprisingly good ), magic show and then went for a traditional Indian meal.
We were seated on cushions around low tables, while the waiters were serving up the local delicacies (well...luckily we had many Indians around us to tell us what to eat and what rather to avoid...and how to eat it). The food was served in plates and bowls made from dried leaves and the water was served in clay cups! All great fun! Arno took the older kids for some more henna tattoos, while I was sitting with Philippa, who has developed a splitting headache after such a busy and eventful day. Bless her!
Our last day was supposed to be a easy.....just pick us up and drive us to Delhi day....but by now we knew our driver a bit better, so we were in for another long day. The 263km between Jaipur and Agra was supposed to take us round 5 hours. We kind of tried to ignore Mr Manuu's excitement about taking us to his house, so his wife can cook us dinner...just because we were really so tired ofter this tight schedule. But then we kind of understood that she had already been to the market to buy the chicken...he spend hours on his phone ( yes nothing new about him speaking on his phone while negotiating the Indian road chaos) discussing the menu with her... So we felt kind of obliged to agree to this invitation. It was a long long day on the car, with a few more forced stops so we can purchase ' world famous' items....eventually to reach Mr Manuu's families house, where him and his wife live within one room...kitchen, bed, dining room all in one!!! Real India. Although I did not prefer to be there that evening ( due to tiredness), there was also no where else in the whole wide world that I wanted to be. If that makes sense. We were blessed with homemade Indian food, especially cooked for us to the specification of no-spiciness for the children-chicken and lovely grown-up biriyani. We met every single family member and was just over whelmed by their generosity, friendliness and welcome. One of the sisters even blessed me with a pair of earrings as we were leaving.
It was close to 9pm when we reached our Delhi guesthouse. A day....but even more.... A little 5-day trip that will be impossible to forget. In your face, loud, dusty, colourful, spectacular....
We've experienced the REAL INDIA...
A spicy hot masala with sweet paswari naan on the side!!!
30th of November to the 6th of December
India....what a bright, intoxicating experience this was??!! Flavours, colours, culture...all meshed up in a vibrant brijani - tantalising taste sensation!!! A little bit hot, a little bit sweaty, beautiful to look at and sometimes just completely overwhelming....
Our flight from Krabi, Thailand, took us through Kuala Lampur Airport in Malaysia. The pretty long stop over there gave us enough time to sleep read and demolish a BIG box of loom bands!! The girls had so much fun creating hairbands, bracelets and little mini figures. Their creativity do not know any bounds!! Alana has taking to making clothes for the little loom- figures. So cute!!!
Well we arrived close to midnight at the Kabli Hotel, about an hour's drive from the airport in the south east of the new City of Delhi. So just to orientate you - The down town section is referred to as Old Delhi, north of the palace (still in use today). Then there is central Delhi, with the India Gate ( a war memorial to the 90 000 soldiers who laid down their lives during the First World War) in the centre of one of the biggest round a bouts in the world. North of the India gate lies the palace and government buildings. The broad streets is here a bare witness to the British reconstruction of Old Delhi into a more colonial set -up. It stand in stark contrast with the total chaos of the New Delhi, mainly to be found towards the south. Here the city is divided into a grit-street pattern with each section given a bock number. Inside each block there is just a mush of houses and streets and I guess you just find your way in there through experiences of 'not finding your way'!!!
After British occupation brought an end to the 5th dynasty of the Mogul Empire, an era of stripping this country of many of its natural resources followed ( not to mention all/ or at least most of the precious stones that were used in various religious temples, palaces and tombs). In 1947 India gained independence fro Brittan and on 26the of January, 1950, the constitution of the new India was inaugurated. Since then, every year, a big massive celebration is held. Local and international leaders are invited to a day of parades of the air force, artillery and fleet, complete with camels, horses and elephants taking part in the 12 km march from the palace, by the India Gate to the Red Fort. (3 months of preparations is followed by a day of spectacle, and then 2 months of tidy-upping round it off. Next year Mr Obama will be the invited dignity!!)
So after arriving at our hotel ( we booked a airport pick up...strongly suggested!!!) in one of the southern blocks, we just collapsed on our beds!!! Although we arrived so late at night, we really wanted to meet some Christians in India...so at the crack of down on Sunday morning we were up again! Surprisingly, the kids were all up for the little adventure to find the Delhi Bible Church. Our Aberdonian friends, Donna and Graham, have once again helped us to connect with locals in a city on our itinerary. This time it was through their local pastor in Aberdeen, Scotland. Vijay's parents have started this church and 3 orphanages more than 40 years ago in Delhi, India!! Vijay's brother, Sujay, has now taken over from their ageing parents and he is pastoring the church, close to Green Park, in the Green Park Extension block. So we had an idea where to find the church, but it was left in our hand to help our taxi driver to locate number T23!! Hee hee. He was very patient, had to ask a few times once we were inside the block...we even got there in time for the start of the service at 9am!!!! Achievement!!!
It was a wonderful experience walking into the church, knowing nobody but still feeling welcome and at home!! The worship was led by a bunch of students from The Congo!! We even knew ALL the songs!! It was a special service to celebrate the 16 th birthday of a young man. His dad's testimony made my eye's laugh and cry!! God is so good and faithful.... And there is no wasted moment when we invest into teaching and training our children to walk in His ways. They will remind us of His goodness and His ever present help!! After the service we connected with the Proud daddy, Akil. We were also invited to tea with the wonderful gentle couple who has started it all...all those years ago. Now in their 80's, we felt so in awe of sitting in the company of giants!! Wat a blessing this day has been??!!! This visit has again highlighted the fact, that regardless of colour, tongue, nation or culture - in Christ Jesus we are all connected..we are all brothers and sisters!
Monday morning started with an early call to pray...not from Arno, but from the nearby mosk!! We found the synergy in which the Hindu and Islam religions operate here in India so interesting. At least what we've seen and experienced in the province of Delhi and then Rajastan ( province just west of Delhi). Muslim neighbourhoods beside Hindu, and then there is the whole new world religion (Bahai Faith), with all faiths mushed together in the image of the Lotus temple. The lotus flower is still the epitomising symbol of Hinduism, the curved arches with the centre pointing skywards and the mosk dome indicating Islam, and the cross referring to Christianity.
Ok, back to meeting our driver, Mr Manuu on Monday morning. He was there pretty sharp, 8am. We got ourselves organised inside our 7 seater...ready for some sightseeing in Delhi, before hitting the road to Agra. Mr Manuu's English was passable...but straight away we realised that the company who has sent him, did not really gave him the full details of the itinerary that we agreed between myself and our Indian travel consultant, Nisha. So eventually we got him to understand that: No, we were not heading straight for Agra...and Yes we wanted to do a bit of sightseeing in Delhi first ( as it s stipulated on our itinerary....). A few hundred phone calls, eventually got this all sorted out...just remember we were still just sitting in a parked vehicle outside the hotel and it was now nearly 9am..... Eventually we were driven over to the India Gate....what are we waiting for now?? The guide...oh, the guide that we said we did not really wanted...oh, that guide...the one who is now stuck in traffic??!! I nearly had a fit! We were now hanging about a monument..I told the kids from the guidebook, what the importance of the monument was and then we were hanging around waiting....tick tock, tick tock. The kids were really getting antsy, I needed the loo...not a good start to our 5 day pre-booked tour of the golden triangle..... By booking this 5 day tour, driver and guides included, I really envisioned it to help us to experience a it more of the main tourist attractions, doing it in our own timing, but making the most of it. Well, needless to say, I was suddenly starting to doubt that pre-conceived idea....
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| Colonial India...Old Delhi, around the Palace and Government buildings...everything seems so ...organised.. |
After some frustrating hours, we picked up our guide, found a posh loo and was shown around the palace grounds and Parliament street of Delhi, before taken to the tomb of Humayan, Mugal Emperor. This tomb, was commissioned by his wife in 1562. It was the first garden tomb in India and the first structure to be using red sandstone at this scale. Together with the charbagh garden (typical Persian/Iran- garden), Humayan's tomb set the precedent for Mugal architecture of royal mausolea to follow, culminating in all grander of the Taj Mahal in Agra.
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| Sipping some cinnamon tea with the sales man |
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| Instructions and pattern for the next new carpet |
Praise God, Mr Manuu was a very good driver. We were leaving Delhi in rush hour traffic, negotiating many people, stationary vehicles of ANY size, cows, potholes and the odd traffic officer, who wanted to close any random road for any random reason.... Most of our journey was done in the very hazardous dark....praise Jesus...we arrived at Amer Hotel just after 9pm. WHAT A DAY!!!! We celebrate our arrival in Agra by ordering ice cream in our room and then just crashed..exhausted.....so thankful for God's protection over us!!!
A new day, a new dawn and there was a stir in the house!!!!!!! We were all loaded with anticipation...for a few days now there was not much else we've been talking about...seeing the Taj Mahal...or 'Taj' in the now familiar lingo of those who have been blessed to meet 'her' up close and personal!
Agra was once a capital of India under Mugal (Muslim rulers) reign. Besides the Taj Majal,which was contracted by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Agra Fort or 'Red Ford', built in 1565 by Shah Jahan's grand father, is Agra's other tourist magnet. Then there is also the tomb of Daulah (Itmad-Ud-Daulah) or in tourist lingo: 'Baby Taj'.
So on the second morning of our 5 day Golden Triangle trip, we were met by our guide, Manush, at our hotel at 9:30am. The plan was to visit the Taj first to make an attempt to avoid the bulk of the 20 000 daily visitors to this iconic monument. The Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world!! (So this will be our second 'Wonder of the World' to be experience, since leaving Scotland...Great Wall of China was the other one.)
Little side note: Up to date Arno and I have seen 4 out of 7... Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and the Colosseum in Rome has also been ticked off!! We still need to visit Machu Picchu(Peru), Chichen Itza(Mexico) and Petra (Jordan)...at least we know that one of our friends or family has made sure that they are all still standing...during the last two or three years!!
Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of 22 years and employed 20 000 workers. It was complete in 1648 at w cost of 32 million rupees. The Taj is is built entirely out of white marble and western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The interlocking arabesque concept was used, in which each of the elements stands on its own and then perfectly integrates with the main structure. The whole building shouts about geometrical symmetry. The gracefull 'lady' rises to a height of 213ft. The entire mausoleum (inside and outside!!) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems and stones(agate and jasper). Besides the marble mausoleum, the mosk on the left is counter balanced with a guesthouse on the right.
The impressive south gate, where we got our first view of the beauty, was designed and built as a entrance to the 16 gardens and 48 fountains. In red sand stone, it is almost as impressive as the Taj herself!! But once through the arch in the gate, there is no looking back!!!
I was so fascinated by the amazing stone inlay work, all over the building. Inside the tomb, no photography is allowed....there to be found the most delicate an well preserved floral designs. I really could not get enough of this building...and really did not wanted to leave.
Next up was a visit to the Baby Taj. Beside a few other local tourists, numerous monkeys and us were the only visitors. Built by Empress Nur Jehan for her father( he was the chief minister to emperor Jahangir) the Itmad-Ud-Daulah stands alone 13 meters tall. The walls of white marble from Rajastan, are decorated with semi precious stones.The pieta dura, inlay designs and latticework copies many of the elements of the Taj Mahal. The kids absolutely loved playing inside the biggest jewelry box in the world!!!
After a few hours resting at our hotel, we eventually managed to convince Mr Manuu to take us to the close proximity of our restaurant of choice...but not after we had to make a stop of two at his suggestions for our REAL INDIAN ( tatty tourist) experience!! We found the name of Saniya Palace Rooftop restaurant in our Lonely Planet guidebook, and were again not disappointed!! It took us a bit of a trek through the old traffic-less medina of Agra to reach our goal. Mr Manuu ( after realising that we were determined to go where we wanted to go...) took it on himself to escort us there. We were quite thankful for his ability to speak in Punjab, because we had to ask for directions on a few occasions!! But, oh my!!!!! So worth it!!!! Nice and quiet and with the most spectacular night time view of the Taj. We loved the place so much that we ( sneakily, to avoid our avid escort) hailed an Agra 3-wheeled taxi the following morning at dusk, to see the sun rises over "her" from here.
This is a great suggestion for all you Taj lovers. Stay in the cheap backpackers area (Saniya Palaces good accommodation too) and just snap away to your hearts content from the rooftop gardens/ restaurants. You do not need to pay the entrance fee to the Taj more than once, but can still be close enough to "her" to feast your eye's on her for as long as you want!there is a twice daily train from New Delhi to Agra. Also, go for the up close and personal visit early in the morning( you can enter the gates already at 6am in the morning..and I would recommend to go then!!!) To witness her beuatiful golden glow, after 4pm will be good too, but then you might need to fight the other 15 000 who had the same idea..... You also do not need to buy the shoe- protectors. Just pop your sandals in your back pack and enjoy the feel of the sun-kissed marble underneath your feet!
Day 3 got kick started brightened early with coffee on the rooftop and then leisurely breakfast back at our. Before leaving Agra, we picked up some kind of colourful sweets, made from fruit balls (?) soaked on different flavours (the consistency can only be described as the sweet old fashioned kafferwaartlemoenkonfytstukke- sorry do not know the pc for that Afrikaans word...)According to Mr Manuu, Agra should be 'world famous' for these sweeties.....
About 40km form Agra we made a brief visit to Fatehpur Sikri, political capital of India during Mugal king Agbar's reign, till 1585. It was abandoned then, due to the lack of water ( reminded me so much of a similar senario playing itself out in Ankor Wat, Cambodia) so the legend goes, that Akbar came here to visit sufi saint Salim Christi with the result of a long longed for son borned to him. As a way of thanksgiving, Akbar, built the city of Fatehpur Sikri. Another strong belief is that there was a tunnel, dug out from here to Delhi on the one side and to Agra on the other side. Due to non-maintenance the tunnel had been closed since 1952. (Nobody can actually proof that the tunnel went really all the way to Delhi, but for 500m that has been explored...)
After arriving so late in Agra, Mr Manuu promised me the driving in the dark is not going to happen again..... At least on day 3 we arrived with seconds to spare before the sun set over Jaipur, or the Pink City (founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh).
We met our Jaipur guide at our hotel, Jaipur Palace ( wannabe 3 stars.......) and were driven thought the Pink City( painted so to impress visiting dignitaries form abroad!!) We laid eye on the Palace of Winds, or Hawa Mahal for the first time. The palace was built in 1799 to overlook one of the main streets inside the old city. The aim of it was to offer the ladies of the court a vantage point, behind stone carved screens to observe the daily activities in the street below.
Onward and upward on a painted elephant's back to the Jaipur Amber Fort. The fort is all built in red sandstone and white marble and the reflection on the Maotho Lake is captivating. The outside sand stone body of the fort dates form 1592, but gives a good protection to the delicate marble inner courts. There are too many little detailed bits to tell you about, but we were totally fascinated by the hall of mirrors...the white plaster work with mirror inlay created a magical court. Our guide pointed out to us all the ring-hooks that were used to hold all the drapes and curtains...all the colours in the material was then reflected in the mirrored walls, ceilings and floor...I could just imagine....
The highlight of our day was a actually to spend some time amongst the largest stone observatory in the world, Jantar Mantar. The collection of architectural astronomical instruments still provides accurate information which can be compare with today's modern instruments!. Completely built out of marble and stone, the 14 statistical instruments measure time, predicting eclipses and other astronomical events. The sundial tells the time on an accuracy of 2 seconds in local Jaipur time! Amazing!!!!
We went back to our Jaipur Palace hotel...and now we could see the resemblance of our hotel (painted pink with little balconies and bays). After a rest we were picked up by our faithful driver, Mr Manuu, to be taken to a what can only be described as a traditional old fashioned Indian theme/culture park, Chokhi Dhani, or as it is called by the locals, an ' ethnic village'. Here we could pay for rides on camels, elephants, bullock carts, we could watch a snake charmer and magician or take part in traditional dances. We got as far as the welcome drink( salted lassie- almost tasted like a lentil soup mixed with yogurt...surprisingly good ), magic show and then went for a traditional Indian meal.
Our last day was supposed to be a easy.....just pick us up and drive us to Delhi day....but by now we knew our driver a bit better, so we were in for another long day. The 263km between Jaipur and Agra was supposed to take us round 5 hours. We kind of tried to ignore Mr Manuu's excitement about taking us to his house, so his wife can cook us dinner...just because we were really so tired ofter this tight schedule. But then we kind of understood that she had already been to the market to buy the chicken...he spend hours on his phone ( yes nothing new about him speaking on his phone while negotiating the Indian road chaos) discussing the menu with her... So we felt kind of obliged to agree to this invitation. It was a long long day on the car, with a few more forced stops so we can purchase ' world famous' items....eventually to reach Mr Manuu's families house, where him and his wife live within one room...kitchen, bed, dining room all in one!!! Real India. Although I did not prefer to be there that evening ( due to tiredness), there was also no where else in the whole wide world that I wanted to be. If that makes sense. We were blessed with homemade Indian food, especially cooked for us to the specification of no-spiciness for the children-chicken and lovely grown-up biriyani. We met every single family member and was just over whelmed by their generosity, friendliness and welcome. One of the sisters even blessed me with a pair of earrings as we were leaving.
It was close to 9pm when we reached our Delhi guesthouse. A day....but even more.... A little 5-day trip that will be impossible to forget. In your face, loud, dusty, colourful, spectacular....
We've experienced the REAL INDIA...
A spicy hot masala with sweet paswari naan on the side!!!
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