Agra, some Awe and some Grrrah!
Trip Start
Feb 08, 2007
1
15
Trip End
Jun 12, 2007
Agra, India
Monday, May 14, 2007
We have made it to Agra, the city with the famous symbol of India and of Love. But before that, let me recap the last week or so.
We arrived in Dalhousie and asked for directions to the hotel Crags where we secured a cottage room with a wonderful view at a good price. Later that evening we took a walk and bumped into the same couple who had given us directions earlier that day. The woman spoke English very well so it was nice chatting with them. They gave us a few tips on where to go/what to see in the area. She said that we simply must go to see the beautiful natural area called Khajjiar. Inquiring further how to get there from Dalhousie, she suggested that we ride with them as they were going there tomorrow. We accepted and were very excited to be joining another couple for the day. Eagerly, we went to sleep that evening looking forward to morning. The morning proved to be very early as the local temple begins belting out morning prayer around 5 am on a loud speaker system that fills the quiet valley for a full 2 hours - boy that man has lungs! (now the good value doesn't seem so good). A little blurry eyed, we meet with our new acquaintances at 10 am sharp. All our spirits are high and we are off . . . at incredible speed . . . along a lovely winding mountain road honking as we go. It seems that the husband is a closet rally race car driver but his copilot doesn't seem fazed so we try to relax an enjoy the trees whizzing past. We arrive safely at a meadow which looks like it was once a high mountain lake (only a small pond remains in the center) surrounded by mountains covered in beautiful pines. The area I'm sure was, in by-gone days, quite a sight of welcome for a weary traveler, but these days (to our Montana eyes) the land seems weary of all the attention. There are visitors, people selling food, and horses for hire everywhere. There is also an area to for more daring activities such as "riding" a type of parasail which is pulled down a slight incline by five or six attendants or you could choose to roll down the "hill" inside a clear plastic ball with the same attendants coaxing the sphere to move faster than gravity allows. We sat on a sheet and ate the food the venders prepared in front of us (something we did not dare try without a local telling us it was safe - and safe it was as we did not get sick at all). We tried a type of chickpea salsa and then a fruit salad with some masala (mixed spices) on top. Later that day we tried a strange thin-walled crispy puff ball with some garlic mixture and lots of mint water inside as well as another Indian favorite which is a mixture of spices and rose petals all wrapped up in a leaf and tossed whole in your mouth - this is said to be good for your digestion. All in all it was a surreal experience, and one we will not soon forget.
A few days and a lot of little lovely walks later as well as the regular early morning devotional songs, we left Dalhousie for Agra via Delhi. We must admit going back to Delhi didn't thrill us but we had a plan. We were going to visit an all veg-buffet that we missed the last time and just look at the bazaars. As soon as we walked out of the station we were approached by an auto-rickshaw driver, so we asked how much to Hotel Ajanta. "Ajanta?" he asked "Yes, how much?" "One hundred and twenty." We simply laughed . . . Delhi hadn't changed but we had. We found a cycle-rickshaw that took us to the Ajanta for twenty rupees, which was still high but worth it at 9:30 pm plus we like to support the environmental alternative modes of transport. We ate at the buffet and "enjoyed" Delhi in a whole new way . . . much more relaxed and confident than the first time. It felt good.
On to Agra . . .
Agra really is the Taj Mahal and a few other sights such as the Agra Fort (there are some others further afield but we didn't want to journey that far). We could scarcely believe it but Agra is worse in some ways than Delhi. There seem to be more scams and more hustlers here than good honest people. A shop owner quoted us double than we are used to paying to have our laundry washed; while another shop tried to charge four times the usual cost for an overseas call. We refuse to pay these ridiculous prices but it wears on you to always have to be alert for a scam and to always bargain people down to only a slightly inflated price. It will be nice to leave Agra soon. That being said, we loved that we came here as the Taj and the Fort were well worth the time and aggravation (not to mention the awesome hotel we stayed in - thanks for the Starwood points Mom and Dad!!!). The Taj was simply stunning. The marble sparkles in the morning light. The blue sky outlines the monuments majestic curves and astounding symmetry. It was more amazing than we thought it would be - the craftsmanship, the detail, the scale, the simplicity - all come together perfectly.
Other fun things we see in Agra are wild ferrets, flocks of wild lime-green parakeets, camels walking the street, and pet monkeys walking the halls of the hotel . . . on a leash with their owner (not to worry it was a good-gray monkey!).
All in all India is still marvelous but we find ourselves thinking about home more and more.
Comments
Peace
Hi Kelley and Tammy,
It sounds like you are having a delightful time. We are holding you in our thoughts, in the light, and missing you. Enjoy, savor and relish this time to explore both inward and outward. Don, Toby and I are fine, baked and cooked up a storm at a recent spiritual retreat on Flathead Lake. It is like a treasure hunt at our home, as the daffodils spring forth, tulips, fosythia...we are loving it and not home enough for our liking. Hugs and Peace,
Julie and Don