A WONDERful day

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Tired, yet excited, we woke up early enough to meet our tour guide in the lobby at 5:45am. Off we went to see the Taj Mahal! Due to pollution, you can't drive close to the monument, but we took a pleasant walk through a park. 

Surprisingly, there were several people running around and playing in the park...at 6am! It was already pretty light, so I think people were taking advantage of the "cooler" (probably 80's) temperature to get exercise. 

We also met several monkeys and their babies sitting, grooming, or playing around. They were pretty cute, especially the babies. 

Entering through the East Gate and walking across a plaza, we caught our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal. We continued our walk across the plaza and entered through the King's gate where you could see the impressive building in full. The early morning light gave the white marble a soft look. Occasionally, your eyes would catch the sparkle of precious jewels glistening in the sunlight. 

To reach the Taj, we walked past a fountain/pool and through the garden. Our guide explained the history behind why the Taj Mahal was built. You see, a King had only one wife (not common back then) who he loved dearly. He called her Mumtaz Muhal which means "light of the palace." Sadly, she died during the birth of their fourteenth child. He was so heartbroken that the very next year, he started construction on her tomb— the Taj Mahal. Twenty two years later, it was finished, but his son usurped the throne and put his father on house arrest. Until his dying day, all the old ruler could do was view the monument from afar. 

That's how the story goes. 

Before walking up the stairs, we put foot coverings over our shoes. This was my favorite way of having respectful feet, because these were unworn, and I didn't have to worry about what organisms my bare feet were touching. 

The engravings and jeweled patterns inlaid in the marble are amazing. The marble itself is of a high quality which is one reason why it has stood so well for the last few hundred years. Unfortunately, the high levels of pollution from the city have given it a yellow tint, but restorations are being made to clean it. At one section where they were working, a "line" ran down the side with one side being yellow and the other white. 

As I entered the tomb, a pigeon scared me as it flew right beside my head. Birds are very common at these monuments. I think it's because they have a lot of ledges to hang out on. 

The interior was a continuation of the white marble inlaid with designs and jewel patterns. In the center are two white marble tombs— the king's tomb being larger than the queen's. Their bodies are actually buried below the earth, so the tombs are simply representations. 

From there, we walked through several rooms that Hindus will use for prayer. Exiting to the back, you could see the Yamuna River. 

We took our time walking around, taking pictures, and admiring the building's details. 

We stopped to take a few more pictures as we walked back through the garden to the gate we had entered. 

Overall, it was a great experience, but if I could do it again, I would go without a tour guide. He showed us good picture spots and took pictures of us, but I also felt like we were on a schedule and would've liked time to just explore on my own. Oh well. Next time. :) 

After the Taj, we were taken back to our hotel for breakfast. It was a simple continental breakfast of toast, an omelet, and cereal. We packed up our belongings again, put them in the car, and drove to Agra Fort. 

This fort is where the king lived and where he was put on house arrest. It was used long before that by many rulers— as a palace and sometimes in war. We were shown the courtyards, women's chambers, garden, etc. We were also shown its two moats. One was filled with dangerous crocodiles and second with tigers and other dangerous animals. These were useful forms of protection. 

Lastly, our guide took us to a marble store where we were shown how they create each piece by hand. It was very interesting to watch and they even let us try to chip away at the marble with their special tool. Once they chip out a design, they will "glue" (also handmade), precisely cut jewels, and precious stones to create a beautiful design. 

He then tried to sell us something, of course. 

Since we had a flight out from Jaipur the next day, we drove the five hours back. Once again, just as we were beginning to need a restroom, our driver pulled over to a small hotel/restaurant. We used the facilities, but didn't want to eat there. While our driver had his lunch, we walked around.

 Later into our drive, we went through a sandstorm! It wasn't very big, but all around us and far into the distance, the heavy winds were kicking up dust. I felt bad for all the people on motorbikes and open trucks. 

We arrived to our hotel in Jaipur in the late afternoon. We were getting hungry (only snacks for lunch) but instead of looking for dinner spots, we were distracted when I read about political unrest in Darjeeling— our next night's stay. Walt and I spent the next couple of hours researching the situation, researching other options, and trying to figure out what to do. 

With no definite plan, we did eventually decide to go to dinner. Walt got an Uber for us and we ended up at a really fancy hotel. Inside the hotel and past the lobby were several upscale restaurants. The one we were looking for is called Cinnamon. It was such a good choice. The gold plates and chalices, along with the rich decor gave it an opulent, Indian feel, but the real treasure was the food. Walt ordered a cinnamon curry chicken and I had a dish with vegetables cooked with spices and saffron infused rice. While waiting for our food, we were also given a tray of vegetables and a delicious, spicy mango sauce. 

After dinner, we are often given a small amount of fennel and sugar to freshen the palette. 

Extremely tired and full of good food, we summoned another Uber to take us back to our hotel. He was an Uber driver in training, so there was another guy with him, but he didn't do much except play some pop Indian music on the stereo. Our driver got us back (a few scary Indian driving moments- especially when you see oncoming vehicles coming toward you), took cool showers (unfortunately the last few nights have not had hot water), then went to bed.