Agra and Delhi, India
Today we had a hotel breakfast, then took an Uber to the Red Fort--also known as the Agra Fort. It is built with red sandstone which is why it is called the Agra Red Fort (to distinguish it from the Red Fort in Delhi). Agra was the original capital for this area of India before the capital was moved to Delhi, thus the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. It was begun in 1565 by the Moghul Emporer Akbar. His grandson, Emporer Shah Jahan added the interior marble parts (as well as building the Taj Mahal). Evidently, it had been a brick fort before Akbar, but was in a ruined condition and he rebuilt it with the red sandstone and made it his capital. We went without the services of a guide (all of these were charging, even though they are official state guides and I don't think they are supposed to charge for guiding tours (although they can accept tips). We just quickly walked around and took pictures. Then it started to rain, so we went out and called an Uber. I was told by a colleague that this is the end of the monsoon season in India. We had quite the downpour yesterday as we were returning from the Taj Mahal. This morning, there were closed roads with pumps pumping the water out of them.
We took an Uber back to the hotel, then went to a local souvenir shop--Joshua has a collection of famous buildings from all over the world that he started when we first started traveling internationally when he was 5 (he's now 16). He wanted to get a Taj Mahal. I was sad about not getting some inlaid marble, but the shop we were at had quite a collection. I asked if it was the type of marble that you can see the light through and they unwrapped a box with red stones inlaid and used a light to show me that it is and said that the only stones that glow are the red ones which are called firestones because of this. I preferred the one with lapis lazuli and abalone an bought one--even though it is super heavy! It is wrapped in bubble wrap and my sweatshirt. Gifts i bought for my daughters have my dresses wrapped around them! My bag is getting heavy! I think I will put my marble box in my small backpack for safety and to make my big backpack lighter when I have to walk with it.
Then we went back to the hotel where we had to call the service about our driver because he didn't contact us by text yesterday and was late picking us up today. When we checked out, they asked if there was something they could do to make staying with them better! Wow, you usually don't hear that! He finally got there and we started on our way to Delhi. Today the trip was less eventful. The road was not very well traveled and was very clean. We stopped once and there was a sign in the "ladies" room that said that the facilities are free and that no tips should be paid. Sure enough, there was a woman in there. She handed me a wad of toilet paper under the door of the stall because there was none in there. Then she pointed out the soap to wash my hands and turned the water on for me. Then gave me more toilet paper to wipe my hands (they don't use paper towels much in Asia). But I felt better knowing that I did not need to tip her. When we stopped, I realized that my pants and shirt were very wet, wetter than they were when we left and wetter than would have been warranted by our bit of sightseeing that morning. The front seats had been dripping water onto the floor in the back, causing standing water. The straps of my sandals absorbed some of that water, and I felt the towel that had been on the back seat was also wet. I sat on my hand (sweat) towel for the rest of the journey.
As we got closer to Delhi, there were more people and more traffic. I know I've mentioned this before, but the driving in India defies description. They are very aggressive drivers. They drive at other vehicles and all mash together on the road, beeping at one another. The incessant beeping seems to be for several purposes. It can mean I'm passing you, it can mean get the *&%$ out of my way, it can mean hurry up, in rural areas, it means I'm approaching to warn oncoming vehicles. It usually does not mean that your are annoyed by them doing something stupid, like it does in the US. Vehicles don't stay in their lanes, they all mash together, moving back and forth at will to get a better position. Some vehicles will even travel on the wrong side of a road with a divider and no one acts annoyed or beeps at them. It is especially scary at intersections with vehicles going every direction (there are no lights or pedestrian crossings) and pedestrians trying to cross the road, some of them children. As we entered Delhi, there are some stoplights and pedestrian crossing marks (not that it seems to make much of a difference!) Delhi is definitely cleaner, though there are still many homeless people and beggars (including children). The hawkers too. In conversation with our guide at the Taj Mahal I mentioned them and he said that the best thing is to completely ignore them, don't even acknowledge them. I had been saying "no thank you" or showing them the hand, but he said ignoring them works better. I feel horrible about the homeless people and beggars. I want to give all of them money, but know that doing so will not solve the problem and will make the beggars more voracious. I have always struggled with this problem, even at home. I want to help every beggar and homeless person and know that I can't. I give money to charities that do this, but feel like it is not enough.
Well, our guide had to call the airbnb to find it. They provided a number for that purpose because it is difficult to find. He finally had to back up into an alley to their gate (in a not very prosperous neighborhood)--the guard for the complex showed him where. Evidently, an elderly couple owns the house and live on the main floor. Their children live in London, but list it for them on airbnb. They also employ a male guard and a woman to be in charge. She speaks very good English, his is thick, but we could understand him as he showed us everything in the apartment. Up two flights of narrow stairs. You enter a patio area that is ours to use. Then into the locked portion. Decent-sized dining/living room combo with a very large desk (I used it as somewhere to spread out my big bag!). Then you enter the first bedroom, then go down a hallway to the second bedroom. Along the hallway are a room with a shower and a room with a toilet and sink (and a water heater!). Across the landing from the locked portion is a kitchen with washing machine (we have a drying rack on the patio).
By this time, Joshua and I had wet pants (my shirt had dried off). The seat below us must have been wet too. It was very weird that all of the seats were so wet (the seats had vinyl covers on them and the car was a nice car--a Toyota). So Joshua and I changed our clothes and we all went out to find lunch. It was around 3:00, but we hadn't had anything since breakfast, so we decided to get Subway, then find an Indian restaurant for a later dinner. The Subway, of course, doesn't have pork products, but this one had two separate prep areas, one for vegetarian and one for non-vegetarian sandwiches. We then decided to walk around, but it just looks like any other major city that we've been in. We spotted a good choice for dinner tonight (they serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals as well) and returned to our apartment. We utilized the wifi and some took naps in the cool apartment. When we were walking around, the temp was around 95 with a heat index of 106. Going home to Minnesota, we may actually be acclimated for it this year! Watching the people walking around that live there, they're not sweating at all, while we're mopping our faces with towels and sweat is streaming down our faces and our clothes are wet with sweat. You must get used to it, though I don't know how.
Finally we went out for a late dinner to Sandoz. We all ordered appetizers, main dishes, and drinks. First they brought a bowl with small purple onions with sauces to dip (very spicy!) and shredded onion with spices sprinkled on (again, very spicy!). Then our appetizers, bhatti chicken tikka for me and lemon fish for Joshua and Randy. The only fancy drinks they had left were virgin mojitos (with fresh mint, pomegranate seeds, and citrus). Our main dishes were mixed fried rice (for Randy and I) and Joshua got mixed noodles. Mixed meant that there was meat in it. Then at the end, they brought a dish with brown squares that he said were from sugar cane (sugar cane candy) and what looked like a jimmy mix for ice cream but it had spices in it and had a faint taste of licorice and mint. Everything was spicy, even the fried rice. The waiter came over and was shocked that we said that everything was good, but spicy. Then he snarkily asked if we wanted ketchup. We asked instead for another bottle of water. The restaurant has very good food, has a friendly vibe, there were some families there, and is pleasant. They have tons of wait staff and they take care of you. And all of that food (we are all stuffed) including tip was about $30.
Today we had a hotel breakfast, then took an Uber to the Red Fort--also known as the Agra Fort. It is built with red sandstone which is why it is called the Agra Red Fort (to distinguish it from the Red Fort in Delhi). Agra was the original capital for this area of India before the capital was moved to Delhi, thus the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. It was begun in 1565 by the Moghul Emporer Akbar. His grandson, Emporer Shah Jahan added the interior marble parts (as well as building the Taj Mahal). Evidently, it had been a brick fort before Akbar, but was in a ruined condition and he rebuilt it with the red sandstone and made it his capital. We went without the services of a guide (all of these were charging, even though they are official state guides and I don't think they are supposed to charge for guiding tours (although they can accept tips). We just quickly walked around and took pictures. Then it started to rain, so we went out and called an Uber. I was told by a colleague that this is the end of the monsoon season in India. We had quite the downpour yesterday as we were returning from the Taj Mahal. This morning, there were closed roads with pumps pumping the water out of them.
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| The guide that was trying to be our guide despite our saying repeatedly that we didn't want a guide. |
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| The main drawbridge |
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| The main gate |
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| This is the bathtub of Jahangir, the fourth Moghul emporer |
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| Steps to get into the bathtub |
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| This is the only carving that was different and was tucked into a corner |
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| The white (marble) parts were the additions by Jahan |
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| A dry fountain |
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| I believe this is the Shish Mahal |
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| Details of the Shish Mahan |
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| The marble above these windows is translucent (like that at the Taj Mahal). It illuminates the flowers carved into it. |
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| A garden |
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| See how the arches line up perfectly |
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| This is an Indian squirrel |
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| I believe this is a hibiscus (there are signs posted that we cannot "pluck" the flowers!) |
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| Craftsmen are replacing some of inlaid marble--amazing! |
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| The top of this door is carved so that it fits the shape of the doorway, but has more wood on the other side to make it very strong. |
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| Jahan's Taj Mahal is visible from his palace |
We took an Uber back to the hotel, then went to a local souvenir shop--Joshua has a collection of famous buildings from all over the world that he started when we first started traveling internationally when he was 5 (he's now 16). He wanted to get a Taj Mahal. I was sad about not getting some inlaid marble, but the shop we were at had quite a collection. I asked if it was the type of marble that you can see the light through and they unwrapped a box with red stones inlaid and used a light to show me that it is and said that the only stones that glow are the red ones which are called firestones because of this. I preferred the one with lapis lazuli and abalone an bought one--even though it is super heavy! It is wrapped in bubble wrap and my sweatshirt. Gifts i bought for my daughters have my dresses wrapped around them! My bag is getting heavy! I think I will put my marble box in my small backpack for safety and to make my big backpack lighter when I have to walk with it.
Then we went back to the hotel where we had to call the service about our driver because he didn't contact us by text yesterday and was late picking us up today. When we checked out, they asked if there was something they could do to make staying with them better! Wow, you usually don't hear that! He finally got there and we started on our way to Delhi. Today the trip was less eventful. The road was not very well traveled and was very clean. We stopped once and there was a sign in the "ladies" room that said that the facilities are free and that no tips should be paid. Sure enough, there was a woman in there. She handed me a wad of toilet paper under the door of the stall because there was none in there. Then she pointed out the soap to wash my hands and turned the water on for me. Then gave me more toilet paper to wipe my hands (they don't use paper towels much in Asia). But I felt better knowing that I did not need to tip her. When we stopped, I realized that my pants and shirt were very wet, wetter than they were when we left and wetter than would have been warranted by our bit of sightseeing that morning. The front seats had been dripping water onto the floor in the back, causing standing water. The straps of my sandals absorbed some of that water, and I felt the towel that had been on the back seat was also wet. I sat on my hand (sweat) towel for the rest of the journey.
As we got closer to Delhi, there were more people and more traffic. I know I've mentioned this before, but the driving in India defies description. They are very aggressive drivers. They drive at other vehicles and all mash together on the road, beeping at one another. The incessant beeping seems to be for several purposes. It can mean I'm passing you, it can mean get the *&%$ out of my way, it can mean hurry up, in rural areas, it means I'm approaching to warn oncoming vehicles. It usually does not mean that your are annoyed by them doing something stupid, like it does in the US. Vehicles don't stay in their lanes, they all mash together, moving back and forth at will to get a better position. Some vehicles will even travel on the wrong side of a road with a divider and no one acts annoyed or beeps at them. It is especially scary at intersections with vehicles going every direction (there are no lights or pedestrian crossings) and pedestrians trying to cross the road, some of them children. As we entered Delhi, there are some stoplights and pedestrian crossing marks (not that it seems to make much of a difference!) Delhi is definitely cleaner, though there are still many homeless people and beggars (including children). The hawkers too. In conversation with our guide at the Taj Mahal I mentioned them and he said that the best thing is to completely ignore them, don't even acknowledge them. I had been saying "no thank you" or showing them the hand, but he said ignoring them works better. I feel horrible about the homeless people and beggars. I want to give all of them money, but know that doing so will not solve the problem and will make the beggars more voracious. I have always struggled with this problem, even at home. I want to help every beggar and homeless person and know that I can't. I give money to charities that do this, but feel like it is not enough.
Well, our guide had to call the airbnb to find it. They provided a number for that purpose because it is difficult to find. He finally had to back up into an alley to their gate (in a not very prosperous neighborhood)--the guard for the complex showed him where. Evidently, an elderly couple owns the house and live on the main floor. Their children live in London, but list it for them on airbnb. They also employ a male guard and a woman to be in charge. She speaks very good English, his is thick, but we could understand him as he showed us everything in the apartment. Up two flights of narrow stairs. You enter a patio area that is ours to use. Then into the locked portion. Decent-sized dining/living room combo with a very large desk (I used it as somewhere to spread out my big bag!). Then you enter the first bedroom, then go down a hallway to the second bedroom. Along the hallway are a room with a shower and a room with a toilet and sink (and a water heater!). Across the landing from the locked portion is a kitchen with washing machine (we have a drying rack on the patio).
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| Our patio |
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| The kitchen |
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| Living/dining room |
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| Large desk |
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| First bedroom |
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| hallway |
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| Second bedroom |
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| Shower room |
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| Loo |
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| This is evidently mosquito repellent. We've only seen one mosquito so far during our time in India (quick, touch wood!) |
By this time, Joshua and I had wet pants (my shirt had dried off). The seat below us must have been wet too. It was very weird that all of the seats were so wet (the seats had vinyl covers on them and the car was a nice car--a Toyota). So Joshua and I changed our clothes and we all went out to find lunch. It was around 3:00, but we hadn't had anything since breakfast, so we decided to get Subway, then find an Indian restaurant for a later dinner. The Subway, of course, doesn't have pork products, but this one had two separate prep areas, one for vegetarian and one for non-vegetarian sandwiches. We then decided to walk around, but it just looks like any other major city that we've been in. We spotted a good choice for dinner tonight (they serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals as well) and returned to our apartment. We utilized the wifi and some took naps in the cool apartment. When we were walking around, the temp was around 95 with a heat index of 106. Going home to Minnesota, we may actually be acclimated for it this year! Watching the people walking around that live there, they're not sweating at all, while we're mopping our faces with towels and sweat is streaming down our faces and our clothes are wet with sweat. You must get used to it, though I don't know how.
Finally we went out for a late dinner to Sandoz. We all ordered appetizers, main dishes, and drinks. First they brought a bowl with small purple onions with sauces to dip (very spicy!) and shredded onion with spices sprinkled on (again, very spicy!). Then our appetizers, bhatti chicken tikka for me and lemon fish for Joshua and Randy. The only fancy drinks they had left were virgin mojitos (with fresh mint, pomegranate seeds, and citrus). Our main dishes were mixed fried rice (for Randy and I) and Joshua got mixed noodles. Mixed meant that there was meat in it. Then at the end, they brought a dish with brown squares that he said were from sugar cane (sugar cane candy) and what looked like a jimmy mix for ice cream but it had spices in it and had a faint taste of licorice and mint. Everything was spicy, even the fried rice. The waiter came over and was shocked that we said that everything was good, but spicy. Then he snarkily asked if we wanted ketchup. We asked instead for another bottle of water. The restaurant has very good food, has a friendly vibe, there were some families there, and is pleasant. They have tons of wait staff and they take care of you. And all of that food (we are all stuffed) including tip was about $30.
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| Onions and my appetizer |
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| Virgin mojitos |
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| After dinner sweet |
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