Vrindavan, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal

I'm on a blogging roll this week. The determination to catch up from the previous weekends before I head to Amritsar tonight is providing ample motivation. And I promise I will post photos soon as I'm sure you're all more interested in photos than all my babbling.

On my fifth weekend in India, I finally made the journey to the Taj Mahal. It was early on Saturday morning (3:30 am to be exact) when Akarsh (Akarsh leads tours with Delhi By Cycle, but he also owns his own tourist company called "I Am Adventure" and he turned out to be a wondeful guide!) picked me up in Noida and we set off to pick up 4 other LC students who would be joining in the trip. Despite the early hour, most of us did not sleep and instead we chatted away while we drove along the Indian highway. The road to Agra is part of the golden triangle, so it is in much better condition than the road to Ranthambore and given the early hour there was not as much traffic.

At about 7 am, we stopped in Vrindavan to visit a Hindu temple that is devoted to Lord Krishna. The temple in Vrindavan is given special significance because the city (and the nearby city of Mathura) is thought to be the actual location of Lord Krishna's transcendental abodes. When we first arrived, the temple was not open so we partook in some street food. The food was delicious and because it was piping hot and cooked right in front of us, we deemed it relatively safe. The food would have been more enjoyable if there were a few less flies swarming around - and I have a feeling that had the food cart not been parked directly over a pile of "holy shit" (ie. cow pies - cows are sacred here so their shit is as well) then there might have been a few less flies. After eating our breakfast, the temple opened so we went to enter. There we learned that we would need to remove our shoes. Removing your shoes is typically required at temples in India, but usually you are at least allowed on the premises where the ground is a bit cleaner. Here we were made to remove our shoes on the dirty road and walk a short distance before reaching the temple premises.

The temple was incredible, and because we were there as it opened we were able to witness the waking of the gods and the other early morning spiritual rituals. The sweet smell of incense permeated the air, the sound of chanting and drums enveloped the air within and occasionally we felt drops of water land on our skin as a man passed back and forth shaking holy water. Despite the number of people at the temple, it was relatively calm and serene. An ambience that fit well with the white marble facade and intricate carvings of peacocks and other designs. In one area of the temple, curtains would be moved aside revealing various carvings depicting Lord Krishna in various scenes.

After spending some time there, we got back in the car and travelled a little further down the road. Our goal was another temple. Because the other temple was down a series of narrow alleys, we were made to park the car and follow a guide through the streets. The guide warned Dustin, Nolan, and Matt (who all wear glasses) that they should remove their glasses or they would risk losing them to the kleptomaniac monkeys that we would pass. Nobody lost their glasses or other possessions.

At the end of a short walk, we reached the other temple. This temple was the polar opposite of the temple we visited earlier. The temple was unassuming and the entrance hidden among other buildings. Where the other temple had been peaceful, serene and white this one was loud, colorful, and crowded. Swastikas formed of "holy shit" were affixed to the door frame and people stopped to pour milk or kiss the door frame in a sign of religious servitude. We pushed our way inside (where we were not allowed to take photos) and were greeted with the sight of throngs of people pushing their way towards the front - trying to catch a glimpse of the idol. The priest would occasionally pull back the curtain revealing the idol and the crowd rejoiced. As we departed the temple, we were blessed and yellow bindi was painted on our foreheads.
It was still early morning when we left Vrindavan and headed to Fatehpur Sikri. Once in Fatehpur Sikri we climbed to the Jama Masjid and viewed both the mosque and the tomb of Salim Chisti. The mosque and the tomb were impressive, but the experience at the Fatehpur Sikri was disturbed by the numerous touts offering to be guides or to sell certain wares. Despite having our own guide, the men were relentless and would not offer you a moments peace. Had Akarsh not been there, I'm sure the experience would have been much worse as he was at least able to tell them that we were "cheap" foreigners who had not purchased anything despite his week-long persistance (lies, of course).

Once our viewing at Fatehpur Sikri was completed we headed to Agra. In Agra Akarsh was hassled by the police because he was driving a brand new car - they were trying to shake him down for a bribe and wanted to know why he was with 5 foreigners. Again he had to lie to say we all worked for British Airlines and that we were friends of his that he was showing around. His lies worked and we were allowed to pass and head for our hotel. The hotel provided us an opportunity to freshen up.

From there we headed to the Agra Fort. As much as I was unimpressed by the Red Fort in Delhi, the Agra Fort was a spectacular sight to behold. It was impressive, well cared for, and there was an audioguide available for rent. We all made our way through the grounds, listening to the history of the fort and the Mughal emperors. We finished our tour just in time - the rain started to pour. We hopped back in the car and found respite at a nearby coffeeshop.

We waited out the rain at the coffee shop and then headed back to the Agra Fort for the sound and light show. The sound and light show provided more interesting history, but it was not what I expected. I had anticipated images flashed on various portions of the building much like a movie. Instead, various portions of the Fort would light up while the narrator provided an account of the history of the emperors.

Dinner was chinese food at a nearby hotel and then, exhausted, we all crashed at the hotel.

Early on Sunday morning, we woke up and departed for the Taj Mahal. Like every other sight in India, tourists pay 25 times more to enter than Indians do. At the Taj at least you are given a bottle of water, a ride in an electric vehicle (the area surrounding the Taj prohibits vehicles in order to cut down on pollution), and you can use the toilets free of charge. These "perks" certainly do not add up to the difference in the admission fee. I also feel I should mention that the men at the ticket counter were most unhelpful and rude. It was first thing in the morning and they refused to accept our entrance fee unless we provided exact change! This made the start of the experience a bit difficult and left the group of us scrambling to come up with exact change among us.

Like the Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal offers audio guides and they are well worth it. The information they provide is wonderful and I'm certain it is much more accurate than the average guide you find at the Taj would provide.

The Taj is impeccable and viewing it makes you realize the enormity of the love that Shah Jahan had for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (he built it in memory of her after she died giving birth to their 14th child). There is a reason it is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.  

Weekend #4: Delhi By Cycle, Embassy Independence Day Celebration, a Mango Festival and More

After the rant against traffic in my previous post, you'll probably be thinking that my decision to go on a cycle tour of Delhi is evidence that I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. But as long as losing my mind leads to fun adventures like the cycle tour then I'll accept it.

Weekend # 4 was the weekend that the rest of the Lewis and Clark students who would be interning in Delhi arrived. Knowing that they would be arriving, I organized a group of us to participate in an early morning tour from Delhi By Cycle (http://www.delhibycycle.com/). I cannot remember exactly how I learned of Delhi By Cycle, but it sounded like a great way to see the sights of Old Delhi. The company is run by a Dutch man (how stereotypical...a Dutch expat operating a cycle tour company complete with orange bikes). It was relatively easy to sign up for the tour, but then I encountered the first logistical problem. Delhi By Cycle requires prepayment for the tour. While prepayment in general is not an issue, it is an issue when the only ways to prepay are to either go directly to the Delhi By Cycle office or to make a deposit into their acount by going to a branch of their bank. This requirement is a huge hassle and I'm sure it prevents many people from signing up for the tour. Going to the office or a branch of the bank in India is not convenient - things are hard to get to and the hours of operation are not convenient when you work from 9:30 - 7 Monday through Friday.

Early Saturday morning I departed from my place in Noida to Old Delhi to meet the group and our cycle tour leader. I had to take a car, because the metro did not start running early enough for me to reach the meetup sight by 6:30 am. Virtually our entire group (except for the two guides and one tour participant) was American. Four of us were from LC Law and one was a Harvard law student (Dustin's roommate, Ben). The other two Americans were random tourists from New York who were visiting India for a wedding (attending an Indian wedding is on my bucket list - but it probably won't happen during this trip). Our primary guide was Akarsh (and he later lead us on a trip by car to Agra and is taking us to Amritsar this weekend and Pushkar/Jaipur next weekend). There is another guide who brings up the tail of the tour to make sure nobody gets lost. An interesting fact about the "tail guide" is that he was a street kid. There is an NGO in Delhi called Salaam Baalak (http://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/) that takes street kids off the street and gives them education and opportunities to earn money instead of resorting to begging. Delhi By Cycle employs some of the older Salaam Baalak participants and our "tail guide" was one of them.

After a slightly delayed start to the tour (courtesy of Dustin and Ben not arriving on time), we set off through the narrow Old Delhi streets. The first street we rode down was the "meat street" in Delhi. Since much of the population in India is Hindu and vegetarian, there are not many butchers. There is, however, also a significant Muslim population in India and within Delhi many reside within Old Delhi so there is an entire street of butchers. The meat street was not one of the most pleasant sights or smells early in the morning. Butchered animals were being carried through the streets by rickshaw and hand. The lack of general hygiene and the smell was enough to turn anyone off to meat indefinitely.

Akarsh adeptly helped us to navigate from the meat street through small narrow streets and other sights of Delhi. We passed havelis (mansions), religious temples, and more while we were dodging stray dogs, cows, motor cycles, and people that were out and about. We climbed through the spice market where our noses were treated to the smell of freshly made roti (Indian flatbread - sort of tortilla like), chai, and spices. While watching some of the laborers cook their roti, Ben climbed onto the roof (and almost fell through) to see the roti up close. The spices that permeated the air near the spice market were a bit much and I found myself sneezing frequently. Finally, after three hours we ended the tour with breakfast at Karim's - a famed restaurant which is tucked away in a narrow alley and serves delicious Mughal cuisine. Although Delhi never seems to me to be calm and peaceful, the early start time of this tour meant that there was not so much activity on the streets as to make the road inpassable.

That night, was the Independence Day celebration at the American Embassy. The celebration was hosted at an American sports complex on a baseball field and the entire area was decked in red, white, and blue. It gave us all the opportunity to sit on the lawn, eat burgers (yes, even after seeing the meat street earlier that day) and corn on the cob and have a few drinks. The celebration was lovely and it is probably one of the only times that I've felt truly comfortable and at ease while in India. There was no threat of being run over by traffic or fleeced by a tout - just the chance to kick back, relax, eat, drink, dance, watch fireworks and be merry.

On Sunday I went to the Mango Festival with Lorraine and Ben. Mangoes here are incredibly delicious. When I first arrived, my friend Mallika asked me if I could name anything that tasted better than a mango. At the time, having only been exposed to the underripe and not very flavorful varieties we can buy in the US, there were plenty of things I could name: peaches, berries, etc. But now, having tried different varieties of perfectly ripe and juicy mangoes, I can no longer say there is something quite as delicious. Mangoes will be one of the things that I will really miss when I leave India.

Anyway, back to the mango festival....

The mango festival was not at all what I expected. There really was not a lot of mango at the festival. Sure there were exhibit halls that you could wander through in order to view the prize-winning mangoes and there was an area where you could buy mangoes in bulk, but there was no area to sample different varieties of mangoes. Lorraine, Ben and I were thinking that the festival was a bit lame (and we were roasting in the heat) but we decided to stick it out to watch the mango eating festival. And the mango eating festival made our trip entirely worth it. Approximately thirty men stood up on stage and were given a 3kg bag of unpeeled and unpitted mangoes. They had just a few minutes to eat as much of the mangoes as they could before a winner could be declared. It was truly a sight to behold as energetic music was cued up and the participants began ripping the skin off mangoes and eating as much as they could. Some of the participants even danced to the music as they worked their way through all the mango pulp. It was much more energetic and exiciting than any other eating competition I've ever witnessed.

I departed the mango festival to head back to Noida. Dustin and I were invited for dinner at my first host's house. We arrived in Noida at around 8 p.m. and were served a delicious meal that had been prepared by Mallika. Then both Dustin and I headed to our respective homes and prepared ourselves for another week of interning.

That Monday night, I went with my friend Sneha and a few of her friends to see the movie Delhi Belly. This movie has caused quite a stir in India because it is much more provocative than most Bollywood films. I found the film to be hilarious and very well done. It is a bit over the top, but it does such a wonderful job of poking fun of Delhi and all its problems. This movie is definitely on my "to own" list.

***I'll post pictures of all the above adventures soon.

Akshardham Temple

Yikes, I just realized I'm three weeks behind in my blogging. Unlike when I was in the Netherlands, this time the blame for my delay falls more on India and less on my being busy or lazy. There are frequent power outages here and when the power turns off so does the internet. There have been many nights when I've returned home set to blog about my weekend (or to call friends and family via skype) and I've been disappointed to find there is no internet service. I will do my best to catch up because there are many observations, stories, and other information that I desire to share.
My third weekend in India was fairly uneventful. During the work week my time consisted the daily commute. While a commute wouldn't normally be something worth writing about, the commute in India seems to be a bit more of an adventure. There are a few aspects of the commute that have become easier over time, but only a few. Each day I depart my accommodations and take a 5 - 10 minute walk to the metro. Although the distance is not far, I'm usually sweating because of the heat and the general complications of the commute. There are no sidewalks and there is only a narrow shoulder and a narrow patch of packed dirt on which to walk. Walking requires artfully dodging cycles, rickshaws, buses, cows, dogs, and whatever other obstacle may appear. Crossing the street is the most complicated. Because there are no traffic rules and not many traffic signals in Noida (especially at the intersections near my accommodation), intersections are a free for all. I've determined the private buses that are collecting passengers near the metro are one of the worst obstructers of traffic. They park right in the middle of the crosswalk and it is impossible to see around them or know when they might choose to move. The motorcycles are the other offender as they seem to be the most impatient and self-centered; they are the most willing to weave in and out of traffic or drive on the shoulder with no disregard for any pedestrians or animals.
After the walk I enter the metro where I am subjected to a pat down and my bag is x-rayed (as is everyone else). The metro is one of the few places in India where it is an advantage to be a female because there is hardly ever a line for women's security and there is a women only car at the front of each train which is hardly ever crowded (unlike the other cars which are typically jam packed). The metro is an anomaly in Delhi; it's clean, quiet, and air conditioned. The metro is also relatively new so it will be interesting to see how long it is maintained...
When I depart the metro near my office, I catch a cycle rickshaw to go to the office. If I were in the US, the distance would be walkable - probably about 15 to 20 minutes maximum. But in India, because of the heat, dust, chaos and lack of sidewalks (although I should note they are building sidewalks on the road from the metro to my office so things might be improving) a cycle rickshaw is better. Initially I had to find a rickshaw puller and haggle each day but now there is one rickshaw driver who I can always count on to be there in the morning to take me to the office. There is also now a rickshaw puller who waits for me outside the office in the evening in order to return me to the office. I think I'm paying about 10 rupees (approximately 20 cents US) more than Indians pay (I pay 30 each way and Indians pay 15 - 20), but I'm happy to pay it for the convenience of not having to haggle and explain the way to my office each day. One of the things about India is that those who have money will nickle and dime the poor (rickshaw pullers, maids, etc.) and many refuse to pay even a little extra for anything - even if the service is great. It's one of the reasons that the rich/poor divide just increases. The wealthy here continue to make money (it takes money to make money) but they refuse to tolerate an increase in prices for services even though the cost of living is increasing. And because the population is so large and there are so many poor and uneducated people there is always somebody who is willing to do the work for less. Seeing the situation here makes me appreciative of policies like the minimum wage in the US. Although minimum wage is dismal and could be better and although we have our share of problems and could be doing a lot better in terms of providing opportunities and equality (like funding better education and health care) we could also be doing a lot worse.
Ok, time to climb off my soapbox.
After I leave work at about 7 p.m. I complete the whole commute in reverse. Monday - Friday I don't generally go out in the evening and the few times that I have there was a lot of advanced planning involved. So most of my excitement and exploration time occurs on the weekends.
Weekend number three was fairly lowkey and I didn't see many sights. In fact on Sunday I spent the entire day at home reading and watching movies (great Indian films - Lagaan, Robot, and Like Stars on Earth). On Saturday, Dustin and I visited Akshardham temple in Delhi. Akshardham is a fairly new temple (built in 2006) but it is gigantic. There lifesize stone carved elephants that surround the base of the temple and the entire structure is ornately sculpted. Unfortunately cameras are not permitted on the grounds so I do not have any pictures. But you can look at pictures here http://www.akshardham.com/photogallery/mandir/index.htm
The ornate stone carvings were the extent of Akshardham's appeal. There is also a boat ride and a presentation in the hall of values but both of those things were a bit hokey. The hall of values was an animatronic / multimedia experience that chronicles the life of Swaminarayan, the founder of one particular sect of hinduism. And the boat tour chronicled some of India's history. While there was some interesting information presented, the whole thing just seemed like a religious Disneyland with the goal of inundating viewers with propoganda.  There is also a light/music show at the fountain there, but after spending a few hours in the sun and partaking in the boat tour and hall of values, we were exhausted and ready to call it a night.

Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Realizing that the monsoon season was fast approaching and that many of the national parks would be closed come July, I decided to make an effort to make it to at least one during.  So my second weekend in India became the designated weekend for seeing Indian wildlife. Because the plans didn't come to fruition until a few days before the weekend, my friend Dustin and I ended up hiring a car (the trains that would work with our schedules were booked) to take us to Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan.
The driver arrived at my house about an hour earlier than we had anticipated. Luckily Dustin had planned on arriving a bit earlier so we were able to get an early start. We departed for our approximately 9 hour journey at around 9:30 p.m. If you were to look at Google Maps, it would suggest this drive would only take about 6 hours, but Google Maps is wrong! I don't think Google Maps takes into account the fact that this is India - a land where traffic is insane, you have to stop in random places and search for the government officials that you need to pay tolls or taxes to, and the road is not nice and paved for the whole journey. In fact, while I'm talking about traffic I should mention a little saying that the driver told us about driving in India. "For driving in India, you need four things: good brakes, a good horn, good luck and a good doctor!" A very wise and accurate saying indeed.
The car was comfortable and our driver was very reliable, friendly and helpful. Despite being comfortable with his safe driving, it was still hard to get much sleep on the journey (since the actual paved road often disappeared or random traffic would appear). He successfully navigated us from Delhi to Sawai Madhopur (the town nearest Ranthambore National Park). There he dropped us off at our hotel at 6:30 am. By that point, Dustin and I were exhausted and hungry. We had breakfast at our hotel (the Raj Palace - which was lovely) and then decided to sleep for a few hours. Our first safari into the park was scheduled for the afternoon and we wanted to be well rested.
Upon waking, we decided to go for a little stroll around Sawai Madhopur. This decision was a bit of a mistake. Our driver had sort of warned us about strolling down the streets of Sawai Madhopur, but the way he explained it we thought he meant that the shopkeepers would try to sell us overpriced junk. So we left the hotel and strolled down the road. There we were greeted with camels pulling carts of bricks and other materials and people carrying on their day to day lives. We visited a statue of the Maharaja and then headed down another street towards a temple. At this point we encountered young children begging for money. This is something you get used to when you are in India as certain young children will come up and follow you around, sometimes pinching your arm in an effort to get money. Although it is sometimes tempting to want to help the children (they are clearly impoverished) we've been warned frequently that this is a trick and that no money should be given because it only encourages begging instead of learning a craft, trade, or other profession.
The children's begging, while annoying, was nothing like what we were about to experience. As we continued walking along we suddenly found ourselves faced with three teenage boys. At first it seemed like the three boys just wanted to see foreigners up close, but then it became clear they were casing us and looking for a way to steal our money. Although neither Dustin nor I speaks much Hindi, it was apparent they were making lewd comments and trying to distract Dustin while they looked for a way to steal our belongings. It was an uncomfortable situation. We reached the temple and headed towards the entrance to see if we could lose them. They followed us inside the gates. Then we attempted to wait and try to return back towards the hotel while they were washing up. This plan worked to keep them away from us for a bit, but they followed us on the return. But eventually as we neared an intersection near the Maharaja statue (where there was a police officer stationed) they turned off and left us in peace. From that point forward we decided we'd stick to the hotel (there was a pool so plenty to keep us entertained).
After returning to the hotel, eating lunch and swimming it was time to head on our first wildlife safari. We were picked up by a jeep and went on the first tour with a nice Indian family. The first tour was a wild ride - the driver sped down the roads taking turns as quickly as possible. There were no seatbelts and I was glad for the bars on the back of the seats in front of us. I affixed a death grip as we were jostled and bumped along the road. In my head I distinctly remember thinking the line from Jarassic Park, "hold on to your butts!" The guide was knowledgeable and provided us with information about the park. The primary draw of the first safari was a tiger that had been spotted earlier on the trail we had been assigned (the park limits how many jeeps and trucks can enter during the morning and evening times and specifies which trail each is to use). The guide had the driver take us as quickly as possible past the ruins of Maharaja hunting lodges and "tiger supermarkets" (herds of deer) to the banks of a small lake where a tiger was resting. As we watched a tiger there (which was at a bit of a distance) the guides learned that another tiger had been spotted nearby so we sped off in that direction. Lucky for us, the tiger crossed the road right in front of our jeep! He was nonplussed by the gaggles of tourists looking at him and snapping photos and he was a majestic sight to behold. The tiger nonchalantly walked across the road and into the trees to the side of a herd of deer. The deer watched nervously. The did not run, but they moved swiftly away from the tiger's path and then cautiously creeped to the edge of the trees to watch for the tigers next move.
We weren't able to watch the tiger too long because at that point the storm clouds were fast approaching and our driver began to speed down the road towards the exit. Despite the swift speed of the jeep, we were unable to outrun the rains. The storm dumped rain on us as we continued to race for the exit. At the exit we tried to take shelter under the gates to wait out the storm. Eventually we had to give up and get in the jeep while we headed back to the hotel. Dinner, a shower and sleep were great ways to finish out the evening and prepare for our second safari on day two.
Safari number two began early in the morning. We left the hotel at 6 am and ventured into the park with a different driver, a different guide, and different group of tourists. We were assigned a different trail (and unfortunately we learned that there was a tigress waiting on a kill on one of the other trails) and were taken off to explore a new part of the park. The driver on day 2 drove slower and we were able to appreciate the scenery a bit more. That day (at least in the beginning) we were not as lucky with the animal spotting. We saw plenty of peacocks, other birds, and deer, but no tigers or leopards or jackals or hyenas. Then after driving around for a few hours we spotted a sloth bear. We watched the sloth bear amble about. Unlike the tigers, he was a bit more disturbed by our presence and seemed to try to get away from us as quickly as possible.
We were not fortunate enough to spot any other animals, but we did come close. As we were departing the park our guide noticed that a monkey was in a tree giving a warning call which signaled to the others there was either a tiger or a leopard approaching. We waited for a few minutes to try to spot what the monkey was warning about (or maybe the monkey was just messing with us) but were unsuccessful in spotting the predator. Our safari time had lapsed and it was time to return to the hotel for breakfast, a shower, and then a departure for our long drive back to Delhi.
Overall it was an incredible weekend. It was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of Delhi and experience fresh air. And seeing two tigers during safari number one and a sloth bear during safari number was truly lucky!

Dustin waiting for safari number one in front of our hotel.

An old gate to the Ranthambore fort and the Ranthambore park.

The tiger's supermarket.

The various groups on the safari. Each jeep with a different guide.

The tiger closeup - let's call him Shere Khan!

Looking a bit like drowned rats after the rain began.

Seeking temporary shelter from the rain.

Safari number 2.

Me standing in front of the jeep on safari two.

The landscape of Ranthambore.

Sloth bear - perhaps named Baloo.

Peacock.