Leaving Delhi

Namaste Everyone
A group of weary backpacked people trudged their way from the Namaster Hotel to the railway station to await the train to Agra.
We were sorry to leave our home of 4 days which we had come to like, despite the leaks and inconsistencies of some of our rooms.

Our train-ride to Agra enabled us to see another side of this amazing country; An Indian sunrise – a red sun evolving from a distant horizon was quite a spectacle. Looking out from our train window we passed many mud and straw huts, cow and mud pats being made and laid out to dry, fields of curry plants and people performing all sorts of ablutions – a sight for sore eyes.
Arriving in Agra brought about a whole new set of sights. People with all sorts of ailments were at us with out-reaching hands from the moment we left the train to make our way to the bus. The twisted and distorted figures of some of the people we have seen has imprinted strong images in our minds.
Our guide for the Taj Mahal herded us down the various metal isles like cattle – ladies in one isle, men in the other – AND then the ‘pat down’ prior to entering the Taj Mahal grounds. (These pat downs are becoming quite a frequent occurrence with various visits – we had a pat-down while in Delhi when visiting Connaught Place)
The Taj was truly breath-taking. Before you enter, there is an arch-way from where the Taj Mahal can be seen, and then when you walk through – there it is in its full glory. It really is a breath-taking image.
We were given a grand tour and before entering the actual Taj building we were given some cotton shoe covers to put on.
What an amazing piece of architecture – the inlay of various stones that make up the decorative features within this building is truly a work of intricate art.
The Taj Mahal took 22 years to complete and the history is sooooo rich. What an amazing time we had and of course we couldn’t leave without having a group photo taken on the famous ‘Lady Di’ bench seat situated in front of the Taj.
What an awesome experience and we couldn’t help but notice the cues lining up on our way out.
Lunch was at – wait for it – ‘The Only Restaurant’ in Agra (of course there are many to choose from) This was another great experience – we were treated to a great lunch and even better still an Indian puppet show. This was followed by a young turbaned Indian boy performing a head wobble dance – simply fantastic – this drew lots of fascinated looks.
The Red Fort after lunch was another splendid visit. Our guide went over a range of facts, but the that seemed to evoke the most attention the one about the King having 600 concubines! The boys were gob-smacked. You can imagine the comments.
On returning to the bus from this visit we had another onslaught of hawkers attacking us from all directions. Each with an array of various trinkets and souvenirs’. Some of the bartering actualized in chess sets and elephants being bought.
Before leaving Agra we visited a Marble factory where we were able to see first-hand the process of delicate inlay work where the smallest of pieces of various stones were being hand filed and carefully placed into marble. Painstakingly slow and arduous task reaping rather low returns.
Some of the students have purchased some beautiful pieces from here – so some of you no doubt will be receiving some lovely gifts made from expert hands.
The trip from Agra to the railway station could be described as a vertical nightmare as far as traffic goes. The yellow roofs of the tuk tuks were like bees to honey – and if you can imagine along with that, cows, rickshaws, people carrying various loads on their heads and dogs and buses all in one conglomeration all heading in the same direction – simply abysmal! An approximate 30 km journey to the train station took 2 hours.
On arrival at the train station we were met by a smattering of rats on the platform – darting this way and that and on the railway lines, stray dogs cleverly negotiating their destiny as speeding trains whizzed by.
After some waiting; our train with 3 tier bunks enabled this tired and weary bunch of travelers a much needed sleep. Crammed in the cubicles we managed to squash our padlocked backpacks under seats and in any other space available before our much needed rest.
Our arrival at Varanasi has been yet another tremendous experience. We were given an amazing welcome. Our packs were carried off the bus by the staff and on entering the reception at the Surya Hotel we were each greeted with a beautiful marigold lay and dubbed on the forehead with a red dot of oil. What a fab hotel – Everyone has a lovely room and there is a swimming pool on the complex – such a contrast from the Namasker Hotel and of course another slice of Indian hospitality.
So far our group are holding out well – there have only been 2 cases of mild Dehli belly. Over all we are doing exceptionally well and living this awesome experience day by day.
Eden will be blogging the Ganges and Varanasi experience.
Bernie