India is a land of juxtaposition. Hindi comfortably resting with English; gleaming transcontinental highways that exit onto grimy chaos infested streets; Islam oddly mingling with traditional Indian religions; palaces and mausoleums constructed of marble adorned with jewels surrounded by squalor, beggars, stray dogs and confrontational monkeys.
Mother India is a very special place. I understand it's draw, allure and it's attraction. I may be smitten with India. We were duly warned about the ills, dangers and implications of traveling to such a dank and awful place. I can't say for them they were wrong. For me, however, they were sorely mistaken.
The general motion of the Indian people is as jagged and non conformed as a puzzle piece and yet it falls into place and rests snug and comfortably with the rest of the pieces. It's beyond the cliche of controlled chaos. It's a land of magnificent near misses.
This is a land of grey area. Rules, notices and precautions are blatantly and constantly ignored. Every world heritage sight we have visited is vigilantly guarded by a metal detector. Most of these metal detectors are unmanned and is set at such a sensitivity that allows its users to pass through with bags, cameras and such. One could literally ride a bicycle through one of these and it would nary an alarm, and yet the queue starts here to go through security. Traffic lights, lane dividers, traffic directions and lists of rules are all subject to optional adherence, and yet this lack to obey is not meant to be vindictive, disruptive or a nod to revolt. This simply is the ebb and flow of India. Gone from the blistering and busting from the seems streets is aggression. Every bicycle rider, tuk tuk driver, rickshaw puller, every pedestrian is the stream, no one is the rock. For if you were the rock you would be hit by a bus. The flow of India is a furious hum.
The ever present aroma of burning garbage fills the air with the hickory flavor which is regrettably lovely and enjoyed.
On Wednesday we headed to Agra. After a lovely made-to-order breakfast of Poori Bhaji and chai "masala" tea and coffee we set out. After a tenuous zig zag dodgy exit from Delhi we entered a spaciously crisp intercontinental highway. The journey from Delhi to Agra took five hours with minimal stops for state border tariff obligations, bowel relief and masala tea served via a Dixie cup for twenty cents. The Indian countryside is reminiscent of that seen from interstate 80 while passing through Nebraska.
To pass the time on the drive we played a geography game. It entertained us for two hours but annoyed us the last hour.
Arriving in Agra is descending back into civilized chaos. A cow unconcerned with its situation acts as a road block on a very busy bridge exodus while frantic Indians pull and push the sacred beast out of the line of danger. A small tired Indian man, who is looking very concerned with his situation, attempts to push his bicycle, which is attached to a trolley, which is severely overloaded with burlap, up an incline in the middle of traffic chaos. A man is riding bitch on a moped cradling several pieces of mirror and glass. On the peak of every building are several red-assed monkeys watching the action below.
Lunch was at Indiana's as in Jones. Everybody ordered delicious food.
The first sightseeing stop of the day was to Agra Fort. We were fortunate enough to have a guide, named Akash. He gave a documentary feel to the visit to Agra Fort. Obviously Agra Fort is very important in Indian history but it's most famous for being the home of the of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, who is responsible for dreaming up and executing the construction of the Taj Mahal.
Next, it was off to the Taj Mahal. As cliché as it may be, seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time is an awe-inspiring incredible sensation. The Indians used durable yet beautifully shimmering marble in the construction of the Taj Mahal so it has certainly maintained its integrity through the test of time. After enjoying sunset at Taj Mahal we were abruptly encouraged to depart by Guards with annoying whistles and assault rifles.
We checked into a very nice hotel called Raj Mahal. We tiredly enjoyed dessert and tea.
Mother India is a very special place. I understand it's draw, allure and it's attraction. I may be smitten with India. We were duly warned about the ills, dangers and implications of traveling to such a dank and awful place. I can't say for them they were wrong. For me, however, they were sorely mistaken.
The general motion of the Indian people is as jagged and non conformed as a puzzle piece and yet it falls into place and rests snug and comfortably with the rest of the pieces. It's beyond the cliche of controlled chaos. It's a land of magnificent near misses.
This is a land of grey area. Rules, notices and precautions are blatantly and constantly ignored. Every world heritage sight we have visited is vigilantly guarded by a metal detector. Most of these metal detectors are unmanned and is set at such a sensitivity that allows its users to pass through with bags, cameras and such. One could literally ride a bicycle through one of these and it would nary an alarm, and yet the queue starts here to go through security. Traffic lights, lane dividers, traffic directions and lists of rules are all subject to optional adherence, and yet this lack to obey is not meant to be vindictive, disruptive or a nod to revolt. This simply is the ebb and flow of India. Gone from the blistering and busting from the seems streets is aggression. Every bicycle rider, tuk tuk driver, rickshaw puller, every pedestrian is the stream, no one is the rock. For if you were the rock you would be hit by a bus. The flow of India is a furious hum.
The ever present aroma of burning garbage fills the air with the hickory flavor which is regrettably lovely and enjoyed.
On Wednesday we headed to Agra. After a lovely made-to-order breakfast of Poori Bhaji and chai "masala" tea and coffee we set out. After a tenuous zig zag dodgy exit from Delhi we entered a spaciously crisp intercontinental highway. The journey from Delhi to Agra took five hours with minimal stops for state border tariff obligations, bowel relief and masala tea served via a Dixie cup for twenty cents. The Indian countryside is reminiscent of that seen from interstate 80 while passing through Nebraska.
To pass the time on the drive we played a geography game. It entertained us for two hours but annoyed us the last hour.
Arriving in Agra is descending back into civilized chaos. A cow unconcerned with its situation acts as a road block on a very busy bridge exodus while frantic Indians pull and push the sacred beast out of the line of danger. A small tired Indian man, who is looking very concerned with his situation, attempts to push his bicycle, which is attached to a trolley, which is severely overloaded with burlap, up an incline in the middle of traffic chaos. A man is riding bitch on a moped cradling several pieces of mirror and glass. On the peak of every building are several red-assed monkeys watching the action below.
Lunch was at Indiana's as in Jones. Everybody ordered delicious food.
The first sightseeing stop of the day was to Agra Fort. We were fortunate enough to have a guide, named Akash. He gave a documentary feel to the visit to Agra Fort. Obviously Agra Fort is very important in Indian history but it's most famous for being the home of the of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, who is responsible for dreaming up and executing the construction of the Taj Mahal.
Next, it was off to the Taj Mahal. As cliché as it may be, seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time is an awe-inspiring incredible sensation. The Indians used durable yet beautifully shimmering marble in the construction of the Taj Mahal so it has certainly maintained its integrity through the test of time. After enjoying sunset at Taj Mahal we were abruptly encouraged to depart by Guards with annoying whistles and assault rifles.
We checked into a very nice hotel called Raj Mahal. We tiredly enjoyed dessert and tea.
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