The last of India

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Soooo after another long break between entries, its time for an update on the last leg of India. After seeing that a train ride from Mumbai to Delhi took about 26 hours, the boys decided to reach into the other pocket and take a plane to the Indian capital.

Upon arrival in Delhi they took a taxi to Paharganj, the main bazaar in Delhi. This also happened to be the location of our hostel and made for a couple nice, relaxing nights. In the center of a city of 10 million. The next day Dave and Jord finally took the plunge and took an autorickshaw to the the Red Fort, a massive complex built by the Mughals. Outside the fort there are stalls all along the street selling food, clothes, phones, shoes, blessings, postcards and each one has people trying to get you to come in. The boys weren't sure how the touts realized they were foreign, but they definately seemed to be targets. The next day was spent in New Delhi, which was designed by the British and houses the national government of India. It was a different world from Old Delhi, with wide roads (where drivers actually used the lanes), parks with people playing cricket and the India Gate leading up to the Parliament buildings. The only thing similar was the 38 degree heat and humidity. The boys eventually made their way to Connaught Place, another shopping center. By this point Dave and Jord had been in India for three solid weeks, and there is only so much that two Canadian boys can take, so they finally cracked and had a western day. Mcdonalds for lunch and the new batman movie (in an air conditioned theare) was followed by dinner at Ruby Tuesdays. And they didn't feel bad about a single thing. The next morning a train was booked to Agra and India's most famous monument, the Taj Mahal.

Well, it was worth the five hour train ride, thats for sure. Ranking right up there with St Peters in Rome and the Wayne Gretzky statue outside Rexall, the Taj is one of the most impressive sights the boys have seen. With a hostel about 100 feet from the east gate, the boys even managed to get up at 5:45 and make their way inside to get the famous sun rise at the Taj experience. Without a doubt one of the romantic mornings of the boys lives, Dave was often seen dabbing his eyes and blaming it on the 'pollution'. It really is an amazing sight, with all the inlaid stone and symmetrical everything. The previous day they had made an arrangement with a driver, so he picked them up in the morning for a full dy of sightseeing in Agra. First was the Agra Fort, another Mughal building with many Taj views and white marble buildings of its own. After that they saw how all the stone work was done by decendants of the original builders, but quickly realized this was all leading up to a sales pitch and politely declined the 'fantastic' deals on table tops and jewelry boxes. They also made it to the Baby Taj and grabbed dinner on one of the many rooftop resaurants offering Taj views in the area. Dave, being very artistic, managed to get some great shots that should hopefully be online soon. After this, they made their way to Jaipur, the third city in the golden triangle.

Old Jaipur is a city that was painted pink for the arrival of the Prince of Wales in the 19 century, and this tradition has been kept up ever since. It also offers a view into a different side of India, with dusty streets, camels on the road and snake charmers on the sidewalks. The old town in basically one big bazaar, offering all sorts of things to tourists and locals alike. Picture an outdoor wal-mart along the streets, with every booth selling another aisle worth of products. And, if you were to ask the local salesmen, two big dollar signs above the two white boys heads. Dave and Jord walked through City Palace and saw the Hawa Mahal and went out for a great Indian supper in Jaipurs only revolving restaurant. The next day they went back to Delhi (again grabbing a McChicken meal) and caught a flight back to Mumbai and the comfort of Mr Gardners. Today Mr. Gardner took them to the Cricket Club of India, where he is a member, and they enjoyed breakfast while watching a match. After having the game explained to him over the past month by Dave and Mr. Gardner, Jordan can now confidently comment on a nice six or how a bowler is spinning. The boys are also talking about looking into the Edmonton cricket scene when they get back to Canada. Well this will probably be the last entry before Thailand, so the boys will speak to you again from Bangkok.

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