Vinny & Dogs Epic Trek Part 8: India and the Taj Mahal

Following my time in Cambodia, I decided to hit up India to see the Taj Mahal and to see for myself the illusions created by Rudyard Kipling and journalists of the early 1900's. I arrived in Delhi and I was expecting the airport to be a total shithole, as noted by many travelers who have passed through it. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated, and I have certainly been in worse (Cairo, Nairobi, among others). Well I fought my way through customs and into the country only to run into a road block at getting a ride. There are abuot 100 people there asking if you need a ride and pulling you towards their cab and grabbing your bag to take it to their cab. I wasn't having any of this so I pushed my way to the prepaid taxi stand. I paid 300 Rupees (about 6 USD) for the ride to my hotel. I got in and there was a driver and another guy. The other guy was asking me what hotel I wanted to go to and I told him. He kept saying that it was bad and the hotel was too much and not a good part of town. I listened to his ramblings, but essentially told him to pound sand as I already had a room. He figured out I didn't want to go to one of his buddies places, and had the driver let him out on the side of the road.....Yep....see ya pal! We trudged on to the hotel, which I read was hard to find. We only had to stop once for directions and then I saw the sign for it. Finally, I could relax a bit.

The next day I went to talk to a guy about travel around India. He was downstairs at the hotel so I thought he may be not too bad. Go figure I misread that one!! He tried to charge me 2K for about 14 days of travel. (after the fact I spent about 1500 less than he was going to charge me for the same, trains, buses, and hotels!) I told him he was crazy and we started arguing about it. (so far I am 7 days into the same trip, only doing it myself, and I have spent about 300 so far). In the shop there was another American guy named Kevin. He was also asking about traveling around, namely to Agra, in a few days time. The guy gave him the runaround and we were both a bit pissed. We started talking and ended up walking around for the next two days exploring Old Delhi and some of the sights around Delhi. It was nice to have someone to speak Enlgish to and to help dealing with all the people as there are about 14M people in Delhi. People EVERYWHERE! Old Delhi was ridiculously rundown and for it to be the ass end of a third world country gets you close to the ballpark of how decrepid the area and everything is. Despite the antique feeling, the overall filth and the droves of street urchins, the area has somewhat of an allure which drew me to see and experience it. Everywhere you go people are asking for money, whether they shove a stump of what used to be a hand, arm or burns, or they hobble over to you to show they can't walk, they all have their hand or a little can for money. They don't put their hand out to Indians, but as we are the foreigner with the seemingly financial possibilities, they go for us. (It can be a tremendous problem when traveling in third world countries) Some of them are pushy and keep harrassing you, but once you have had enough, you stop and turn towards them and they are pretty quick to dissolve back into the crowds.

For the next two days we walked along the streets finding our way to a few local sites, including a mosque with a commanding view of the area, the Red Fort of Delhi, the Indian Gate and a few different temples and pagodas. The following day we decided to hire a car and driver to take us to Agra. I was planning to stay there for a few days and he was planning to return that night for a flight to Hong Kong. (He is in the same boat I am, quit his job in Aug and traveling until Xmas!) We also met another American named Richard. He jumped into the car with us and was planning on coming back to the Delhi with Kevin for the night train that evening. Getting to Agra was an adventure. The driver was doing his best impersonation of Evil Kneival.....He was speeding down the road, passing cars, buses, cattle in the road, and anything else one can imagine, all while he was blasting his horn at whatever we were passing and sometimes it seemed for the hell of it. If you total up the time he was honking his horn, I would bet the horn was on for almost half the 5 hr drive. We got to Agra and decided to go right to the Taj Mahal. We walked the 1-2K from the parking lot to the Taj and bought our tickets. You have to go through a metal detector and who would have thought our camera bags would set it off. The guy inspecting our bags was saying random things weren't allowed. I carry a flashlight in my bag and he said it wasn't allowed. Then the plug to my recharger wasn't allowed, then the extra battery. I told him it was all ok and put it all back in my bag and proceeded to keep walking. He stopped me, got his boss (both Agra Policeman) and I told them both it was ok and I was going in regardless of what they say with the full contents of my bag. The boss agreed with me as long as I didn't open and start taking things out inside. OK...no problem. (While I apparently had the full attention of the guards, there was a basket of confiscated food, mostly candy bars and some type of breakfast bars. As we had not had time for breakfast, the two guys I was with started scarfing down some of the breakfast bars in the bin...nice huh???) Once past security, you enter the Taj Complex through a door. Everyone stopps there to take the first of many photos of the Wonder of the World. My first impression was, 'This thing is truly amazing'. The overall complex was very clean and offered numerous areas from which to sit on a bench while taking in the site, a far cry from what surrounds the area with the street urchins and filth of a third world country. We split up to take photos and explore the grounds at our own pace. Kevin and I walked, talked and photographed our way around. There are numerous people trying to help you take the best photos. All of which a keen phographer, such as myself, would pick up on their own. They take you to a spot and then another, and then ask for money in the end. Sort of ridiculous, but hey this is India and that's how they roll. If they talk to you somehow you should feel obliged to give them money. Crazy! Despite the amount of people there, the Taj Mahal was truly impressive. The white marble and with everything so clean on the grounds, it was certainly ranks as one of the most amazing things I have seen on the trip so far.

We found our way around the Taj Mahal and back to the car for a trip to my hotel. I checked into the hotel and they had to book for the return car trip with Mario Andretti to Delhi. I hope they made their connections!! After a few days exploring Agra I was planning to be off to Jaipur and the lovely tourist trek of Rajistan.....those events will be for the next post shortly!!!

Cheers......

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Part of trip: ON THE ROAD!

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