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Published: August 14th 2008
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026 - India - Delhi
07/25/08 - 07/30/08
Delhi and the Taj
Where do I begin with India? Where can I begin? It's like attempting to draw the first stroke in a painting when you don't know which color to choose, and there's a billion different shades to pick from. Prior to arriving we asked every veteran-India traveler to tell us what it's all about. We read the travel books and some pleasure books*, and tried to prepare ourselves for what lay ahead. Sure enough, it was like nothing we could have imagined. Okay, the basics first.
It's crowded. There's well over one billion people in the country (the States has about 300 million). The ratio of (Indian) men to women on the streets feels like 100:1. There's more poverty than I've ever seen and many people survive on less than $1 a day. There's not enough 'stuff' (money, food, water, shelter, toilets, transportation, clothes, deodorant, etc.) for everyone to get their fair share, and it shows. Competition is fierce and confrontations are common (if not encouraged). If you don't get on the bus it doesn't wait. It doesn't matter if you're 85 years old and have
only one leg, and the bus is 200% past maximum occupancy, and it's moving, and there's ten auto-rickshaws about to converge onto the spot where you're currently standing, if you don't fight your way onto the platform you're out of luck, try again next time.
Our flight to Delhi was a classic prelude of what was in store for us. We were early onto the plane and I took the window seat while Hannah took the middle. Having been warned that Indian men have no sense of personal space and can sometimes (understatement) be a little creepy around women, I offered to swap seats with Hannah. 'No, it should be fine, plus the window gets cold sometimes', was her response. No worries, I shrugged it off. Wouldn't you know it if an Indian man sat right next to Hannah and started speaking with her. His elbow was well over the armrest and he was leaning in so close that his entire left arm and part of his head were on Hannah's side. Hannah's trying to be polite and scoots as close to me as she possibly can. Still, I can tell she's uncomfortable. I smile and give her the
'I told you so' grin. We wait it out for thirty minutes and then pretend to go to the bathroom. On our way back, we swap seats and I sit in the middle. He was exactly the same with me: engaging, interested in the conversation, and all up in my personal space! I didn't mind too much though, and after three drinks (or was it five?) and two hours we became good friends. Raj gave us his information and we agreed to get in contact once we arrived in his home town of Jaipur.
We checked out the National Museum and the touristy Red Fort of Old Delhi. The admission prices to these venues vary greatly depending on whether you are Indian: Red Fort prices are 10 Rupees (about 25 cents) for Indians and 300 Rupees ($7.50) for foreigners. At first I wasn't too happy about this blatant discrimination. But, to be fair, if the prices were 300 Rupees all around not too many Indians would be able to afford this. As it
stands, many Indians take advantage of the low prices and are able to enjoy their national treasures, thereby crowding many of the touristy venues.
After a few days in Delhi we headed over to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal. The day we went to the Taj Mahal was an anniversary of one of the builders and the admission was free after 2 PM. Unfortunately, we didn't find out about this until right after we bought our tickets that morning! Bummer! But, we did get to enjoy the Taj with almost no crowds and it was spectacular. Even though India is primarily a Hindu country, the Taj is an Islamic building and has verses from the holy Koran written along the walls. There are 'out-buildings' on either side and one is used as a mosque for Muslims on Fridays. The symmetry of the Taj is truly remarkable and the north-south center line runs from one end of the complex to the other, while an east-west line bisects through the center. Later that day we went to the Agra Fort for some more sight seeing and picture taking. Besides the Taj, we didn't care too much for Agra and
were happy to be on our way to the capital city of Rajasthan. Next stop, Jaipur.
*
Pleasure books we read about India. 'Holy Cow' provides a female perspective of the culture and religions of India. 'Shantaram' is excellent, albeit a bit violent, and tells the true story of a fugitive that takes refuge in Mumbai's underworld. 'The God of Small Things' is a tragically redemptive story set in 1940's rural India.
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Following You Two
Hi, I found your blog about a month ago when I was looking for information about Gili Air. (We are going there in Sept). I then became fascinated with your blog and decided to read the entire thing! You two are having an amazing trip and I'm so glad to be subscribed and reading the latest blog. Can't wait to hear more about India--it sounds like you are handling it all in stride.