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Published: March 2nd 2007
Yesterday, we met our guide at 9:00 after breakfast in the hotel. Our destination for the day included the Baby Taj -- across the river over a very busy bridge some little ways away. The baby Taj houses yet more remains of the Jahan family. We really liked it here. Many tourists come for the day from Delhi and dash to the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and back home in time for bed. They miss some of the other sites in so doing.
We appreciated the gardens, as well as the peacefulness. Very few hawkers, comparatively, and a smaller scale to the whole thing that made it very approachable. It was lovely and I would recommend it to any.
We are getting better at running the gauntlet to the car through the hawkers. The saddest vision today, however, was seeing a leper knock on our window, his facial skin peeled and his eyes a vision not easily forgotten. The mothers and children stil knock at intersections -- amazingly, babies as young as maybe ten months or a year have already been taught to take their tiny fists and hit the windows.
Our guide took us again to a few shops we did not particularly want to see but it was fine.
We love our driver, Mr. Pappom. He is jolly, kind and warm. He makes us laugh and we somehow make him laugh too. The language barrier is not so bad when you share a few dozen words with someone.
In the afternoon, we went to Sakandra (again, spelling may be wrong) -- the tomb of Akbar. Akbar was a pretty cool guy -- a Muslim, he married a Muslim, Hindu and Christian woman -- hedging his bets? An attempt to unify religions and cultures, perhaps? Anyway, he and two of the women were buried there. The third, the Hindu wife, was not buried per her traditions but likely burned instead. Again, the grounds were beautiful and the place quiet and peaceful. We saw ibexes, (can one make ibex a plural?!) with their twisted horns, in the park, as well as the usual monkeys. Lovely.
Lunch was in a restaurant recommended by our guide. Outside the door was a young boy about eight and likely his father in full regalia -- dad playing music and the little boy doing the classic head-bobbing dancing with a full smile and kohled eyes. Inside, the place was suspiciously filled with a lot of white people, but the food was great so all was well. A vegetarian thali, which you may have at home, was a whopping 125 rupees -- about $3.40. Not a bad deal for a tourist trap!
After yet more shopping next door (I bought my kid a very cool outfit and myself a cotton shirt), we headed back to the hotel. My full plan was to sit by the pool and read. The infinity pool here is wonderful -- dark blue tile makes the water seem even more inviting. The water was warm and not heavily chlorinated.
We all found a corner of the hotel to call our own -- Sandi and Larrye two double bed affairs in the shade, me in full sun and Tiina somewhere else entirely. It was great for all.
Sandi left at 4:30 to take pictures from the backside of the Taj to get the full reflection in the river. We all putzed around and met at 6:00 for a drink. We watched from the deck a display of local dancing (I ducked out early to update the blog, which is taking on a life of its own!).
Our big excitement is that we are fortunate enough to be here around the time of the full moon. The day of the full moon, and two days either side of it, the Taj opens on a limited basis for people to visit at night. After the Sikhs threatened to blow it up many years ago, this practice was suspended and only in the past few years has it been open on a limited basis. Fifty people are allowed in for half an hour stints and then the next fifty are allowed to enter after the first have gone.
Security is huge for this. We went to a separate area for a full check. I thought the woman who patted me down should have bought me a drink first, she got so intimate! We were then bussed back to the East gate with truly a man riding shotgun in both the front and back of the bus. Guns were everywhere in the process, we had to show i.d and tickets at no less than three checkpoints and we were again security cleared at the East Gate. We were told not to walk faster than anyone else and to stay with our armed escort into the building.
The moon was perfect and the night clear. We were not allowed to get too close, but it was a special experience nonetheless. We felt blessed to have been here at the right time for an experience not shared by many.
Back to the hotel for a light dinner and to bed.
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Linda
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Your day at the Taj
What a fabulous way to spend your birthday! Some fantastic scenery, fascinating bits of history, a great pool to dip your toes in (or more)....sounds like it's a happy birthday after all! XOX