Advertisement
Published: April 19th 2006
Edit Blog Post
Had a very full day.
Started early at the Taj Mahal!
Everyone told me to expect it to be smaller than I thought, but the good news is it's taller than 4ft! In fact it is very impressive, and the size seems to vary depending on what perspective you are standing at. Like Ayres Rock it almost seems too unreal to be real, like a superimposed matt painting in a movie studio!
I always understood that the Mausoleum was made by a distraght husband for his dead wife, but it turns out SHE TOLD HIM... 'If you love me, when I die, build me a big memorial... AND NEVER MARRY AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!' (Which is less romantic somehow)! There is meant to be a black Taj on the opposite bank but apparently the Moghul's son had his dad put behind bars before he spent more money building it! You can see the argument can't you.... 'For God's sake Dad... One's enough... get over it!'
In the afternoon, Glen, Joan, Jamie and me headed out on cycle rickshaws to explore the Red Fort!
I'd picked up this Rickshaw bloke by chance when he picked me up for free on
the premise that if he took me to a cyber cafe he'd get 10% commission.
As it turned out we ended up hiring him and his mate for the entire day.
Agra fort is equally impressive, and for the second time in one day, (first at the Taj), a group of blokes asked if they could have there photo taken with me?
You have to know I'm very popular in India! Not sure why but as far as I can suss they like my hat, am intrieged by my lack of hair, and think I'm a bit of an Adonis?
I kid you not, at home I may well be seen as a bit of a fat bastard, but here in India, (where a well fed man is hard to find), I'm a bit of a hero, and I keep getting blokes coming up to me and saying dubious stuff like... 'I like your bicep.' or, 'This',,, then they point at me.. 'The fitness, this I think is good'!
Like I said at first I found it all a bit disconcerting and I wasn't quite sure where these people were coming from, but I'm fairly
ME WITH SOME FANS
These lads asked to have there photos taken with them. certain now that this is just a general healthy male respect for my general physique, (as opposed to a bunch of dodgy Indians trying to make advances on me)!
Anyway, today was the day we progressed from them shaking my hand, and paying complements, to them actually lining up to have there photograph taken with me. (Gonna start offering autographs next)!
The big mission today was to get Jamie a Taj Mahal teatowel for his Dad.
TURNS OUT THEY'RE A RARITY!
We did end up in one exclusive department store that sold high quality merchandise to 5 star type tourists. There was every ornamental treasure known to man all at exorbitant prices, all with well attired shop assistants ready to pamper us and help us use our Visa cards. 'WHAT! You only want a towel?' said the immaculate lady in a Sari when we declined her offer of various Marble carvings. 'Is there nothing else that might interest you?' I said I'd be in the market for a fridge magnet if she could find me one, at which point Jamie snorted, burst into giggles and ran downstairs, and the woman in the Sari just glared at
me and wished us all a good day!
In another shop we masquaraded as brothers buying a present for our parents wedding anniversary so we could con the proprietors into selling us two marble elephants at a reduced price. Basically I'd bought one, then I'd been offered two at a reduced price, (Jamie coughed cos he's been looking for an elephant), so then we sprung into this elaborate lie, so I'd buy both of them at the cheaper offered price, on the premise it would be from the both of us for........ 'Mum and Dad'! The guy in the shop was suspicious and mentioned we didn't look that much like brothers, but I covered that quickly with the fact there had always been some degree of doubt over Jamie's parantage, but if you looked closely you could see his receading hairline, While Jamie just said that I'd been the one 'who'de gotten all the food in our upbringing.'
Tonight we are all catching the Night sleeper to Varanasi, and on the basis that this has the potential for being a fun sleepover if handled correctly Glen and I have bought a lot of drink. At the moment everyone
else is being very poe faced and claiming they arn't planning on drinking much tonight... but we'll just see what happens wont we? Zap you all from Varanasi!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.093s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 6; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0615s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb