Friday, 17 Mar 2017 – Happy
Birthday Jesse! In order to be at our
meeting place onboard the ship by 4:15 AM, we awoke to our alarm at 3:00 AM –
no, that’s not a typo! After a brief
snack & coffee, we disembarked from the ship to board our bus, where we met
our guide, Kapin. Since our trip through Cochin was in the dark, we
didn’t see very much of that city. At
Cochin airport, we received boarding passes and at 7:10 AM we boarded a plane
(Air India), on which we were served breakfast. Our tickets were for an
aisle and middle seat, for which we were grateful. However, an Indian
family who filled two rows across the aisle asked if their boy (of 8 to 11
years) could sit in the aisle seat in our row (though his ticket was for the
window seat; we reluctantly agreed, so that we were stuck in inside
seats!
At
10:56 AM we landed at the Delhi airport, where we met our Taj Mahal tour guide,
Sunil, and boarded the Group 3 bus. There were 26 people in Group 3, and
we assume there were similar numbers in Groups 1 and 2. A fourth bus was
also present; it might have been a spare for emergency, but we believe it also
carried some of our suitcases.
From
the bus, we viewed some of the city of Delhi, capital of India. Also, we
each received a box lunch. From Delhi, our buses traveled on the new
Yamuna Expressway to Agra, which allowed wonderful views of India’s vast
farming countryside. We passed some
small groups of cattle, which might have been raised mostly for their dung
(used for fuel or fertilizer). More
often, we saw rather barren areas with holes being dug for clay, which was used
for making bricks. We passed numerous
smokestacks close to the ground, which our guide said were used in the brick
manufacturing process. From the
smokestacks rose black smoke, obviously polluting the air. Our guide told us that such smokestacks had
been removed from near cities; however, we noticed some air pollution
throughout India. And some areas were covered
with small fields separated by hedgerows, much like in England. Occasionally we saw a few people working in
the fields. Indian women wear colorful
clothing, which includes often beautiful dresses that hang nearly to their
feet. We were very surprised to see
women sometimes working in the field, perhaps even standing in water, but still
wearing their beautiful clothes!
At
about 4:30 PM we arrived at our hotel, Double Tree by Hilton, in the city of
Agra, where we immediately received room keys to our very large, luxurious
room. Sally immediately fell asleep for a short nap, but our luggage
arrived at 5:30 AM. At 6:00 PM we all gathered in the large dining room.
After a demonstration of the classical dance form of Kathak by three dancers,
we enjoyed a huge buffet dinner. By 9:00 PM we were in bed!
Saturday, 18 Mar 2017 – All three groups gathered in the
hotel lobby at 5:15 AM for coffee, juices, & small cookies. Then
Group 3, led by our guide Sunil, boarded our bus to the parking lot for the Taj
Mahal. Although this viewing was supposed to be at sunrise, the sun was
well up by the time we lined up for entry. Security is extremely strict
in India, even at our hotel entrance in Agra. At airports, men and women
line up in separate lines because everyone experiences a “pat down.” It
was the same at the Taj Mahal entrance, but apparently, the woman security
guard was slow in arriving to start frisking the women; therefore, the women
probably stood in line for about an hour, wondering what was going on, while
the men moved right along in their line nearby. (Since we couldn’t carry
in any objects larger than a small purse – and we didn’t know then that even
that was allowed – Sally didn’t have her fold-out seat that Jesse always
carries like a backpack!) Of course, Jesse and many men were waiting for
women to enter.
 |
| Taj Mahal, Agra, India |
However,
the Taj Mahal was definitely worth seeing.
With its incredible lacy white grandeur, it is perhaps the most perfect
example of an architectural monument in the world. In memory of his [favorite] wife, the Moghal
emperor Shah Jehan planned this most extravagant and incomparable monument
built for love. Amazingly graceful from
any angle, it is the close-up detail that is really astounding.
Back
at the hotel at about 9:00 AM, we enjoyed breakfast. We intended to go to
Fort Agra with our group at 10:15 AM, the next scheduled event; however, when the
two of us arrived at the meeting place about three or four minutes late, the
group had already left! Although we were surprised that they hadn’t
waited, our feelings weren’t hurt; we were perfectly willing to spend the time
relaxing in our room. However, the tour organizers in the lobby insisted
on getting us to the Fort and called for a small automobile to take us there!
Our ride in that car to the Fort turned out to be an unforeseen, exciting adventure
as the car wove in and out of traffic. Driving in any city in India would
be a scary experience and, although the two of us sat in the back seat, we held
our breath for much of the distance! Our guide, Sunil, later told us that
three things are required to drive in India: “a good horn, good brakes,
and good luck!” Very few stoplights exist; instead, vehicles attempt to
work their way into traffic in frequent, disorganized roundabouts. Lots of motorcycles weave in and out; usually
no lines show on the road; and sometimes people or dogs walk very close to
moving traffic. (A few times when we
were on the bus, we saw a cow next to the road in one of the cities, but
fortunately not on that ride to Fort Agra.) After that wild ride, we
arrived safely at Fort Agra, where we met up with our guide and the rest of the
group.
Agra
Fort is a World Heritage site, credited to Emperor Akbar, India’s great
visionary. His sons and grandsons added
to this imposing structure situated by the banks of the Yamuna River. The palaces, mosques, and audience halls
contained within its massive walls of red sandstone were embellished by the
artistic fusion of Islam and Hindu tradition.
Later
in the afternoon there were opportunities to visit the Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah
or to go “Shopping,” at some very expensive stores. We opted out because
we were very tired. There was also a second visit to the Taj Mahal
scheduled for a viewing at sunset, but most people (perhaps all of Group 3)
chose not to return; it was a Saturday, and our guide told us that it would be
even more crowded than it had been in the morning. We felt that seeing it
once was sufficient! Dinner was at 7:00 PM, another bountiful meal; and
we were asleep before 10:30 PM.
Sunday,
19 Mar 2017 – We arose at 4:00 AM; packed our bags which we left by our hotel room
door for pickup; and then had coffee, juice, & rolls in the lobby. By
5:30 AM we were on our Group 3 bus, and soon each of us was given a “box
breakfast” (made by the hotel): ground chicken sandwiches, two boiled eggs,
small roll, small banana, apple, cookie, and mango juice. By about 8:15
AM the buses were in the outskirts of Delhi, and arrived at the Delhi airport at
about 9:45 AM.
Since
our fight was not scheduled to depart until 12:15 PM, we window-shopped at the
various stores in the airport before boarding an IndiGo Airline plane.
This time we both had aisle seats, across from each other, which was
fine. We discovered that food was not necessarily provided on this plane,
only if the ticket included payment for a meal. The flight attendant took
our flight tickets, tore off the end portion that entitled us to a meal, and
then gave us a choice of three items plus a soft drink or water. Since we
soon discovered that all food choices were spicy, Jesse enjoyed two lunches,
while Sally snacked on the cashew nuts that she had brought in her carryon bag!
At 3:00 PM the plane landed at the Goa airport, and our group split up to board
the three buses for the relatively short ride to the pier.
In
our cabin, there was a cupcake and a note for Jesse’s birthday. Though
very tired, we went to dinner, sitting with a new friend from Group 3, along
with his wife and friends who all live in the Vancouver area. He was born
in Canada, but the others were originally from Hong Kong. For our exhausted bodies, dancing was out of
the question; soon we retired for the night.
