Day 2 in India 7-7-2019
Day 2 is like the Beatles song “A day in the Life” – Woke Up (WAY TO EARLY like 2 AM) , fell out
of Bed (Bed is really low in hotel and not used to it), dragged a comb across
my head (no time for getting all spiffy
so grab the comb), Found my way downstairs (all 3 flights of them) and I did
NOT drink a cup of coffee.
Anyway, Got up at 2 AM for a 2:30 AM pick up for a day long
Taj Mahal and Agra Fort Tour!
Woohoo! I was looking forward to
this. I was hoping to find a person on
my “Ride the Himalayas – Motorcycle tour” to join me but got no response when I
asked so I had to foot the entire bill myself.
The driver was on time and there was another guy in the car as well. I figured the other guy was my tour guide but a little later I found out he was actually a security guard for the car, driver and me. Who knew?
Driving down the freeway at that hour in Delhi there were
just a few people out but mostly the streets were empty and the driver was
zipping along towards Agra. I think there
were lights along the road which made it easy to see the lanes and all. I don’t think they were reflectors but could
possibly have been.
We drove for hours and I couldn't sleep as I didn't want to miss anything but I was dragging and super tired even though there really was nothing to see. At one point the driver pulled off to a rest area. Now this was quite interesting compared to the United States rest areas as this one had like cots out around with many people laying on them sleeping, talking, playing cards, etc. Then there was a small restaurant where you could order some hot meals and they'd cook them right up and then the small general sore which had all sorts of snacks and other small things.
After a little while we piled back into the car and kept on going. When we got to Agra we stopped at street corner and the security guy hopped out and then another guy hopped in. This new guy was my guide. We kept driving and finally got to a strange little pull around with a ton of people walking around. This little turn around was on the West side where you get out and walk down a path a ways to some small buildings where you purchase your tickets to get into the Taj. My guide walked up and got our tickets and we walked towards the entrance. The first stop was the security checkpoint and they frisked EVERYONE, women as well in a special tented off area. They looked through bags and stuff. I don't know what they were looking for or wanted to find but we got through with no issues. Part of your ticket you had to hold on to for dear life as you needed it to get OUT of the grounds.
The West entrance to the grounds is where the Servant Quarters are, The East entrance is near the Royal Tombs. I went in the West entrance.
Once inside the grounds were expertly manicured and the place was spotless. The grass was like a putting green on a golf course. If you've never been to the Taj once you get through the gate/entrance you walk a bit down a nice wide sidewalk to a big yard type setting "Forecourt" with a few trees and on the left in the middle of the area is the large and just as impressive Main Gateway. My guide took me to a spot in the middle of the Gateway where you could see the entire Tomb and if you stood 1 rock piece to the left or right you would not see it in it's entirety. Part of the building or columns would be cut off from view.
Once inside you saw the magnificent Taj Mahal Tomb and since we were early in the morning the fountains had not been turned on yet so we could get a great photo with the reflection in it.
Half way from the Main Gateway to the tomb is a square in the middle of the gardens. It is here that there is a bench that you can sit. This bench is called the "Lady Di" bench as when Lady Di Princess of Wales (Married to Prince Charles at the time) came to visit she sat on this bench, since then it has always been called the "Lady Di bench". Everyone needed to have their photo taken there and of course I was no exception.
The building is remarkable. What looks like paintings on the side is really inlaid precious stone. They carved out the white marble an inlaid different types of stone with different colors to make a variety of things from flowers to script. Some of it is very intricate.
I was hoping to get some sunrise shots since we got their for the sunrise but the sun actually came from the right side of the Taj. Since I didn't have any bearings of what was North, South, East or West or even have a clue this place was on a map I figured the sun would come from behind but it didn't.
This shot is from near the Mosque looking east toward the sunrise.
Looking back at the Main Gate
From the Guest house towards the Tomb.
This photo is part of the Guest House
I have a ton of other photos but this should tide you over until you can see it yourself. The next stop was breakfast and they took me to a very nice sit down with Air Conditioning service. The service and wait staff was exceptional and I unfortunately didn't have ANY money to tip them which I felt terrible about but the guide is like lets just get out of here and not to bother. Well it still bothers me I could not tip but maybe it was part of my package deal, I don't know.
The next stop for the day was a place where they actually practice the old lost art of inlaying stone like at the Taj. I believe that the family are direct descendants of the original craftsman who did the work on the Taj - at least that was what the guide told me. They showed me how it was made and carved using old school tools, very, very interesting. Then they took me in the back for a beating. ha, ha, ha. They had a variety of tables made that you could purchase and I didn't have room for anything in my bags but got a nice small plate and a few other carved pieces that were quite beautiful.
After that the guide took me to a Rug making facility and this was a co-op. They had a variety of different wool's and other yarns all hand made and hand dyed. Folks would come in and get a kit (pattern, yarns or threads) take it home and make then bring back to sell. Really a good concept and they had rugs in all sizes and shapes, a very informative stop. I picked up a small rug to help out the locals and enjoy viewing when I got it home. The first photo is of 2 guys that had been working together for like 20+ years and were so fast it was pretty incredible.
This 2nd photo show's some of the kits just past the rug on the floor and then the bins of yarns & wool. I got to see the entire process from start to finish for these rugs and it was labor intensive.
After this stop it was time for the long drive back home to Delhi and prepare for another day. I did go out later and look for an inexpensive watch since I left mine at home and never knew what time it was but the street vendors kept trying to tell me the watch I actually wanted was a much better quality and costs 3 times as much as the others. LOL I think I swung into a McDonalds for dinner and sat with a cute girl and her friend. She wanted to date him but all he wanted to do was play the field. So funny and so typical.
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