Despite his misgivings, we wanted to children to get a brief glimpse of the country so decided to spend 5 days spread between Delhi (New and Old) and Agra. We flew into Delhi and stayed outside of the downtown area our first night. Although we reserved two connecting basic rooms, thanks to Drayton's frequent stays with SPG properties, we were upgraded to the Presidential Suite because they did not have adjoining rooms available. You cannot imagine our kids' enthusiasm when they realized we were staying in a two story hotel room with its own treadmill and more square footage than our condo in Singapore! A highlight for the evening was sitting on the edge of our sofa staring out our huge window at an intersection below watching in wonder as people randomly walked across a "highway" while cars are coming from every direction. We anticipated a collision at any point as three-wheeled taxis, big trucks, buses, cars, bikes, mopeds, people on foot and the occasional dog all randomly crossed going different directions down roads while honking continuously. By the time our trip was over, we realized that this was how all transportation took place in India although it didn't stop us from thinking we were going to die in an accident on numerous occasions!
Here's Henry checking out our personal treadmill! We didn't bring any shorts since it was going to be cool the whole time so the boys took to running on the treadmill (while watching TV) in their boxer briefs and sneakers! Always a good look!
View from the second floor down to the living room!
Our first full day in India was spent driving to Agra which was four hours away. It was certainly an educational experience seeing the poverty and lack of infrastructure as we drove along. We learned that cows, which are considered godly in the Hindu culture, roam freely everywhere including highways, roads, medians and wherever else they might like. That includes just laying down in the middle of a road and chewing their cud!! So many people have so little and it is hard to imagine how the situation is ever going to change with the size of the country (1 billion people!) and the amount of corruption and bribery that takes place in the government. Very scary thought.
Once we arrived in Agra, we visited the Agra Fort (also known as Agra Red Fort due to the red limestone used throughout the fort). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Monument and was most recently built in the 1500's by the Mughals, a line of Muslim leaders who ruled parts of India for several hundred years. It is interesting since the majority of Indians are Hindu yet these Muslim leaders built some of the most long-lasting architecture in the country.
After touring Agra Fort, we went at sundown to see the Taj Mahal from across the river, seeing the back of the Taj. What is interesting is that Shah Jahan, the 5th Mughal leader, built the Taj Mahal in honor of his wife who died in childbirth with their 14th child. His grandfather, Akbar, built Agra Fort out of the red limestone but then Shah Jahan added to it during his reign using the white marble that he loved. There is such a contract between the two colors. Shah Jahan started to build another major monument directly across the river Yamuna from the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan wanted to build this monument out of black marble and it was going to be where he would be buried directly across from his wife's grave. Unfortunately, his son decided he wanted to take over control and so he locked up his father in Agra Fort and took over control of the region from him. Shah Jahan died locked up and his black marble building never made it beyond the early construction phase. Future leaders buried Shah Jahan with his wife in the Taj Mahal. You can see us standing on the ruins of the monument across the river where he wanted to be buried. There is a large garden there as well although definitely in disrepair!
We retired to our hotel in Agra for the night and ate in the hotel restaurant (we ate almost all our meals in the hotels because it is considered the only places where tourist can eat without contracting "Delhi Belly". Everyone seems amazed that we made it through our whole trip WITHOUT any delhi belly!
We got up early the next morning to be one of the first people in to see the Taj Mahal before the huge crowds arrive. We had also been told that the early morning lighting really let you appreciate the beauty of the Taj. They were definitely right - during the middle of the day you don't realize that the Taj isn't just a smooth, white dome - we were really able to see all the details. Unfortunately, even at 7am when it opens there are still plenty of people there! Nonetheless, we still enjoyed our visit and were thankful that we weren't there with 200,000 of our closest friends. This was also the morning of the Super Bowl so Drayton and the boys got up at 5am to watch it until we had to leave and then they listened to it on the phone. Disappointedly, the Carolina Panthers lost while we were touring the grounds (hence Drayton and Ella's sad faces).
Up early for the Super Bowl!
The entrance gate to the Taj Mahal
Looking back at the entrance gate
This etched marble is throughout the entire building, inside and out!
The river Yamuna on which the Taj Mahal sits
Fathers lost the Super Bowl
The white marble throughout the building is inlaid with semi-previous stones: lapis lazuli, garnet, jade, opal, garnet and turquoise. Unfortunately, most have them have been dug out and stolen over the centuries but they are working to preserve what remains.
After our visit we returned to the hotel to grab breakfast and checkout before driving to Fatehpur Sikri. It is another place built by Akbar but it was the capital for only 14 years before being abandoned because it turned out that there wasn't any fresh water and they dried up the only lake available for water! There's not a lot known about the different spaces but our tour guide did a great job of helping us envision how it might have been used.
There were camels all over the places we visited in India but they looked so poorly treated and sad
After Fatehpur Sikri, we started the road trip back to Delhi. This turned into the longest, most congested travel we've ever had and it was frustrating, exhausting, at times nerve-wracking, and what not. 6 1/2 hours later we finally arrived back in Delhi but unfortunately a hour too late for our coveted dinner reservation at a famous Indian restaurant that Drayton was eager for us to see. Before we started on this road trip, we stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch (we were assured we wouldn't get sick) and it was the first time we had seen any grass so the kids were excited!
Sights along the wrong included traffic ... a lot of traffic ... and you could literally stick your arm out any window and touch the cars crammed in to the side of our van! The kids said it reminded them of the pictures Grammy and Papa sent us of their riverboat cruise in France. We also passed cows everywhere - just walking down a busy road or in the median or on a shoulder. And tons of piles of cow patties that some of the poorest farmers were making and selling for fuel for families. Again, there was an amazing level of poverty in some of the areas that we passed.
After finally arriving to our hotel, we had a good night's sleep and then headed out on our last full day to explore New and Old Delhi. Delhi is the capital of India and over 16 million people live there - it's a huge place! We visited Qutb Complex is an interesting set of building ruins that were originally Hindu and Jain temples that Muslim conquerers then came and destroyed and used the actually pieces of the temples to build their muslim buildings. They specifically took Hindu and Jain statues or artifacts, turned them upside and used them to build the new buildings. They pieced together random stones to make walls, columns, etc out of the ruins. One of the major monuments there is Qutb Minar which is the tallest minarets in the world. It was added on to over centuries with subsequent rulers adding stories or removing stories and starting over until it stands as it does today. Even British Major Smith added to it in 1823 but his addition was subsequently removed 25 years later because it was felt that it didn't fit the rest of the tower. His addition sits in the yard beside it and is called "Smith's Folly". Poor guy.
From there we headed to Humayun's tomb (the 2nd Mughal emperor) which is part of a complex of different buildings believed to be the tombs of many different rulers and their families. Another example of the red sandstone, this building was also built by Akbar for his father, Humayun.
Ella was documenting different things she was seeing so she could go back and
research more about them
All these screens are made out of one piece of sandstone or marble - really amazing!
We stopped at India Gate which is a war memorial built to commemorate the Indian soldiers lost in World War I. Under the arch of the gate is the Indian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We did a quick look at the gate with warnings from our guide to not talk or make eye contact with any of the hawkers lining the roads around the gate because they were known for being very aggressive in their efforts to sell you things. Needless to say, we stood out as tourists and quickly retreated to our van!
Our afternoon was spent visiting one of the largest mosques in the world (still in operation) as well as riding a rickshaw through the bazar walk in Delhi. The mosque was interesting and beautiful although you couldn't help feeling a little out of place and stared at. Ella and I donned scarves so that we could walk into one of the buildings itself.
The rickshaw ride started as a good idea but quickly turned into a little nerve-wracking and uncomfortable excursion. The idea was to take local transport (people ride these things everywhere with men pedaling them) to go down the narrow lanes where the locals shop for spices, beads, saris, and what not. Unfortunately the lanes were so crowded with people and trash and more people that the rickshaws couldn't move and we just stood still. Which gave people ample opportunity to rub blond Henry's head or touch Ella's hair and just make us all uncomfortable. To see the sights was amazing but we finally had to turn around (in the same narrow lane) and retreat because we definitely weren't going to be able to move forward at any point.
They started out happy....
...but then quickly got nervous!
India was an experience you couldn't have any place else and we were so happy to have seen the sights we did but we were also very happy to come back home and have a little peace of mind. Enough butter chicken, tandoori chicken, naan and dal was eaten to taken care of us for a long time - the food was wonderful! Yet another country that I hope our kids remember as they grow older and start thinking about themselves as part of a global community.
