Laura's Trip to India

I'm a little late to report this, but Laura finally came to India. Her trip was short, but action-packed. Here's a brief recap.

12 hours after her arrival, we were back at the airport for a flight to Kerala. We spent a day in Cochin (and stayed at probably my favorite hotel ever, the Old Harbour Hotel), before heading to Varkala. The next day were spent at the cliff-side beach and we didn't let the rain get in our way. The timing couldn't have been better...upon heading to the beach on our first day, I exclaimed: I can't believe you are in India! And then right there in front of us was an elephant! Oh, India.

After coming back to Delhi, I set Laura off on her own for the day, while I worked. After exploring Khan Market for a few hours, Laura and Ani headed to Janpath for coffee and then drinks to the Imperial Hotel. I met them there after work and then we went to Ani's house so she could meet everyone.

Friday afternoon we ventured to Old Delhi to see the sights from our rickshaw and to partake in a meat-filled lunch at Karim's. Next, Laura and I headed out for some shopping and hit all 3 Fabindia stores in GK Market! Our next stop was another favorite: Smokehouse Grill. After enjoying a nice dinner, we headed downstairs to meet up with some friends, drink and dance. We didn't let our early wake-up time on Saturday morning get in the way of a fun night.

On Saturday, we were up bright and early for our day trip to Agra. We left at 7am and were joined by Ani, his brother, Bhupinder, his sister, Rajni, her husband, KK, and their daughter, Sheren. 5 hours later we arrived at the Taj Mahal (my 4th and hopefully final trip!).

To see Laura off on Sunday, we had a super yummy brunch at Tonino's, an Italian restaurant. The three of us were joined by Kamlesh and Rajesh, Ani's sister and brother-in-law. With stuffed bellies, we were to Dilli Haat for a final round of shopping. Even though I already own more scarves than one could possibly need, I HAD to buy more! Laura picked up a few gifts - including a few for herself, before we headed home to pack. That evening, we had a quick dinner at Ani's house and made our way to the airport for our farewell.

Only 8 days in India, but Laura is already planning her next trip in 2009. That's a good sign.

Me, Sarkozy and the Taj Mahal

My cousin Lewis made a brief visit to Delhi on Friday and Saturday after spending a few days in Bangalore for work. The French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, threaten to ruin our plans since his visit to India (without Carla Bruni) coincided with Lewis's visit. But we managed to not let him get in our way.

On Friday evening, we ventured to Old Delhi, giving Lewis the chance to take in the “real” India. After picking up wedding invitations, we took a cycle rickshaw to the main street, Chandni Chowk. There were eat street food, dahi bhalla and tikki, before going to Haldiram’s to load up on (and taste) Indian sweets. ccccCCCCCCCccOn a cycle rickshaw in Old Delhi

Stocking up before the dry day!

Haldiram's Sweet Shop

Enjoying Street Food

Later on, we went to our favorite restaurant in town, Smokehouse Grill. We managed to get there just in time to enjoy one drink with dinner – restaurants and bars stopped serving alcohol at 11:30pm because the following day was a dry day due to the Republic Day holiday.

On Saturday, Lewis and I battled road closures, awful roads and even the French president, but we prevailed and managed to see the Taj Mahal, if only briefly. We planned to leave Delhi at 6am, but our driver claimed he couldn’t make it through town because many roads were blocked for the Republic Day parade through the center of town. Of course, roads were still open, but you had to go around the action.

Ani spent the next hour or two on the phone trying to locate another cab for us. Fortunately for us, he was successful and we finally left the apartment around 8:30am. Unfortunately for us, this also meant that we would arrive in Agra at just about the same time as Sarkozy. And that’s exactly what happened.

As we were approaching one of the side entrances to the Taj, we noticed that the road was blocked up ahead. They had stopped traffic for Sarkozy’s motorcade. At first we though he was leaving, but instead, he was running late and was just arriving at the Taj Mahal.

On a side note, Sarkozy was the guest of honor at the Republic Day parade and flew to Agra from Delhi - a 30 minute flight. It takes me longer to even get to the airport, and that doesn’t include the wait time just to enter the airport!

Agra Fort

Because the Taj Mahal was closed for a “private viewing,” we made our way to Agra Fort, along with every other tourist in Agra. Despite the crowds, it was a nice visit and my first. At about 4:30pm we finally made our way to the Taj, again, along with everyone else in Delhi. The lines were enormous and I waited for almost an hour in the “female” security line, while Lewis’s “male” line went much faster. Once inside, we made a mad dash around the structure. We needed to get back to Delhi because Lewis’s international flight was to depart at 3am and we had no idea how traffic would be on the return.

Me and Lewis at the Taj Mahal

I promised Lewis he would see the Taj and I delivered. I was very worried on Thursday when I realized that Sarkozy planned to visit the same day. And I was even more worried when I realized that roads would be closed on Saturday morning. But we found a way and while the visit was brief, it was well worth it.

Agra and the Taj Mahal

On Sunday, we ventured to Agra by car to visit the Taj Mahal. After an early start (6am) and nearly 5 hours in the car, we finally arrived. Our timing was great and we got there just before the masses arrived.

My favorite part was the discrepancy in prices for India nationals (20 rupees or $0.50) and foreign nationals (750 rupees or almost $20). Somehow this price difference is justified because the foreign tickets include a bottle of water and slippers to use while inside (otherwise you are requried to take your shoes off).

Anyways, once inside, we thoroughly enjoyed it. We hired a guide to show us around, which was great because I missed a lot of the details the last time. After about 2 hours of walking around and touring, we headed back to the car and avoided all of the tourist-trap shops.

Next stop: Jaipur

The Crown Palace

After 4 months in India, I FINALLY went to see the Taj Mahal today. The Taj is located in Agra, a former capital of the Mughal Empire, and is only 200km from Delhi. Despite the close distance, I hadn't mustered up the desire to make the trip out there. Fortunately, two of my colleagues were in Delhi for a conference and decided to stay for the weekend. Thomas and Claire-Marie are both working in Pune on another GSMA project and they made perfect travel companions. We were also joined by Kenneth, Thomas' friend of a friend, who is also working in Pune.

We left Delhi around 10am this morning and traveled by car to view the most visited site in India, which is often described as an extraordinary monument built for love. Although Agra is only 200km (125mi) away, it took nearly 4 hours to reach there with one brief bathroom stop. Lucky for me, I can sleep almost anywhere, so I passed the time sleeping, reading and practicing my Hindi.

When we arrived, we had the option of making the "grueling" 1km walk to the entrance by horse carriage, camel carriage, cycle-rickshaw or foot. Of course, we decided to walk. I was a bit shocked to see the difference in entry price for foreigners versus Indians. It was 750 rupees for a foreigner and only 20 rupees for an Indian. But with the fee, foreigners also receive a coveted bottle of water AND shoe covers to wear inside the palace where shoes are not allow. Indians generally opt to walk around barefoot. And it also included entrance to 4 other sites in Agra, none of which we decided to visit.

The Taj was built from 1631-1653 by Shah Jahan as a tomb for and tribute to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after her death. More than 20,000 people from across India and Central Asia were employed to build it. A few years after it's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son, Auranbzeb, and was imprisoned in nearby Agra Fort. After his death in 1666, Shah Jahan was buried here next to his wife. This is said to have destroyed the symmetry of the tomb because his casket was not intended to be placed there. Instead, there are all sorts of legends and stories, including one that says a "Black Taj" was supposed be to build across the Yamuna River, facing the Taj Mahal.

12 hours later, I returned home exhausted, but thrilled that I visited what's considered one of the 7 wonders of the modern world and one of India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (There are 26 of them in India)!