Holy Cow, I Saw the Taj Mahal!

I honestly feel so lucky to say that I’ve seen the Taj Mahal. It is more beautiful in person than it seems in all the pictures we see. For those who don’t know, the Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum that was built by one of the Mughal emperors Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal from 1632-1653. The two were both buried there in the white marble dome, but the Taj Mahal is actually a large complex also consisting of a gate, a mosque, gardens, and more. It is a demonstration of Mughal architecture, which combines Persian, Turkish, and Indian styles. I truly hope all of you can see it in your lifetime.
After the Taj Mahal we went to the mausoleum of Itmad-Ud-Daulah (means ‘pillar of the state), which is sometimes called the Baby Taj because it is of similar architecture. The man buried here with that title was Mirza Ghiyas Beg, who was the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal. It was not as majestic as the Taj Mahal, but there were quite a lot of similarities in structure, which was interesting to see.
We got back to the hotel and decided to do a little shopping at some of the shops around the area. Walking to these shops were so fascinating; I saw so many cows just hanging out on the side of the road, and some of them would even cross the street with us! COWS! We’ve seen so many cows all over this country, which blows my mind because they’re supposed to be sacred. Emily told me a lot of people here abandon cows once they stop producing milk, and because they’re holy people will always feed them. You really need to see it to believe it. I bought a couple of things at a marble store and a textiles store. I don’t want to say exactly because I don’t want to ruin any surprises!
For dinner we went to a rooftop restaurant with a view of the Taj Mahal. Although there is a lot of pollution in the air and the view wasn’t very clear, it was still a very beautiful sight. On the way to the restaurant we had to take a rickshaw, which is the Indian version of a Taxi. These things are quite an experience. I honestly felt like I was going to die on this thing, and they just weave in and out of traffic like it’s no big deal. The driving here is seriously unbelievable. We also spotted an Indian wedding at this point, so we got to see some fireworks; it looked more like a carnival than a wedding, it was pretty insane. Apparently this week is a very popular time to get married because the stars are lined up a certain way that brings good luck. Tomorrow we have another long trip to the next city, which is Jaipur. We have a lot planned there so this should be a really great couple of days.

We're Off to Agra!

This morning we left our hotel in Delhi and set out on a very long bus ride to Agra. I tried sleeping as much as I could on the bus but the roads are atrocious here. Literally the entire drive was like going over massive speed bumps, and on top of that the people are constantly driving like there is stop and go traffic. The funniest part about the terrible driving though was the horn honking. Not only did the driver honk the horn every 3 seconds, but the horn sounded like a little jingle. It was actually stuck in my head for parts of the trip. I saw some pretty interesting things on the road, like lots of cows, monkeys on polls, fruit stands, lots of garbage, and of course poverty. We stopped for lunch were I had Panir Butter Masala, which is some kind of Indian cheese in spices/sauce which was pretty good.
Our next stop on the way to Agra was Fatehpur Sikri, the ancient capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571-1585 during Akbar’s reign. There is a mosque and 3 palaces, one for each of his 3 favorite wives. Each wife was of a major religion of the time: Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. His Hindu wife was his favorite because she was the only wife that bore a son to take over the empire. Her palace was the biggest, and she had a summer side that faced the water, and a winter side that faced the sun. The place had lots of really interesting carving designs that represented many different religions because Akbar was responsible for incorporating people of different religious backgrounds into the empire. Unfortunately we got there a little later than planned so we couldn’t go inside the mosque, but the complex was so interesting from what we did see.
So we’re now staying at Hotel Kont in Agra for the next 2 nights. This hotel is a serious upgrade from the last hotel so I’m excited to get a better night sleep tonight. For dinner I got fried rice because I needed a break from the Indian food, but I managed to get a stomachache afterwards; perhaps Chinese food wasn’t the best choice. Oh well I’m trying things out!
Tomorrow we’re going to the Taj Mahal, enough said!

Jama Masjid and More Delhi

Last night I got absolutely no sleep. I spent majority of the night looking at the clock on my phone just waiting for the time to pass. I think it was a combination of still being jet lagged and being in a bed that was very unappealing to sleep in. They bed was super hard, but luckily I had my sheets to lie on. The room is full of ants and Jackie and I have each killed a beetle as well. Definitely not the most pleasant room on the planet, but its India! Hal says the hotels will be a lot better from here, so it’ll only get better from here. Breakfast was surprisingly good at the hotel. I had some fried eggs and toast with jelly. I’ve also been having a really sore throat so we managed to find a pharmacy down the road and I got some antibiotics for 70 rupees, which is less than $2. I was surprised how cheap it was, and luckily I recognized the medicine so I knew it would help.
The first place we went today was Jama Masjid in New Delhi. It is the largest and best-known Islamic Mosque in India. It was pretty similar to some of the mosques I remember seeing in Egypt in terms of architecture, but you could definitely tell it was of Indian design. It had the traditional Domes and Minarets that are typically seen in Indian architecture. I’m sure I’ll be seeing this throughout many more places, including the Taj Mahal, which we’ll be seeing in 2 days. Although the mosque was beautiful, the most interesting part of this experience was probably the interactions we had with the locals. We were being followed in groups and constantly had our picture being taken. I noticed early on that there really aren’t a lot of tourists in Delhi. When the Indians do see people that look as different as us, it must be something amazing to them.
After exploring the mosque, we went into a very busy street in the middle of Delhi that was PACKED. I can’t even emphasize the amount of people and vehicles were on this one road. It was pretty overwhelming, but very interesting to see. Seeing the different types of people I noticed how blended the areas are. On one corner you will see a homeless man and a dying dog, and the next you’ll see a shop with a security guard selling beautiful saris that are very expensive. There aren’t any clear-cut divisions of where the poor and rich are living. We had lunch here in a cafeteria-style place that Jeremy took us to. Jeremy Fritzhand ‘10 is a former Minerva fellow, is here with us on the trip, which is great because he speaks Hindi from living here and knows all the places we’ll be going. Emily LaCroix ’11 is the current Minerva Fellow in India and she’s with us as well. It’s been great having them with us because they’re able to answer so many of our questions.
After this we went to a Dilli Haat, which is a market geared towards tourists. I hate to admit it, but it was such a joy shopping here. I’m sure the prices were jacked a little higher than usual but it was very mellow here and a pleasant to shop in (I’m having such an American moment). I bought some bengals with peacock feathers on them and some other gifts for people. I’ve been told there are peacocks in India so I’m looking forward to seeing those because I absolutely love peacocks!
After the shopping and passing out on the bus, we went back to the hotel to rest and then to dinner. On the way to dinner I actually got knocked over by a dog! I know this sounds bizarre, and it totally was. A little kid was playing with a dog and the dog god scared or something and completely knocked into the side of my leg and I wiped out. It was so strange; I was more shocked it even happened than being concerned about being hurt (I was totally fine! I caught my fall with my hands thank goodness). For dinner I had Dal, which is some concoction with lentils and spices, and naan. I’m trying to avoid meat at all cost on this trip because I have a sensitive stomach and eating meat in Egypt past year seemed to set it off. I’m being super safe with food for the next 3 weeks! I’ve also been drinking Lassi, which are these yogurt drinks. They’re apparently really good for you and have tons of protein and probiotics. Since I left my probiotics home I’m going to drink these as much as possible, and they’re very tasty!
Tomorrow we’re spending most of the day on the bus driving to our next destination: Jaipur! I probably wont have much to write but hopefully I’ll have some great pictures to post. Since I’m using my brother’s camera instead of my own I was still getting used to it today, so hopefully I have better luck with it tomorrow.. Until then!

Today was Insanity, but I'm in India!!

11/26-27
Boy was today unpredictable! When I got the text from Jackie at 12:30 pm on November 26th, little did I know the next couple of hours were to go differently than planned. My flight was at 2:25pm TODAY, not TOMORROW!! For some reason I was under the impression that the flight was leaving on Sunday, but I was certainly wrong. Of all the days I sleep over Benjamin’s house in Westchester, and I have to rush to a flight leaving JFK, which was leaving in 2 hours from the time I got the text. I didn’t think I was going to make it.
When I walked into the front door, my parents were there telling me I had 10 minutes to get out of here. My dad already brought up the suitcase and gave me a malaria pill, and my mom was putting sheets and toiletries in the suitcase. The whole experience was such a blur, but I did manage to grab as much as I could in 10 minutes and be out the door on my way to the airport. My dad was very impressed, and if you know him, he doesn’t get impressed easily.
I pulled up to the terminal at 1:35, 50 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave, and it was running on time. I ran to the empty check-in area and they get me in quickly and take my luggage. I went through security and all the nonsense and finally made it to the gate where the flight was almost completely boarded, but the group was waiting for me and in shock that I made it on time. I was pretty shocked myself, not to mention completely out of breath from running like a crazy person. I guess you really don’t need to arrive 3 hours early for international flights!
The flight was just like any other 12+ hour long flight. It was very long and I really couldn’t sleep. I took a Benedril but it did nothing for me. I thought I was going to have a row to myself until a very large Indian woman in a Sari sat down and lets just say she made the flight less than pleasant. She was smelly, rude, kept knocking into me, and clearly didn’t understand that concept of personal space. The food totally sucked on the plane; honestly how good can Indian food possibly be on a place? I watched something like 5 different movies on the plane, including the Blind Side which I’ve always wanted to see, and also The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which always makes me cry.
Finally we landed, and I got my luggage which was a breathe of fresh air. I was so worried it wouldn’t make it on the plane since I got there so late. The airport was surprisingly nice. We met up with Hal (Professor of Economics at Union College) and Raj, who is going to be our tour guide for the trip.
I realized on the plane that I left behind the battery and charger to the SLR camera I brought for the trip. If you’re reading this you probably know I take pictures of anything and everything, so this was devastating news. Luckily on the way to the hotel I saw a number of camera stores. We got to the hotel called Hotel White House which seemed okay. When Jackie and I walked into the room it smelled horrible, so we asked to change rooms. Although the 2nd room didn’t smell quite as potent, there are lots of bugs, so I honestly don’t know what’s worse. Luckily my mom threw sheets in the suitcase for me.
So we’re now in Delhi and it’s definitely got the feel of a big city. Lots of traffic and people and the markets seem good. I had a chance to exchange some money and I managed to find a camera store that had the right battery for a reasonable price! I think that was super lucky. I would have been miserable if I didn’t have my camera at the Taj Mahal, which we’re going to on Tuesday. Tomorrow we’re going to the biggest mosque in India, so that should be exciting. Hope you enjoy my future entries, and let me know if you’d like me to see anything in particular, Namaste!