Day 9, Jaipur: Amber Fort, Jal Mahal, Chokhi Dhani

I kept a journal during my travels and am going to transcribe those entries here. 

We woke up early to catch the Ajmer Shatabdi at 6am, Delhi Station, to Jaipur. Even at that time there was so much liveliness and activity in the station. Once again we headed to the 1 AC executive chair coach compartments, which were mostly filled by foreigners and well-to-do Indians. They were quite comfortable (but by no means considered "executive" by Western standards) and we were served lunch, coffee, tea, snacks, water bottles and newspapers (all included in the ticket). With my ipod on and earphones in, I hardly noticed the 4+ hours fly by.

Passing by a Rajasthani village

The views of Rajasthan consisted of mostly desert with some greenery here and there. We also saw some villagers, men and women going about their daily business, and it looked like straight out of the movies. There were four young Spanish backpackers seated in front of me, and they thought I was Indian and asked me about Jaipur. I told them it was my first time there and my American accent helped to back that up. It was interesting to me how the Indians could tell right away I was a foreigner while the foreigners thought I was Indian.

As usual, there were beggars outside of the station and our rickshaw driver (sent by the hotel to pick us up, with our names written on a piece of paper) told us that school is free and giving out money only encourages children to beg. It was still painful to see a woman and child hound as all the way to the rickshaw and keep at it until the rickshaw pulled away. We made it to the Sundar Palace Hotel within 10 minutes and I have to say, it is a GREAT hotel! It's beautiful, well-kept, with wonderful staff and spacious rooms. I couldn't have been happier with my selection! We also hired a taxi through the hotel and our driver, named Moinuddin, was pleasant, professional and actually great company!

A common area inside of our "sundar" hotel. I met a nice British lady here.

Our first stop was the magnificent Amber Fort and we had to go through the old city to get there, as well as through lots of traffic and some narrow back alleys. On the way, there were so many interesting views that I could have spent the whole day in the car! Every city, anywhere in the world, really has a personality of its own. The views were especially spectacular as we got closer to the fort, which was the palace of the Rajasthani princess Jodhaabai's brother, Mann Singh. It was huge and well preserved and thankfully there were no aggressive hawks here, although our driver advised us to say no to everyone who asked us to hire them as a tour guide.

Passing through Old City traffic

Amber Fort

Inside of Amber Fort

Splendor graces every corner!

View of the city

Mirrors

Being a typical tourist :)

Western-style coffee shop inside of the fort

Afterwards, Moin took us to a textile factory when we told him we wanted to do some shopping. I had a feeling it was one of those things I had read about in guide books: driver takes you to a place, gets commission off of it, and you feel pressured to buy stuff. However, I was actually fine with it. I forgot the name of the place, but the guy there showed us how block prints were made, which was pretty cool, and I got to keep the elephant print. We did cut him off (which might have been rude, but time was limited!) and asked to see the merchandise. After lots of haggling, I walked away with seven beautiful pillow covers at 100 INR each.

We also stopped at the breathtaking Jal Mahal.

Jal Mahal - The Water Palace

The not-so-sublime surroundings of the Jal Mahal

For the evening, we booked Moin to take us to Chokhi Dhani. My mom complained from the beginning: the entire place is set up like a traditional Rajasthani village, so it was darker than she would have liked (the vibe was that of a night-time fair). She was also none too pleased with having to take her shoes off and sitting crossed leg at the dining area. I, however, did enjoy it - it was quite an authentic experience! Foreigners were few and far, the vast majority were Indian tourists there to have a good time in Jaipur. Going with the fair-like atmosphere, there were areas with live singing, dancing, puppet shows, elephant rides, bonfires and more.

The village-themed carnival that is Chokhi Dhani

Dancers and other entertainers abound

We were served a traditional meal

Day 7, New Delhi: Humayun's Tomb, Karol Bagh

I kept a journal during my travels and am going to transcribe those entries here.

We started the day by visiting Humayun's tomb, an elaborate and majestic mausoleum which later served as the model for the Taj Mahal. Since it was so close to the dargah, we ventured out on foot but on the way there we were accosted by a beggar woman. For better or for worse, I was resolved to not open my purse in the crowded alleys of the dargah neighborhood and I tried to ignore this lady; honestly, you feel a mix of pity and annoyance and heartbreak and slight despair after a week of facing beggars. If I were to reach for my bag, I would be mobbed by at least ten others and then followed out by another ten. If I were to ignore her, I would initially feel like a bad person but then would rationalize it: after all, I'm not a foreign bank. Anyway, I tried to ignore her but she was feisty and relentless, following us all the way out to the street and rapidly talking away the entire time. I was more concerned with crossing the street in one piece (Delhi traffic is most definitely not pedestrian friendly) and started to view her as an annoyance - so I angrily gave her 50 rupees to go away. Does that make me a terrible person? Like I said, after a week you start to get disillusioned with a lot of things. Begging is a damn business here, and it starts to feel like everyone is needy and in dire straits. There's a general feeling of powerlessness and you are faced with the realization that the world is a big place and you are but a useless little speck in it.

Back to the tomb.

After the terrifying run across the street, we felt like we were in a different world from the one we left behind, just a few meters away. The area leading into the tomb is shady and green, idyllic and serene. There are jarring contrasts like this throughout Delhi, and none so pronounced as a park or national monument juxtaposed with dusty, traffic-clogged streets. I feel like a broken record when rhapsodizing over the architecture, but it really is that magnificent; just beholding such monuments inspires awe, reverence and beautiful feelings. I noticed many similarities with the Taj Mahal, especially in the symmetry, domes and arches - but while I was completely wonderstruck with the Taj, I felt a more serene atmosphere here. There weren't as many visitors and there was much more greenery; we didn't feel rushed, and we walked around soaking up the environment.

Humayun's Tomb

Side view - take a look at that symmetry!

The stars are astrological signs

Various tombs are scattered throughout

Afterwards, we found an autorickshaw to take us to the neighborhood of Karol Bagh. It was about a twenty five minute ride, and adventurous as always! The neighborhood was as busy and bustling as Lajpat Nagar, but I felt much more comfortable now: I was making good bargains and cutting my way through the crowds like an expert (well, as expert as a foreigner can be!) There were still beggars to be found, but not as many, and I did hand out rupees discreetly here and there.

We had quite a shopping spree and I bought a gorgeous sari of magenta chiffon with silver/black border and sequins. We also found a McDonald's and I was excited to see what an Indian McDonald's menu looked like; being pescetarian, I wish we had McSpicy paneer sandwiches over here! It was delicious but spicy as hell!

DELISH!

Day 6, New Delhi: Mawlid al-Nabi in the dargah

I kept a journal during my travels and am going to transcribe those entries here.

I found an in-the-hole internet cafe! I was so excited to finally find an outlet to the "real world," and to be able to express all of these feelings I had pent up. This was my facebook post:

I HAVE INTERNET ACCESS!!! Found an internet cafe and omg wow the little things in life I can't believe how much I've missed being online! WELL... India is such a freakin overwhelming place, I don't even know where to begin. Riding in an auto rickshaw is a death-defying experience, but fun at the same time. Garam panni is not really garam.. lukewarm at best. The driving here is nuts, period. The food is delicious. The markets have a fun environment. I've had such a beautiful spiritual experience in the dargahs, praying at the tomb of the saints. There are beggars EVERYWHERE. I mean everywhere. Like literally everywhere. My mind still cannot fully process it. I saw the Taj Mahal yesterday and I felt like I was in a dream, it was simply magical. I'm seeing bollywood and slumdog millionaire at the same time. Over-freakin-whelming. Six days here and I'm just now getting the hang of it.

Tonight was Mawlid al-Nabi, which is the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) birthday. We had quite an experience inside of the Nizamuddin dargah, as we participated in group prayers and observed and touched relics of the prophet's. The dargah was decorated with lights, flowers and beautiful drapes; while there was a sea of people in a small space, there was also an undeniable energy. I felt like I truly took part in a holy experience and there was a beautiful contentment in my soul.

Inside of the festive dargah

A strand of the prophet's hair is held by the wax

Passing through

There was a sea of people in a small space

The prophet's footprint, preserved and immortalized

Quite an experience just to behold this

Lights make an event quite festive

Day 4, Agra Day Tour

I kept a journal during my travels and am going to transcribe those entries here.
 
We arrived at the Nizamuddin Rail Station at 6am and it was rather easy finding our train, the Taj Express. The chair cars were comfortable and our fellow passengers consisted of other foreigners and middle class Indians. I was so excited to finally be on a train, which is such a Bollywood icon - how many times have I seen train scenes in those movies? My window seat afforded me more views of Indian life and landscape but my giddiness died down once the sun rose - I saw slum cities lining the tracks, people making fires and warming their hands over them, and children roaming over the garbage. I also did see some more idyllic and village views, which reminded of me of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and that "Pardesi" song that was playing on their way to Punjab.

 My mom thought this cup of chai was a "sample size."

On the train, we witnessed a scene right out of an Indian movie. I could not understand the words being used, but a rail inspector started hassling one of the passengers, who was hotly retorting back. A few other men jumped in and the voices were escalating with volume and tension. Just as rapidly as it had started, it all cooled down.

As soon as we got off the train, the hawkers descended upon us and I started to feel anxious - how stupid was I, to think we would get off at Agra Cantt and nicely find a taxi to take us to the Taj! Thank God that I found a government tourist office inside of the station, and as soon as the hawkers saw my line of sight they immediately barraged me with claims that I was going to get ripped off and that they would offer a tour for cheaper. Well, I would feel much safer being inside that office and that's where I went!

For about $35 per person, we had a large bus and tour guide, all to ourselves and 6 others in our group. It was so worth it because I felt very safe. Although I was dismayed at the sights as we were driving through Agra: the city of the famous Taj Mahal seemed rundown and dilapidated more often than not.

That's actually 3 people on a motorbike. I also saw 4 people on a motorbike and like 8 people in an autorickshaw.

Fatehpur Sikri was our first stop and it is essentially a glorified ghost town. The Mughal empire's buildings and structures are beautiful preserved and we got to hear a lot of the history behind it thanks to our knowledgeable tour guide. One particular fact was that Akbar the Great had three wives: the first was a Portuguese Christian from Goa; the second, a Muslim from Turkey; and the third (his favorite and true love) was the Hindu Princess from Rajasthan, Jodhaabhai. She had a majestic part of the palace complex all to herself.

Paanch Mahal, the first prominent building one sees upon entering.

Jodhaabhai's quarters

At the tomb of Salim Chisti, a Sufi saint, the hawkers were so aggressive at selling their merchandise that I couldn't enjoy this holy place one bit. It was surreal, with 10 young men surrounding me and in my face, trying to sell me things I could care less about. One man actually put a dvd into my hand and then demanded 200 rupees! Not taking no for an answer, I set the dvd on the ground and gave him 100 rupees to go away - he was upset, but placed a postcard book in my hand so that at least I bought something. For a good 20 minutes I was hounded here and at Buland Darwaza, and was shaking with anger by the time we were out. I completely lost my composure.

The white marble tomb of Salim Chisti

Inside of the tomb

The view of Agra from Buland Darwaza

I calmed myself down on the way to Agra Fort, which was incredibly imposing and monumental. Only a third of it is open to the public and the rest is under Indian military occupation. We learned a lot about the history behind the fort as well as Shah Jahan.

Agra Fort

All pure stone-work; when the light shines upon the surface, the marble and stones sparkle

Cows really do roam the streets; unfortunately, most of them looked neglected and starved

The Taj Mahal was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life - I felt like I was walking straight into a dream. This world wonder, which I had seen countless of times on tv or in print, was actually in front of me! Even now, in America looking back on my entire trip, I can say that this was my most favorite part. I can still recall the happiness and wonder swelling up inside me as I stood in front of this marvelous monument to love.

Pictures cannot do it justice

Can you spot the moon?

The sun was starting to set over the Yamuna River

Quranic scripture decorates the monument and its gates

Oh, you know... just chilling at the Taj :)

Day 3, New Delhi: Bazaars, Lodi Gardens, Rashtrapathi Bhavan

I kept a journal during my travels and am going to transcribe those entries here.

Today was Monday Market in the basti. I bought sweets and toys for the kids, which turned into utter chaos once 3 kids became 5 (ok), then became 8 (still ok), then became 20 (ahhh!). A few stubborn boys stuck with me and followed me far enough to where there weren't crowds of children, so I bought them each a collar shirt. A shopkeeper even said to me "You are very nice" for doing these things, but I don't know about that. India really makes me feel inadequate and I'm not prepared to give freely because I'm terrified of being mobbed. My anxiety levels just skyrocket: it's claustrophobia like nothing else.

The crowded and lively market that sprung up overnight.

After the market we headed to Lodi Gardens, which was such a gem. It is so beautiful and peaceful, so green and lively, and I simply loved being there. It isn't your typical park back home because there are many historical buildings throughout the grounds. The Bada Gumbad (Great Dome) mosque and tomb had beautiful architectural details and displays of Islamic calligraphy, as did the adjacent Sheesh Gumbad (Glass Dome). We also visited the impressive tomb of Sikander Lodi.

Through one of the entrances to Lodi Gardens.

Bada Gumbad.

The enclosure of Sikander Lodi's tomb.

A little haven.

Sheesh Gumbad on the left, Bada Gumbad on the right.

One startling thing I noticed were the stray dogs lying around throughout the park. Lost in oblivion, at first I thought, "How cute! These dogs are hanging out together!" Then I came to, and realized that they were lonely, tired and probably hungry. Being an animal lover, it just broke my heart.

Many dogs like this could be found throughout the park.

A boy of about 9 years old was selling us chips in the park. After buying some bags and letting him keep the change, it hit me: today is Monday, in the early afternoon. This boy should be in school - but he's not. He's here, selling chips to make money. Not in school. All of a sudden, it was like the flood gates had opened and there was no stopping me now. I bawled my eyes out, my heart was wrenching and I felt so inadequate, so helpless, so unable to do a single damn thing to really help anyone. I was so pitifully unprepared to see little children begging and working. The first few days my brain's emotional center just shut down: the only way I could internalize it all was by pretending it was all normal. I refused to let my heart feel anything because I was too scared of the turbulent emotions that were stirring underneath the surface. Today, they broke through.

These emotions made me feel so isolated. Who could understand the horror I felt at seeing some of those things? The beggars, the squalor, the deformaties, the human degradation? Even my mother and aunt were familiar with all of this, as they had been to Afghanistan in the last few years. India is a remarkable country, but even with all of its economic progress the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" is unbelievably huge. At that moment I could think of only a handful of things worse than being a poor person in a developing country that cannot meet the needs of all of its people.

I had a really good cry and just tried to make the best of the day after that. At that point I was using to having these emotional swings.

After Lodi Gardens we headed to Rashtrapathi Bhavan. The city was preparing for the Republic Day celebrations so India Gate was closed and many roads were blocked. We were able to admire the splendor of the presidential palace and take a few pictures before leaving.

The day ended with (what else) shopping, this time in the underground Pallika Bazaar and in Connaught Place. Madness and mayhem - that's how I would describe Pallika Bazaar. My mom and aunt were rhapsodizing about their youthful days shopping in this mall, but even they weren't expecting the tight, overcrowded, tourist-trap filled conditions that we met. After half an hour we bolted from there. Connaught Place was interesting, with its British-style architecture and plethora of shops. It was also fascinating to just observe the crowds and the daily life of Delhiites.

Connaught Place.