...and then there were 4!

After a long week in Dirty Delhi we were definitely ready to get the show on the road. Shell and I took a Tuk- Tuk in the rain to the airport on Sunday night to meet Jess and Kate who were flying in from Malaysia! Of course it was all hugs and excitement to see them and for Shell to meet them both for the first time. We went back to Paharganj and made way to our new hotel (CG international.. - apparently you can make any dodgy place seem legitimate by adding 'International'  to the name!) It was alright especially for the $20 dollar price for the 4 of us. We spent Monday wandering in the famous Lodi Garden, hoping to find a place to relax and read, but unfortunately all the nice spots were taken up by creepy-looking staring men. aaaaaand just to add insult to injury it took us a whopping TWO hours in the blistering heat standing on at least 8 different corners to find a taxi. Buuuuut Sitting atop another rooftop restaurant over looking the bustling centre of Paharganj during the 'Festival of Brothers and Sisters', watching the families dancing, playing and decorating themselves in Henna, I was definitely reassured as to why, already I love India so much. The people are just so full of life and energy, it's irresistable. 

 Tim and I in Paharganj. Tim is spending 6 months travelling around India. I am so glad we were able to cross our paths! It was a great few days x x x

 

Tuesday came around the bend and we caught the Metro to 'Old Delhi' which is home to the RED FORT and JAMA MASJID (the largest Mosque in the world.) The suburb itself is very run down and largely uninteresting and although the Fort was very impressive from the outside, inside we had more fun playing with some little kids than looking at the buildings. We walked along the road to try and find the entrance to the BIIIIG Mosque but were constantly misdirected by rickshaw drivers and touts that we got there too late as it was time for prayer. We decided on heading back to the Metro instead of dealing with all the hawkers and touts outsideonly to find that *SURPRISE* there were some 'technical difficulties' and 4 or 5 packed to the brim trains that left us waiting in the station for a while. It was of course all part of the Indian Experience.

Jess and I decided to spend the late afternoon and what soon became the evening and then almost midnight reading and relaxing at the rooftop garden at Everest, a restaurant with lovely sink-in chairs especially nice to fall into after a 6 story stair climb! We met an Indian Man, living in Australia (who we had seen there the night before) who invited us to drink some Vodka - which was hidden inside a water bottle - with him, his Indian friend from the North and a 52 year old Spanish traveler called Mercedes. I can honestly say I don't remember the last time a complete stranger in such a bizarre context made me laugh that much. He was  just hilarious, intertwining and mixing up the most random stories, we had absolutely no idea what was coming next. We left that restaurant with such a happy smile on our faces!

And then it was time to say goodbye to Delhi, Dirty Delhi...It was a great start to our Indian Adventure and even though, I can probably say I won't go back in a hurry. I really enjoyed becoming acquainted with India, the place that I will call my home for the next 2 months!


And On to Agra we went.. We decided to hire a driver to take us around Rajasthan for 13 days. With 4 of us it actually worked out to be pretty reasonable, especially considering the extra driving to all the different places during the day and the secret tips we get from spending 13 days with a born and bred Indian from Delhi. Our driver's name is Bittoo and he is just brilliant. On the way to Agra he took us to see a couple of temples, ashrams and monuments in small villages along the way. On arrival, after 6 HOURS in the car, Bittoo drove us into the country to a spot along the river where we could see the behind of  the Taj Mahal. Wow, wow and WOW! It really is just Magnificient and generated a lot of excitement for the following day that we were to spend exploring the whole complex. We ventured back into Agra city and used the rest of the afternoon walking around, enjoying the town and reading and chatting over coffee in 'Cafe Coffee Day' , a chain of coffee shops.

We left a 5,7,5 Heiku in the Visitors book:
 "Caffe Coffee Day.
A Nice Retreat from the Heat.
thank you for the stay."

We woke up at 6am to see the sunrise over the TAJ MAHAL. Yes the TAJ MAHAL. It was so surreal to be thinking that we would finally be entering the grounds of the Beautiful monument of love. And it really was one of the most stunning, breathtaking places I have ever seen in my life. So Beautiful that it actually gave me goosebumps. Pictures can truly not do justice to this palace of perfection. It is built entirely with Marble and just gleams in the sunlight. Wow I loved every second of being there, marveling at what I truly think to be the most exquisite work of architecture in the world.

Agra was a fun city, our hotel was lovely and we enjoyed eating some good Tandoori. One thing I especially noticed about Agra, moreso than Delhi was the COWS. There are SO many cows, EVERYWHERE. Cows are so sacred in India that killing a cow, intentionally, will earn you a 500 Thousand Rupee fine and 3 years Jail time. With this protection, the cows rule the place and cars swerve in all directions to avoid them, even in the MIDDLE of a 5 lane freeway. The people are many things in India, but Cruelty to Animals is definitely not in their nature. It is quite refreshing to see, well thus far anyway.

And now, we are in Jaipur and heading to Pushkar tomorrow. I have run out of time to extend this post long enough to write about our time here and in Amber but as soon as I can, I will tell all the details.

Loving India, Loving every minute of it. Loving traveling with 3 such special ladies. Loving the food. Loving the wild and heart-thumping traffic. Loving it all.
 
With Love from Jaipur,
Katie
xoxox   



PS: There are some pictures up on Shell's Facebook Wall.