On the 29th of February we flew back to Bangkok from Chang Rai to catch an international flight to New Delhi. Due to our experience with airlines I book ample time between connections. We also had left the bulk of our luggage at the Bangkok hotel because of the flights and flight restrictions we had flying to Northern Thailand. The flight from Chang Rai to Bangkok was uneventful … the taxi rides from the hotels to the airports are always far more exciting. We arrived in Bangkok early in the afternoon, reclaimed our luggage and checked in to our hotel. We had an early out the next morning so we wandered down to our favorite Irish pub, had an early dinner and called it a day.
On the 1st of March we were up early and to the airport. Security on departure was tight but we managed to get out. Getting into India was interesting as the security was crazy and the VISA paperwork, although I had already completed most of it, was tricky. I had our VISA’s so it was just a matter of getting them to stamp the passport. I’m not sure if they couldn’t believe I had successfully navigated their VISA website or they just didn’t trust Americans but everything received close scrutiny. Nonetheless we made it through, found the car the hotel sent to fetch us, and we were off. A few pictures of the hotel and surrounding area.
We spent one night at this hotel but we were coming back. We had booked a flight to Agra for the next day, then to Varanasi from Agra, then back to Delhi where we would spend two and a half day before flying to Nepal. So, on to Agrta and the Taj Mahal …. but first the ride there.
We flew to Agra, but had a stop in a little town called Lucknow. Crowded there as well but we made it to Agra.
So we finally made it to Agra … only to discover that the city of Agra shares the airport with the Indian Air Force. Unlike in America and most other places, the military has priority over everything (it’s a security thing you know) and we had to be bussed off the base and were dumped outside the gate. There was a big gaggle of Tut-tuts, taxis, and oportunists waiting there for us but we had a car from the hotel … except he didn’t show up. We finally found a taxi driver who knew where our hotel was and off we went … here’s the ride.
Ok, so now we are at Agra. We were transported from the airport to the hotel by a very professional sounding individual so we negotiated with him to provide a tour of Agra for us the next day. He agreed and said he would bring a friend who was a guide. Even better! We checked into the hotel and spent the evening there having dinner and an afternoon tody. The next morning we met our driver, and his guide, and we were off to see … The Taj Mahal, The red Palace, and whatever his tour included.
Our first destination was the Taj Mahal. Our driver said he would pick us up at 6 AM so we could see a sunrise over the Taj. Apparently the sun has a coloristic effect on the marble of the Taj and is something you want to see. So we got up and met him at 6 AM. We didn’t make it. It was Sunday and some group had scheduled a marathon race across the city which blocked many of the streets and we spent a lot of time waiting to get through.
We got there after sunrise … but, it was a cloudy day so it made no difference. We wouldn’t have seen the effect anyhow.
The Taj Mahal is an impressive structure. Built as a mausoleum for a rulers 3rd wife (the first to bear him a child) it is impressive, well kept, clean, and well organized. Unfortunately, to get there you need to deal with the local schtick and stand in lines (one for foreigners, one for Indians) ((which I didn’t mind but all the Indians were getting in the foreigners lines because it was shorter.) Something I did not expect is the presence of monkeys. They were everywhere outside the Taj (a park) but nowhere inside. Once in, it was great.
Quite nice though.
That was the Taj Mahal … number 1 bucket list item for Nancy. Got’er done! From here we are going to see the Red Fort. This is the fort that the ruler that built the Taj lived in as he defended his territory. The Taj, the Red Fort, and another Mausoleum were all designed by the same architect … whose mausoleum we will also see. Going to the Red Fort and touring the red Fort.
From the Red Fort we went to the Architect’s Mausoleum. Much the same kind of stuff. Interesting to look at, at least the first 20 times or so.
We also made short stops at a rug factory and a ornate vase company. I stayed in the car and took a nap. They didn’t allow pictures because of the children they had working there (little fingers can make more knots you know).
That wrapped up Agra for us. We returned to the hotel, had a very nice dinner, and readied for tomorrow’s trip to Varanasi and the Ganges River.
We had to fly back to Lucknow to connect to Varanasi (that’s why no luggage). The flight leaving Agra was late departing and we were told we might consider getting a cab from Lucknow to Varanasi because it looked like we were not going to make the connection. NOT GOOD NEWS!! A five hour cab ride, at night, in India, is not on any recommended way to get there list. We did make the connection. The airline, “Indigo” leaned forward real hard and escorted us through the multiple levels of security, hijacked a bus for us, and we made the plane. Whew!!
The next morning we got up, had a little breakfast, grabbed a car and driver, and we are off to see the Ganges, Old Varanasi, and the local medical University. Here we go:
We made it to the Ganges River. These streets are quite interesting as you can find almost anything yoou can imagine being sold. Food, clothing, dogs, electronics.
The Ganges is a sacred river in India. Every faithful Hindu visits the Ganges once during their life and bathes in it. Then, when they die, the family or friends or someone takes the body back to the Ganges, has it cremated, and the ashes are thrown into the river.
Day to day the river is teaming with boats carrying people and cargo. Quite the activity. It was better than we thought it would be but we didn’t take a dip. We walked along the river for quite a distance. Every so often a street would extend down to the river with wide steps. These were Ghats. I would guess for conveying people and goods up or down between the street and the river at one time. Most of the river bank was paved.
From the Ganges we walked through old Varanasi. Not much different from what we had already seen but the streets were narrower and there were even more shops. Varanasi is one of the contenders (contention being between historians) for being the oldest, continuously in habited cities in the world, 2000 BC. Hang on!
From here we went to the medical university. Our guide wanted to show us the temple they had there. I couldn’t take pictures inside but took some outside. Many are from our car window but they are often the most interesting … but don’t make the best photos.
That was the last stop on our tour of Varanasi. We returned to the hotel, took a little nap, had a mediocre dinner (We stayed at a Hilton in Varanasi. It was a big let down. The staff was lethargic, the food was marginal. If you didn’t have the buffet you had to wait 30 to 45 minutes for any other food, and the management did not seem to care). After dinner we got ready to fly out the next day and went to bed. Last time I stay there by golly!!
We are going back to New Delhi for three days. Much more time than we need there but when we planned this we decided we would need a day off by this point so that’s what we did.
The next day, the 6th of March, we had a late afternoon flight to New Delhi. It was a direct flight so we had no worries about connections. We got back to New Delhi (we used two different airports in New Deli, one on each side of town), got a cab back to the hotel, recovered our stored luggage, had dinner in the hotel dining room, and turned in. In New Delhi we stayed at the Crown Plaza. Hotels are not very expensive in India, nor Thailand, so we tried to stay at better hotels. One less thing to fret over. The Crown Plaza was the absolute opposite of the Hilton in Varanasi. The staff was awesome, management ran things professionally and efficiently, and the entire place was comfortable and welcoming. The next day we took off. Other than going down to eat breakfast and dinner we never left the room. We just lazed about reading, catching up with email and the news, and resting. We were both happy we had scheduled in a day of rest. The next morning, the 7th, we were up and ready to tour New Delhi. Nancy had arranged for a car, had told the concierge where we wanted to go so he could explain that to the driver, and we were off. No guide this time, just seeing the sights. We were going to visit a very old Muslim Minaret, The Gate which is the capitol building complex, and another Red Fort … in that order. We had some idea what these places were but not sure how they would turn out. Here we go to the Muslim Minaret and beyond.
So now we are at The Gate. This area was built to be the Capitol area when the Capitol was moved to New Delhi. Anyone know what the old capitol of India was? It strongly resembles Washington DC Mall. It is a long, narrow strip with ponds, memorials, and gardens. The Capitol sets on one end of what is referred to as “The Ceremonial Axis of India” and The Gate, a War Memorial on the other end. From Wikipedia “
| India Gate | |
|---|---|
| India | |
| For the dead of the Indian Armies who fell during World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War | |
| Established | 10 February 1921 |
| Unveiled | 12 February 1931 |
| Location |  28°36′46.31″N 77°13′45.5″E India Gate (Delhi) |
| Designed by | Sir Edwin Lutyens |
| 13,313 engraved names, 12,357 Indian[1] and honours 70,000 fallen soldiers of undivided India[2] | |
The India Gate (formerly known as All India War Memorial) is a war memorial located near the Kartavya path on the eastern edge of the “ceremonial axis” of New Delhi, formerly called Rajpath. It stands as a memorial to 74,187 soldiers of the Indian Army who died between 1914 and 1921 in the First World War, in France, Flanders, Mesopotamia, Persia, East Africa, Gallipoli and elsewhere in the Near and the Far East, and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. 13,300 servicemen’s names, including some soldiers and officers from the United Kingdom, are inscribed on the gate.[2] Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the gate evokes the architectural style of the ancient Roman triumphal arches such as the Arch of Constantine in Rome, and later memorial arches; it is often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the Gateway of India in Mumbai.” Our driver anted to show this to us. He dropped us off and walked through the underpass to see it. Quite impressive.
Very interesting place. India was a British colony during WWI which is why all these Indian soldiers got to die in a far off land.
We left The gate and drove to the Red Fort of New Dehli. traffic was heavy and the driver explained it was a holiday and many people were out. When we arrived at the Red Fort it was so crowded that we decided not to try and see it. It was built by the same arcetect as the Red Fort in Agra and for the same guy so we assumed it would not be all that different. We finished the drive and went back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s trip to Nepal. Here are a few last pictures of down town New Delhi, at least the part concerned with government.
See you in Nepal. Hope you enjoyed India.
