Episode 1: Varanasi to Agra
continued
Page 2
Taj Mahal
Read Next Episode:
Jaipur to Bikaner
Friday Nov 17, 2000 Agra
Continued from Page 1
In Agra, we found the very nice Hotel Sheela, built
around gardens right next to the East gate of the Taj
Mahal. We also made a decision to change our itinerary to
avoid the $22 USD charge for the Taj, plus the $10 USD
charge for Agra Fort. We would take side trips out of
Agra for a few days and return to take advantage of ‘Free
Friday’.
We packed our small day packs, stored our larger packs
at the hotel, made a reservation to return to the Sheela
on Thursday and took off on another local bus Tuesday
morning headed for Fatehpur Sikri.
As
usual, we were the only westerners for the one hour trip.
We are usually the source of polite interest, especially,
as we were told by one young man, that tourists like us (meaning
older), usually travel in tour buses, but we have never
encountered any problems. On the way, we passed by the
saddest looking bears sitting by the side of the road
with their owners who get them to dance for passing cars.
Fatehpur Sikri is a fortified ghost city, built as the
capital of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, by the
grandfather of the Taj Mahal builder.
The impressive
beautiful red sandstone mosque, large palace and
surrounding buildings were only occupied for 14 years,
abandoned when the water supply gave out. We picked up a
local guide and toured for several hours. Ray’s favorite
was the mosque, which is still in use and attracts
thousands of pilgrims during Ramadan every year.
After lunch, we boarded another local bus to
Bharatpur, another hour away. Bharatput is the site of
the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Joan Wilmshurst and
Janet Trotter would spend a week just there. It is a
famous bird sanctuary built around small lakes and home,
or on the migratory path, for about 400 species of birds.
We hired our Guest House manager, Veeru, a certified park
guide, to take us around. Ray and I and 3 other tourists
from the Guesthouse got up at 6 AM and rode bicycles over
the park entrance to start the day at the same time as
the birds. Although the water levels are way down this
year, we were entranced with the variety we saw and
identified . Ray and I went through the bird book when we
finished and came up with at least 50 varieties we had
seen, including owls, eagles, Siberian cranes, Egrets,
Herons, Storks and lots of others. Our only no show were
the pythons, who were not budging when we reached their
holes. Oh, well.
We made it back to Agra on Thursday in time to find a
bank that dispensed money through Visa. This is a bigger
problem than we had anticipated. The banking system is
not as advanced as we had expected. In fact, it is still
an antiquated paper based system with intermittent phone
connections to Visa & Mastercard centers. It took
visits to two banks to get our money supply replenished.
I also spent some time trying to get a replacement for a
Rs 50 note that was ripped. None of the merchants would
accept it and I was advised to exchange it at a bank. The
problem was that after waiting in line at the first bank
we went to, I was informed I had to go to the Bank of
India. I found out from the Bank of India branch around
the corner that only the main branch provided this
service. An American man in line behind me advised me to
forget it as the note w as only worth about $1 USD, but I
got stubborn. We took a pedicab to the main branch and
after being directed to 6 different wickets, I got a
newer Rs 50 note. It had the usual hole in it, but it
wasn’t ripped through the serial number. That done, it
was back to the Sheela, to retrieve our bags, relax in
the garden for the afternoon, plus spend time on this
episode.
Entrance to Taj Mahal
Mausoleum in Taj Mahal
Free Friday was worth it.
We were wakened
at 5 AM by the Muslim call to prayers. The local mosque
has a good sound system. We were getting up to visit the
Taj at sunrise, so I didn’t have to dig out my earplugs.
At 6 AM we walked next door to the entrance and joined
about 100 others with the same idea. Everyone was in a
good mood, especially at the thought of avoiding
overpriced entrance fees, and there was lots of room for
everyone.
We spent quite a
while at the beginning of the reflecting pools leading up
to the Taj, waiting for the sun to rise above the trees,
and admiring the peaceful surroundings. Lots of film was
used as everyone tried to get just the right shot, but I
can say we were not disappointed. The buildings are
impressive and beautiful both from a distance and up
close, but I have to say the price paid by the Mumtaz,
the Shah’s 2nd wife, was too high to have such a monument
built in her honour. She died in childbirth.
After spending a few hours at
the Taj, we went for breakfast and then took a pedicab to
the Agra Fort. Another worthwhile visit. It is huge and
even though only part of it is open to the public, the
inner palaces are impressive and the gardens are lovely.
As I finished this note, Ray went off to explore the
Kinari Bazaar, a market area in the old city of Agra.
He had
a hard time convincing a pedicab driver that that is
where he wanted to go, not some other more touristy
bazaar. Since the area is very busy, one driver took him
part way and said “I am not crazy. I do not drive
into that part of town. I park here.” The only
option was to walk the rest of the way. He did say it was
very crowded but interesting.
Just before
sunset, we walked down to the river next to the Taj and
shared the local commuter boat, a flat bottom affair,
that the driver poled across to the sandy shore on the
other side. From there we had an excellent reflection in
the river of the Taj as the sun went down.
Tomorrow we leave Agra by bus, heading for Jaipur. We
have made a decision to pass up Delhi. It was going to be
a hassle we decided we didn’t need to make the side trip
up, brave the pollution and then head out for Rajasthan.
We are looking forward to experiences the colour and
excitement of the desert areas of Rajasthan. I’m sure we
will have more tales to tell.
Back to Episode 1: Page 1
Return to
The India Chronicles Intro
or
Travels
or Introduction