From the Road: Part Two

I'm typing from Krishna Palace again, this time enjoying the cool, dry afternoon. Under the shade of the wide front porch with columns and furniture meant for comfortable slouching, this is the perfect temperature. Before I walk the few steps to the garden to join Joey for lunch, I thought I'd offer a few more bullets on our middle stops. Photos, of course, to follow.

Delhi. One night was enough for us in this modern, sprawling city. We stayed in the Main Bazaar, a street full of aggressive hoteliers, tourist trap knick knack shops and many fellow ex-pat backpackers (60% of whom had dreds ranging from legit to wannabe to mangy). After we had walked a few of these over-stimulating streets and resisted an exhausting number of shopkeepers selling expensive souvenirs and tempting but cliche hippie-pants, we hired a taxi to take us by the India Gate. A famous monument. We also drove past the Parliament building and President's house -- our hospitable taxi driver asked the sleepy guard at the gate if the two foreigners could have a closer look, and we drove into the expansive driveway of the P's house. Pretty sweet.

Agra. Aboard the Taj Express, we met a friendly New Yorker traveling around India. She joined us for the day, splitting transportation costs, lunch and the inevitable stares by three, at the famed Taj Mahal and lesser-known but really cool Agra Fort.

The Taj Mahal. Meaning: Crown Palace. Built by a Mughal king for his third wife -- the most beautiful and his most cherished. They were married 19 years, before she died giving birth to their fourteenth child. Before she died, she made him promise never to marry again. Impressively, the powerful Raj followed thrugh with the promise. As I expected to be, I was stunned by the enormous and beautiful palace. We wandered around the huge white marble palace with cameras clicking, trying to capture the splendor sans other gawking tourists. The combination of large scale grandeur and precise detailing impressed me for hours. Especially after I found out the entire thing was constructed in 22 years!

Agra Fort. Also called the "Red Fort," because, well, it is mostly red. Parts of the fort date back to the early 12th century, and the fort ranges from crumbling ruins to well-preserved towers topped with intricately edged domes. We arrived late in the afternoon and were able to observe the lovely arched windows and vistas (of the Taj Mahal, in some places) alone. We entered the red ruins and sat on the wide window sills for awhile, quietly observing the sunrays lengthen and linger -- until Joey got abruptly and offensively reprimanded by a guard. Then, we made our way along loose stone paths to an unexpected courtyard and series of beautiful towers and open terraces. I allowed myself to shut my eyes and imagine what royalty must have lived here, flanked by the imposing fortress. I opened my eyes and we discussed what stellar parties we could throw here.

After our day of walking through history and touching the cold marble walls of one of the seven wonders of the world, we sipped cups of too-hot chai from a noisy roadside cafe. An appropriate transition into our three hour plus plus plus wait for the delayed train that would take us to our current destination: Jaipur. More on that later.