NOVEMBER 8: DELHI

Breakfast at the hotel.

Our guide on this trip was a man named Tariq. He was lovely and great for our trip overall. I know I haven’t mentioned the guides we had on these trips very much, but Tariq, our guide in Egypt, and the guides in Mexico, I remember fondly. The guides in Peru were great, too, but we didn’t have enough time to interact with each other.

At the scheduled time, we departed to begin our tour of Old Delhi, the ancient walled city, and Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in Asia. We took the bus first to this beautiful garden with a big fortress. Here, we met a beautiful Indian couple, whom our good cameraman Kevin got a fantastic picture of. It was very cool walking around with the group in this park. I don’t remember seeing many people besides us here. That would soon change when we ventured into Old Delhi. We meditated for a bit near a tree. The moments when we stayed and enjoyed the silence, being fully present in the moment, were easily some of my favorite moments during these trips.

We took the bus to get here first, then we got off and had to walk in the intricate and bustling streets. We went to the mosque first, which was not too complicated for us to get to. It was getting out that was the adventure! We then hired rickshaws (local transportation) to explore the narrow streets of Chandni Chowk. Delhi and Varanasi put the India in India for my mom and I! It was quite amazing in a strange way seeing everyone and everything interact in the streets. I will have to discuss this when we go to Varanasi, though, because that is when we ventured deep into the crowds without hiring a rickshaw. Before we left, though, we ran into an old famous tour guide, a Sikh man who had given the king of Spain a tour of India back in the early 2,000’s! We visited the Red Fort, a symbol of Shah Jahan’s power and elegance, and Raj Ghat, a monument dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi.

Lunch.

In the afternoon, we walked along Rajpath, the King’s Road, to the World War I Memorial Arch, India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhawan (the President’s residence), and the Parliament buildings. We also visited a jewelry store towards the end of the day.

Laura and I, my dear redhead friend whom I had met in Peru, spoke to each other for a bit. I forgot to mention it, but I did announce to the group that I was a single man since many of them knew Karla. Laura and I had a heart-to-heart, and she understood what I was feeling. I was still not fully over her at this point in my life, but something about being in a country so far away is quite interesting for what it can do to a person.

The monument dedicated to Gandhi was quite something to behold. We had to take off our shoes and remain silent as we approached.

The last activity of the day was a stop at a jewelry store, where people exchanged money for Rupees. The rupees here were for a good trade, as our guide, Tarik, had told us this place had a good exchange for our currency. I recall meeting a family from Spain here who appeared to be part of a tour group. There was a young blonde girl with piercing blue eyes. We spoke to one of the adults, who asked us where we were from. That’s where Mabel and I began to tell them.

We ate dinner and stayed overnight at The Grand New Delhi Hotel.

I don’t remember too much of the end of this day, but the trip was only beginning!

NOVEMBER 9: DELHI-AGRA-DELHI (220 KM / 4-HOUR ONE-WAY DRIVE)

Breakfast at the hotel. Day trip to Agra.

Agra was a four-hour bus ride from Delhi. Our trip from Dharamshala to Amritsar would be our longest bus ride. As a country, India is huge! We would later take planes to get to the other cities we would visit. There is so much to visit in this vast and giant country.

We stopped at a rest stop before reaching Agra. I took a picture inside one of the stores there. I asked the clerk if he had any cough drops, but he did not understand. I did buy these “riccolo” “mints” or whatever it is he called them, but yes, the brand name was riccolo. Pardon my ignorance, but I was looking for anything to help alleviate my health issues during this trip.

The bus ride into Agra was calm, as the streets had been paved and designed for tourists to pass through. Out of all the cities we visited, Agra was the most touristy of them all. Varanasi would come second, followed by perhaps Dharmsala.

The one thing that stood out to me the most as we were about to arrive and begin our walk towards the entrance of the Taj Mahal was these signs that read “beware the monkey menace.” They had a whole list of what not to do with the monkeys. You are not to touch them, feed them, mess with them, make noises, nothing, absolutely nothing. You were to ignore them at all costs! We only saw a few monkeys here, in Delhi, Dharamsala, and Varanasi, but never close enough for us to interact with them.

Once we were inside the Taj Mahal, we were able to walk around most of the outside and inside structures. I still wasn’t feeling too well, but I was able to take in the beauty of the location. I was able to take some cool pictures. I remember my mom and I were with our good friend Dora, whom we had met in past trips with Mayk and Mabel.

Aside from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, I feel like this place had way too many tourists. People were generally respectful and quiet. I took on a little too much sympathy for these Indian men accompanying us. Similar to Egypt, the men would ask for money, but only after they had provided you with a service. For me, these were the photos they took of me. I know not what they were going through, but it left me wondering what these people go through. I may never truly know, as I may truly never see them again.

Lunch

We left the Taj Mahal to eat at this wonderful restaurant. There, I was complimented on my outfit by a young man who was one of the servers. The food here was delicious. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but it was a lovely place to eat at. We had a buffet for us because there were so many of us. We usually had a buffet style served to us in most of the places we ate at. My mom and I spoke with Kevin, Mabel, and Maykert a little bit before we left to go back on the bus.

After we ate, we visited the Agra Fort, which had a lot of red all around it. There were a few monkeys on top of the walls here. The sun would soon set as the day drew to a close. I remember it was here, when we were in line, many of the Indian people did not have a good grasp of personal space. Many people do not, outside of the United States.

They would often separate us by gender when in line, but this was not a common occurrence at many locations I recall. These types of “gender” differences were more common in Egypt. As a man, I cannot say I noticed it too much in either country. Men are oblivious, and that includes me.

Agra Fort is one of the extraordinary fortified residences built at various strategic points of the Mughal Empire. The fort showcases a fine example of Islamic and Hindu architectural styles. Agra Fort is said to be the place where Shah Jahan saw Mumtaz and fell in love at first sight. This place was completely red, and it felt a little bigger than the Taj Mahal to me. Even though the Taj Mahal is bigger, the large hallways and multiple floors of the fort made the place feel very spacious. In centuries past, I can imagine this place being used to guard a surrounding area, as even to enter it, we had to cross a small bridge, which is now covered in concrete and paved roads. I did not see them, but my mom told me how she saw this super-tall couple who had big, beautiful, blue eyes. That’s the thing about India, people come in all different shapes and sizes. I can’t recall much else, but I did enjoy this fort more than the Taj Mahal overall.

Return to Delhi.

I don’t remember much about our return to Delhi. I was still a bit unwell and somewhat disappointed with the Indian men at the Taj Mahal. I feel like I was scammed. However, all in all, I hope they genuinely needed the money and that it helped them for good purposes.

Agra is situated on the banks of the sacred Yamuna River and is home to some of the most impressive Mughal monuments in history. Most of these monuments overlook the river, showcasing their strategic position for defense. Built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved queen, Begum Mumtaz, this wonder of the world is said to have taken 21 years to build. It features a massive, resplendent white dome with four minarets at its corners, marked by perfect symmetry and harmony, evident in the shape of the minarets, domes, central arch of the façade, the perfectly arranged arched niches, and the intricate stone inlays. It is the most extravagant monument of love ever built.

Dinner and overnight stay at The Grand Hotel, New Delhi. I don’t remember too much at the end of this night, again.