I’ve dreamed of coming to India for as long as I can remember. Enticed by both the unknown and the Bollywood stereotypes I’ve always been drawn to this part of the world. Home to Wonders of the World, history and elephants India has ranked a top my backpackers bucket list for a while. In a limbo between the end of Peace Corps and finishing grad school in January I decided now was the time to book my ticket. When else will I have two months commitment free, a break from a break. So I booked it- no looking back. My adventure in the East will be divided into two parts, the first 15 days I will enjoy a sort of posh experience accompanied by my mom and then the next month will be spent trekking solo to the south, for a less glamorous journey.
What does India feel like? It feels full. Full of sounds, smells, colors, lights, religion, tradition and people. In a country where there is more than 1 billion people solidarity isn’t easily found. In Delhi alone there are 20 million people. Agra, our second destination, has over 2 million people and a large monkey population. As my eyes try to adjust to the chaos of the road, motorcycles, “autos”, rickshaws, cars, busses, bikes and pedestrians all scrambling between two lane roads, not a moment with out the scream of a horn, I realize I have ever seen this many people in my life. Through the sea of traffic you could glimpse into the shanty towns, slums, that lay below the metro and tin homes next to buildings. The stark difference between rich and poor is no more apparent than on the roads in India. You see luxury foreign cars next to rickshaws filled to capacity, children begging for money from tourist taxis while people take refuge from the pounding sun on the sidewalk, sleeping where they can find space. This place is full of extremes. Likewise, my perception of this country is divided between two extremes: the inside of luxury hotels and the sharply contrasting environment seen from the back of rickshaws. The expat paradise hidden behind the metal detectors and the flooded streets of bazaars, my status as both a tourist and a traveler gives me access to both sides of India.
Our first day was spent in Old Delhi with MKH Tours. We decided to dive right as a means to fight jet lag, and spent 8 hours exploring a part of the city that felt worlds away from our Western hotel chain. It was the first glimpse into the real India. We visited holy temples (Hindu & Sheik), climbed to the tops of roofs to watch kite runners and see the prized flying pigeons, shuffled through the crowded streets, cruised in rickshaws, ate street treats and interacted with residents, the whole day was such a rush.
Shift to day 2 in the modern side of the city. Home to government buildings, lush parks and pristine temples, we felt a world away from the part of the city we had previously seen. Delhi has two faces: the magical, chaotic charm of the Old and the modern, elegant New. My favorite part of our day in New Delhi was when we went to explore Humayun’ s Tomb. The tomb, and the grounds surrounding it were beautiful, the tomb is the “male version of the Taj Mahal”. We happened to be touring on Picnic Day, which meant at each of the monuments we visited we were met by droves of school aged children, mainly young girls who couldn’t contain their excitement over a pair of very obvious foreigners. The excitedly squealed a chorus of “hello’s” each time we passed. Some of the bolder girls came up and shook our hands, proudly introducing themselves and then running back to their friends. Gotta love being in a part of the world where being tall and blonde makes you exotic!
We left Delhi behind, making our way to Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal and many other impressive Mogul monuments. Each year over 50,000 foreigners pass through this former Capitol city to lay theirs eyes on the white marble masterpiece, which is hardly done justice by photos. I was awe struck. According to over taxi driver there are two types of people in the world, those who have not seen the Taj Mahal and those who have, I feel fortunate to now be a part of the latter. During my travels I’ve found that I am often more captivated by natural beauty over man made monuments. There is nothing better than a crisp mountain view, an exotic beach or lush parks but standing in front of the Taj Mahal I was absolutely blown away. Even with the droves of people surrounding me I didn’t feel overwhelmed or even crowded. Not even the Indian men hustling trinkets and professional photos bothered me. Following the most epic site seeing of my life we went to check out the other highlights of Agra. The Red Fort, the Baby Taj (which was built before it’s more famous namesake), Mehtab Park and Fatehpur Sikri. Unfortunately, we discovered that this part of the trip could have been covered in a day, and by our third morning we realized we had seriously overbooked. Agra is not much more than its world famous monuments p. After walking the back streets of Old Agra and spending half an afternoon with a guide who had the charm of a used car salesman we felt uninspired, and honestly a little unsafe. The life that pulsed through Delhi was missing in the city. On our last day we elected to lounge at the compound (our hotel) and take a break from the outside world.
After a 6 and a half hour journey we arrived to the Pink City, Jaipur the capitol of the state of Rajasthan. Even just driving through the streets you can see the difference between Agra and the more modern Jaipur. I’m looking forward to exploring and celebrating the Diwali festival here!
