Today I decided to tick one off the bucket list and visit the Taj Mahal. Along with Christina and Aaron (an American couple), Morgane and Carly (secondary school teachers from Coventry), Jane (a fellow solo traveller) and Frederico (a quiet Argentinian) we set off at 3:30am tired but raring to go. The aim was to get there for sunset but 5 and a half hours later in the beaming sunshine but on a bus that must have been below zero, we were still on the road. When we finally arrived, we picked up our guide and excitedly walked past monkeys and camels to the entrance of the Taj Mahal... only to be informed that our tickets had in fact not been paid for. Oh dear. We had paid for our tickets in advance. After many frantic phone calls we discovered the driver had the money for our tickets AND had "accidentally" picked up the wrong guide. Our real guide arrived and we finally got the tickets and got in. Our real guide, however, may possibly have been the worst guide I have ever been guided by. In the end we all just ignored him and read signs or sauntered along next to other tour groups to steal some knowledge from them. However, despite the slight organisational disaster, the Taj Mahal is incredibly beautiful and intricate. The amount of detail is staggering. Really, really amazing. We then explored the Red Fort, again very beautiful but I came out knowing as much about it as I did when I went in. I will have to Wikipedia all this later... After lunch (complementary after our angry phone calls to the travel agents) we were taken to a carpet weavers and marble inlay workshop. It was incredible to see the skill and speed of the craftsmen! The finished products were slightly out of my backpacker price-range though (Mum and Dad would have been in heaven in the carpet shop). At around 4:30 we were driven home, very begrudging of our driver, and even more so when it only took 3 hours to get home and we found out he had kept the money for the Express Way toll on the way there! All in all though it was an incredible day and I'm so glad I got to see one of the wonders of the world. It certainly deserves that title.
So a rather disasterous start to my adventure which involved me realising I actually need a visa for India and I can't just swagger into the country like a VIP. 2 weeks delay but I'm finally here!
I arrived in Delhi airport with the warnings about the many taxi scams ringing in my ears but got one no problem. My first ride through Delhi will definitely stay with me! Apparently road markings mean nothing here and its a complete free-for-all. Other than the taxi breaking down and the driver taking out his seat and poking the engine with his keys for a bit, I got to Moustache Hostel unscathed by the madness. The hostel is lovely, full of great people and I immediately made a friend (much to my relief after a sleepless night on the plane agonising over spending the next 9 months alone) and we went off sightseeing. Our first stop was Humayun's tomb which was beautiful. The sun was beaming and the sky was full of birds and the surrounding garden was a much-needed respite from the near-constant honking that fills every street in Delhi. Stop number 2 was the Lotus Temple. I saw the cream curves of the flower shaped temple poking through the trees and was reminded of a rearranged Sydney opera house. It was incredibly peaceful inside and we were told by a guide that it is a place for people of any religion to go and have silent conversations and prayer with whoever you believe to be listening which I thought was really lovely. Jet lag took over by about 7 so I had an early night. Amazing start to my voyage :) |