Rita and I traveled to Delhi for the Diwali festival which was an experience I'll not soon forget. They do fireworks on a grand scale where the only measure of success is the degree of excess. Along with Rita's sister, Joya, niece, Blanka and nephew, Nishu (whose names are correct if my memory serves me, which is unlikely) we went to 3 parties over 2 evenings each ending just before sunrise. I met some interesting folks but because I stayed up so late I was pretty wasted on the following days as this schedule does not particularly agree with my delicate constitution.
It took half a day, but I finally got a train ticket to Agra and after a very nice final evening with Rita and Joya, I bid them adieu and headed off on my own again.
The train ride to Agra was highlighted by meeting Gunjan, a young woman who was taking her son, Anan (means "peace") to a boarding school in Gwalior. She seemed very nice and we chatted for a bit. Some time later, after I had taken residence in the upper bunk, she looked up at me from her seat below and tells me that I have missed my stop in Agra! On the one hand, after getting on the wrong bus in Udaipur it is entirely possible that I could have missed my stop in Agra, but on the other hand, she and her son were both laughing as she explained that she did not want to wake me when the train stopped in Agra. My mind was spinning as I tried to figure out if they were kidding or not. I'm sure my confusion showed, particularly when Gunjan said, "Mark, what about koi bat nahin? You have failed miserably." By this time the other woman in our sector and another guy were hanging around, all laughing, and I was finally told that I was the target of a Big Tease. When done correctly I think teasing is a highly refined form of love... And this WAS done correctly so I ended up laughing about it with them after I was initiated into the club. I was amazed that someone I had just met would take a chance with an act that could easily backfire. I was really quite touched by the gesture.
I hooked up with a taxi driver at the Agra train station who took me to a hotel I had booked online. After freshening up a bit, he took me to a viewpoint he said would provide a stunning view of the Taj Mahal at sunset.
Or at least he tried. Several minutes into the trip he muttered something that sounded a lot like, "shit! traffic!!" as we hit the most colossal traffic clusterf**k I've ever experienced. It was at a roundabout and so many cars, scooters, bicycles, rickshaws, tok toks and busses had coagulated there that the entire system was clogged and no longer functional. Several guys had taken it upon themselves to try and get vehicles moved enough that a bus could maneuver itself through the intersection. Yelling and waving of hands were the tools they used and after some time they managed to get the bus through which helped a bit but not nearly enough. I saw other tourists trapped in the same chaos and we were all laughing about it. It was so absurd there was really nothing else to do.
Finally my driver admitted defeat and (somehow) managed to turn around and flee the scene. We finally got to our destination, long after sunset.
The next day I got to the Taj as soon as it opened (6:30 am) so I could see it at sunrise. During the security check they discovered a 6 inch tripod I had for my camera and told me that this was not allowed. In utter amazement and a Kafkaesque sense of disbelief, I was told I would have to exit the entrance queue and take my FO (Forbidden Object) to the lockers. It turns out that these lockers are not conveniently located anywhere near the entrance gate I was trying to breach, but ¼ mile away. As I trudged I noticed that my demeanor had deteriorated significantly so I began to chant my mantra (everyone now…), "koi bat nahin, koi bat nahin….. When I got back to the line the security guy tried to make me get back in at the end of it but I simply refused. Marching myself straight on to the front I boldly ducked under the railing so I could be searched again.
This time I was successful and I entered the large grounds that contain the Taj Mahal. Many authors and poets have tried unsuccessfully to describe its beauty so I'll just leave it at "sublime".
As I left the grounds, I realized I was exiting through a different gate than the one I had entered (typical for me). I spoke to the security guard there and after showing him the card for my motel he told me I needed to exit West gate (I was at the South gate). So I turned around to re-enter which required going through security again. Even though I had just come from inside (and thus successfully passed security) and had taken only a step beyond the exit, the guard determined that I and my daypack would have to be searched again. I was really more amused than anything at what seemed to me to be an absurd degree of security, but this changed considerably when he discovered 2 more FOs (a Swiss army knife and a head lamp). So now I was prohibited from entering the grounds and easily finding my way to the proper gate from the inside, and instead had to exit and walk around the considerable perimeter. This took some time and again my attitude took a dump. It was only exacerbated when, arriving at the West gate I discovered to my dismay that it was the third, and final, gate that I needed, the now quite elusive East gate. In all it took about an hour to get out.
These are not the only frustrations I've encountered but as anyone who has traveled India will tell you, it is to be expected. But somehow I have survived them and now find myself in Khajuraho for 3 days away from big cities. This will hopefully prepare me for Varanasi and then it is on to Bodh Gaya and a 10 day silent meditation.
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