Sunday, May 22 -- Taj and Delhi Adventures

Hello Everyone!

4am wakeup call anyone?! Well, we spent the night in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Therefore, naturally we had to be at the Taj by 5:30am in order to be there early enough that we could watch as the sun rose and beat some of the crowd. I was actually very surprised at the number of people that were there even before us, since the Taj only is open from sunrise to sunset. Anyways, almost everyone in our group chose the extra early wakeup time in order to make sure we could wrap our saris well before heading to the Taj. As I mentioned early, almost all of us ended up purchasing a sari, and what better venue to wear it than the Taj! The downsides to wearing saris to the Taj include the difficulty of walking and especially going up stairs! Ha, I am flabbergasted that women can wear saris everyday and do anything in them, even clean the house. Our group struggled to walk, we were definitely restricted to smaller step sizes and had to turn sideways to manage stairs better! One the upside, our group looked pretty beautiful in our extremely bright and colorful saris. For all my fellow style-challenged friends, look at the Indian culture for a change of perception of what colors and patterns can really go well together, it’s been quite fun to immerse in. 

 Entrance to the gardens in front of the Taj 

First glimpse of the Taj

Back side of the entrance including a view of the gardens

Walking around the Taj from the front is truly a breathtaking experience. It’s one of the 7 Wonders of the World for a reason, that’s for sure. Literally as we got closer and at every turn, I was stunned by the beauty of the Taj. A few notes to those looking to visit in the future—GO EARLY! Honestly, we were there by 5:30am and its the off-season; you could easily be there before then and if its touristy season (October—March mostly), I’m sure it would be even busier. Within the two hours we were at the Taj, the size of the crowd turned from being mildly busy but navigable, to mobs of people. Also, I’d recommend getting all your pictures first and then going inside and walking around the platform of the actual Taj. While Princess Diana’s bench is definitely worth stoping at and maybe a quick photo, it will probably not be the best shot and it is extremely busy to get photos there. Also, be wary of the people trying to take pictures of you to sell. I’m sure their photos are fine, but you can probably get a very good one from a friend for free. From my experience, I’d say the best spot for photos is just behind Diana’s bench, closer to the Taj, and centered right in front of the pond. Photos can also turn out very nicely if you stand to the side and shoot from an angle. Just make sure to either actually be centered with the Taj or clearly standing to the side. Like any good photo shoot, don’t forget to make sure to include many different poses and both individual and group shots! 

As we wrapped up taking photos and finally got to the base of the Taj, it was unbelievable. In an effort to preserve the condition of the marble, everyone must wear disposable shoe covers, so make sure your shoes aren’t ridiculous and you can actually walk a lot in them. (I walked ~6,000 steps at the Taj alone in the two hours we were there.) Like most trips we make to touristy areas, our trip would not be complete without multiple requests for photos. Our entire group was asked to pose with a few different people that were there and then some individuals were asked for photos and selfies. :) As our tour guide described us, “American women turned Indian” by our very traditional dress which seemed to make locals smile. Granted, I don’t know if it was because we struggled to walk so much, or maybe they just thought it was cute that we were trying to wear traditional Indian dresses aka saris. But back to the Taj—I still can’t believe that this was built by hand due to the intricacies of the marble work. The outside is where most of the beauty is shown. You can see many intricate patterns of inlayed colored marble in the white marble, marble carvings, and so much symmetry. Almost the entire Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetric, from the building layout, domes, pillars, the Mosque and the “look alike mosque” for symmetry, and the inside of the Taj. The irony about the symmetry is that since the Emperor Shah Jahan had the Taj built in memory of his wife, it was only originally intended for the one tomb centered under the main dome. After the emperor passed away, others decided to also place his tomb next to his wife in the Taj. While this sounds simple, literally the only non-symmetric part of the Taj, that I’m aware of, is the tomb of the emperor that was added after-the-fact. Another reason why most of the visible beauty of the Taj is on the outside is because only one light is lit inside the Taj in order to better preserve the stone. Additionally, visitors are only allowed to see the main level and the fake tombs. The actual tombs of the emperor and his wife are below and I have no idea how decorated the marble is surrounding the area, but I would guess it is quite ornate. In addition to the detailed orientated design of the Taj, the size is overwhelming. Even crazier to think of is the quick construction of the Taj. I still can’t believe that it was able to be completed in roughly 22 years (12 for plinth and tomb and another 10 for minarets, mosque and jaw, and gateway). 

Gabi and Kathy asked to be in a picture

Look-alike Mosque

Following our breathtaking morning at the Taj, we went back to have breakfast and check-out of our hotel. We hit the road and drove to Delhi. I’m very thankful we have a bus that we can stretch out in and sleep. I know I knocked out most of the journey. I guess having barely 4 hours of sleep will eventually make you tired when you are no longer doing really amazing sight-seeing. Today’s lunch stop in Delhi broke he previously mentioned food trend, This time our food came so quick I was shocked! 

The first sight we visited in New Dehli was Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (a famous Sikh temple). The temple has seriously been one of the most impressive places we’ve visited in India. I can’t believe how beautiful it was and the amount of giving that happens. They have volunteers that literally feed anyone and everyone that comes between noon and midnight every day and that adds up to over 25,000 meals/day, every day of the year! I also am surprised and don’t quite understand how they can not really have jobs but instead operate completely on volunteerism. It was very impressive to see the industrial size and scale of the dishes that were prepared in the kitchen. (There was essentially a 10 foot diameter caldron used to cook vegetables in and a shovel was used to stir it). Surprisingly when we were in the dinning hall area, one family brought their baby to us and wanted us to take a picture holding their kid. Funnily enough, this is the second time on our trip that Erika has been shoved a baby to hold for a photo! haha Additionally, in the Sikh temple people can come in to pray at any time and pray as they wish—signing/instrumental accompaniments, quite reflection and prayer, prayer in front of the book of sikhism and more. It was quite interesting to have the opportunity to see some of the traditional components to Sikh temples and understand more of their practices and beliefs (when visitors leave they are invited to take a pamphlet to learn more of “What is Sikhism”). The Sikh cover their heads all the time (prayer and daily life) to be respectful to God and elders. When entering the temple, all must remove shoes and socks and walk barefoot. Our group struggled with this one a little bit. When the sun is out and the temperature is over 100, even white marble gets quite toasty! Thankfully there were a few places that had running water to cool and wash your feet and there was a washing pond as well. The last main element of the Sikh temple was a giant flag pole and sikh flag that signaled to all those around that one could find a sikh temple here. The tradition of a huge flag signaling sikh temples dates back hundreds of years since sikh temples provide all your basic needs—a physical place to stay, a place to wash, a place for prayer, and a place to get food. All sikh temples will have these basic attributes. 

Following the temple, we went to “Old Delhi” for ricksha riding and stoping at a famous spice and tea shop called A Kumar Trading Co. There were tons of spices and spice mixes to make marsala, curries, and more things in your own kitchen. Additionally there were seeds, nuts, and teas. Allison was even able to get mouth fresheners since she has been obsessed with them all trip! Lol they taste like black liquorice and sometimes are served with small sugar cubes following meals. Ricksha riding was literally crazy! I took a time-laps, but it is crazy fast, so I’ll see if others have better recordings to show you. It was very interesting to sit in the back of one of these carts that is powered by a man on a bike as he rides through the town. As our tour guide said, rickshaws don’t really have rules of the rode, they kind of get to make up their own. It was definitely a crazy experience but one of the coolest ways to see the town and interactions of people, vehicle, and animal all in one. The rickshaw drivers were like extra tour guides because they also pointed out various aspects of the city to us as they rode through. Also I’m not sure how road signs work because road signs are literally created and have 4 languages on each sign… 

Allison and Emily ready for their rickshaw experience!

Crazy intersection view from rickshaw (rules of the road are still unclear...)

The last things we did that evening were exploring New Delhi’s government buildings from the street. We drove around a bit to get an overview of the area and see some of the various buildings and then got out and walked around the North and South Blocks containing key government offices, Prime Minister’s Office, Secretariat building, and the India Gate. At the end of our walk we were to be leaving for the airport. On our way back to our bus, our “India Dad” (our tour guide for the past five or so days), was sweet enough to buy us all popsicle sticks from an ice cream cart we passed! Arriving at the airport at around 9:30pm was so bittersweet. After spending so much time with our tour guide and exploring India it was hard to walk into the airport knowing it will be a few year before I may get another chance to come back to India. We spent the next few hours in the airport waiting area before checking our bags. We had our last family style dinner on the floor in the airport where we probably looked homeless as we sat and ate on the ground. After checking-in we had lots of time to meander the airport before our flight out at 3:30am. I’m still not 100% sure why New Delhi airport is #1 in world, but I guess it wasn’t a bad airport; however, I did think the Amsterdam airport had significantly better ambiance. 

After over 24 hours of travel time in airports and flying, I’m finally back in Ann Arbor. I’ve had such an amazing trip and feel so grateful for all I’ve learned and experienced with SWE the last few weeks. Thanks to everyone how had a hand in planning and executing such an amazing adventure. I hope to make it back to India some day since there is so much more we didn’t have the time to see. I will say it has been a weird adjustment to return to the US. Many things are different culturally and weather wise. I will say coming back to 80s has felt SO hot for some reason. I’m still a little baffled that 117 didn’t feel that bad but 80s does; maybe its simply the type of clothing worn in India vs the US. All in all, I’m happy to be hoMe for a few days and get a chance to see family and friends before my internship begins. I will be leaving again June 1 to start my internship in Warsaw, Poland on June 6. Stay tuned for periodic (probably not daily) updates on my internship and European adventures!