The Taj.

One of the most recognizable features of India is The Taj Mahal. I had the opportunity to visit this fabulous place the other day and absolutely loved it, even though getting there was not so fabulous. We decided to go to Agra by car, so we had to leave around 6 am to arrive by 10:30. That doesn't sound like a terrible car ride, but in order to pass from Delhi to Agra you have to go through Faridabad. Not only Faridabad, but Faridabad during winter.  Though it may be the home to Aston Martin, BMW, and Rolls Royce dealers, the rest of it is basically dirty slums and smoke. (What ever you do, don't open your window! Ever!) Beyond Faridabad you basically drive through more slums, haze, and the occasional rice farm.

When I finally arrived into Agra, I realized that basically The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort are the only things in Agra. Besides that, there are some really nice hotels; though, all of them were dedicated to pushing tourists see those two sites. We didn't even go see Agra Fort, since apparently it is just like Red Fort in Delhi (fabulous, but not worth seeing twice) and nothing compares to The Taj afterward.

After picking up our tour guide (which I strongly suggest anyone does), since even though I took a semester of Indian Studies, you just need someone to explain the complexity of it to you, we dropped off our car. In order to avoid pollution near The Taj, which stains the marble, the government has mandated that no gas or diesel vehicles can enter a certain vicinity to the complex. So, after leaving our car with our driver we took a battery powered auto rickshaw. Even the battery powered auto rickshaw wasn't allowed to take us all the way and we had to walk the last stretch of land.

Then there's the security that everyone has to go through before entering the complex, and as our tour guide said "rules in India are meant to be broken", so everyone went through the "high profile visitor" line even though we were clearly not "high profile visitors". However, even that was unable to dampen my spirits since once you walk through the security line you finally feel relaxed. There is greenery everywhere, a welcome change from Agra, and massive gates surround the beautiful palace that barely peaks out above the fences.

Once your through the gates, everything becomes ethereal. The Taj is so beautifully sculpted and in pristine white marble that it seems impossible to be a real structure. Of course everyone is crowded around to take that post card picture, and few actually seem interested in the history. Upon finishing those photos, you slip on those shoe covers and voila you don't have to take off your shoes! It's absolutely nothing like Slumdog Millionaire with children stealing the tourists footwear.

With the booties your allowed to traverse the palace and see the fake tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, since the real ones are underground. Inside it's pretty small, but outside its amazing and you get a great view of the Yamuna river from that high up. The whole no cars thing actually does help the smog quite a bit and my breathing wasn't impaired that much.

Overall I enjoyed my trip to The Taj Mahal, even though Agra isn't the greatest city in the world.

I enjoyed going there, especially since I know I will probably never have the chance again to go see The Taj again. I  strongly encourage anyone to go visit The Taj Mahal since it is truly a breathtaking structure - just go by train.

The Taj - in all its greatness

Side view!

The relaxing banks of the Yamuna

Christmas in Delhi

The holidays are usually a difficult time of the year - family and exorbitant amounts of food combined  rarely ends well. I have celebrated the Christmas season in such different countries, with such different cultures that I have learned to adapt rather quickly to the differences and recognize the similarities. One similarity I have found remains true no matter where I go - hope. Perhaps, this is only common in my family, but something tells me this is the spirit of the holiday season. Somehow, the holiday season has brought everyone important to you together, so you can celebrate all you have done that year.

Whether it's a move to India or just managing to get through the past year despite all that the trials you encountered, the holiday season is a time when people share their recollections and hope for a better new year. This holiday season was especially different for me since it was the first time in my entire life that I didn't spend in a country where the majority of the population actually celebrates Christmas, or what they believe to be Christmas (Cuba is a special place...). I mean, sure the mall has tinsel everywhere and our house is decorated, but there is that indescribable element that makes your heart feel warm and content, and you recognize that it is actually Christmas.

I hadn't even realized I was missing that element until Christmas Eve, until I walk into mass and smell the incense burning and hear people crowded on the pews singing "Silent Night", when I realize just what I had been missing all this month. Somehow, the Christmas spirit managed to permeate the thick smog of Delhi in that little chapel and kindled that hope I had been missing.

India truly is incredible and I hope that I can share all my experiences of India with the world. I had a great deal of stereotypes coming here, and being here shattered my mind and left me utterly confused for the first couple weeks. I'm no expert concerning India, though many times I act like one, and I hope by the end of my time here I will be able to say I changed what others thought about India as well.

Happy Holidays!

(I promise I'll get my posting of my visits to Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan up soon)

The Advantages of a Driver

(Firstly, I would like to apologize for my lack of blogs. Exams were rather stressful, so I was unable to go around Delhi and visit many sites. However, now I am free and plan to go around Delhi as much as possible and maybe even make more posts than my previously promised once a week.)

Having a driver in the U.S. sounds a little snobby. Having a driver in India seems like a no-brainer, unless of course your not aware of the traffic situation in New Delhi. I have been complaining quite a lot recently about India, mostly regarding the traffic. However, now that I have had the experience of having a driver, I fret I wont be able to go without one again. Now my complaining feels so petty, what was I complaining exactly for? Now that a driver has been invested in, life is so much simpler!

Today, with the aid of a driver, we managed to visit: Red Fort,  India Gate, Qutb Minar (for the 2nd time!), and still have time for a little shopping in Khan Market. At first, I was a little skeptical about visiting Red Fort, especially since there is one in Agra and we will be visiting Agra very soon. Although, Red Fort surpassed my expectations in the most important aspects; beautiful architecture, amazing photography, a rich history. The only real downside was the amount of trash on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but hey that's everywhere in India. I highly suggest, if anyone visits Delhi to make Red Fort on the top of their list.

India Gate is a little different. In my opinion, it looks just like that Arc de Triomphe in France, except there are a lot of Indians everywhere. Try taking a picture of your family, and school kids crowd around the photographer trying to snap pictures of their own. I mean, come on! India Gate is great, I would just suggest not going there on a weekend or during winter, since that's when it's crowded the most.

My mother and all the other people taking pictures of my family

I'll spare you my opinion of Qutb Minar, since I have already blogged a whole post on it. However, I don't think many of my readers are aware of Khan Market. Khan Market has been ranked both Delhi's and India's costliest strip market. Stores range from common brands with large showrooms such as Nike and The Body Shop to small, little known Indian shops with dirt floors. One place I always visit in Khan Market is Fabindia.

Fabindia is an India chain store, selling garments, furnishings, and fabrics all in the comfort of a large showroom with air conditioning and a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere. You could buy kurtas for half the price at Sarojini, but then you would have to face crowds (which entails pushing and shoving). The choice is yours, but I think Fabindia, though expensive, is the way to go when you want to buy Indian clothing, but still in the relaxed western atmosphere you can find at high end stores in the west. 

I suppose that's all for now, I'll post about my Agra trip soon!

India Gate!

Inside Red Fort

Outside of Red Fort