Jennifer had some leave days to use up before the end of the year and, as ever, it's always nice to have a break away, so we thought it would be nice to have a cheap weekend away to see the Taj Mahal. Well, that was the plan, but it didn't turn out to be so cheap in the end, as you will see.
Spice Jet was the obvious choice to fly with from Bangalore to Delhi, and as a budget Indian carrier they were great - easy to pay, efficient and on time. So we arrived in Delhi. In India it is best to prepay your taxis with the Police. This you can do in certain places such as airports and main streets. We prepaid for our taxi from Delhi Airport to our hotel. It is unbelievable that this journey of twelve miles or more cost only 250 Rupees (GBP3.00) which I doubt would hardly cover the petrol for the return trip. The taxi, however, was falling apart with no working seat belts, defective breaks and decidedly suspicious steering, as well as a driver who was so tired he drove most of the way with his eyes closed.
Our hotel was fine, and we went off to the centre of Delhi to do some shopping. Delhi is quite different to Bangalore. It is more cosmopolitan, (we saw at least five white people) with wider roads that are in good repair and a smart financial district with numerous foreign embassies. The main shopping part is in the centre of town in Connaught Place; a series of old Victorian buildings set in concentric circles around a central park, numbered in respective blocks.
I knew what Jennifer was after. A watch for her birthday (albeit some three months way). Any hopes of a Timex or Casio were dashed when we walked into the Tag Heuer Boutique. The new watch was duly selected and I proposed a deal and a call was made to the manager who eventually arrived and agreed a substantially reduced price from that which was marked, and all in all more than GBP300 less than we would have paid in the UK. It was then time to pay and have some links in the bracelet removed.
In true Indian style it was not possible for any of these functions to be carried out in the shop. I had to go with an assistant to a service centre to have the links removed, and then on to another shop to pay. A card machine was duly removed from a cupboard, and the dust blown off it and the process began to get it working. Eventually, it required one assistant to hold the plug in the electric socket and dodge the sparks coming out if it, another to support the wire across the shop and a third to type in the details. The transaction complete, off we went more than a thousand pounds worse off, but at least Jennifer has no more excuses for being late.
Then it was dinner time. Jennifer thought it would be a good idea to go to the most expensive restaurant in Delhi - Le Cirque in the Leela Palace Hotel. It was more 1980's nouvelle cuisine than anything else. Not a lot of food and a GBP 175 bill at the end of it. Already, this was turning out to be an expensive trip.
Next morning it was an early start to Delhi Railway station. The place was covered with the usual bodies, smells and piles of shit on the tracks.
I went to speak with the fat Enquiry Wallah. After he finished removing most of the tiny brain he had left through his nose, I asked him about our seats. He was less than helpful. Not a great attitude for anyone to have with me before 10AM. I really went for him telling him he was a disgrace and lazy and an embarrassment, and walked away. I got about 15 yards away, and thought I hadn't said enough, so returned and started on him again, telling him he had let his country down and should be ashamed. He almost choked on whatever he was chewing on that came out of his nose, and I felt a lot better. It made up for the early start and my lack of breakfast. Two hours first class on the Bhopal Shatabdi Express and we were in Agra.
Agra is particularly horrible, and I wouldn't advise spending any more time than is necessary there. There are hawkers everywhere and they are persistent, even for hardened persons such as ourselves. We got a taxi for the whole day for about ten pounds, and after an hour at our hotel we went to see the Taj Mahal from the other side of the river. This is not a bad view, and a lot of Bollywood films have been made here. It was a bit misty for good photos at that time of the morning though.
We then went to the "Baby Taj Mahal" nearby
This was a small marble mausoleum constructed in a similar marble to the Taj Mahal itself,
Then it was on to Agra Fort. This is a large ancient fort constructed to guard the river into Agra and is thought to be the strongest fort in India. About seventy five percent of it is inhabited by the military but the rest is open to the public. You could spend an hour or two here exploring all the ups and downs and nooks and crannies. There is quite a good view of the Taj Mahal across the river from here.
We then were taken for lunch to a local Indian restaurant. There was a snake charmer outside, and I went over to have a look. Before I knew it I had an Indian viper and a python around my neck, much to the amusement of Jennifer, who couldn't decide whether to squeel, or film me on her iPad. In the end she did both.
Then, finally, after a short respite hotel break, we were off to the Taj Mahal itself.
There is no doubt that this is an impressive building. It has an imposing edifice, but this is contrasted with the calming waters and greenery below. As the sun sets, the colours change from the bright white marble through oranges and reds, and almost a rainbow of combinations depending on the angle you view it from. The image of the monument is emotively reflected in the waters below. An experience only to be enjoyed to its fullest at dawn or dusk.
Back to the hotel for an anticlimactic evening in our room with a McDonald's and an early night (the stark contrast to the previous night was not lost on us).
The taxi driver was obviously not going to turn up the next morning to take us to the train station, despite speaking to him on the phone twice, and him saying he was on his way. We have been in India for suffiently long enough now to recognise when someone says "Yes" but what they actually mean is "No". We got a hotel taxi, and when we got out at the station, there he was. Obviously not the brightest. He started smiling at me, which was a mistake. After berating him in front of his friends I made a point of letting him see me giving 500 Rupees to our driver and telling him to keep the change. That was a 300 Rupee tip on a 200 Rupee journey. His face said it all.
The journey back to Delhi was four hours, but was great as we had a first class sleeper compartment all to ourselves,
The journey soon passed, as did the flight home, leaving me with the unsolved enigma of what would have come to our Agra hotel room if I had informed reception that the first item on the minibar menu was not in the fridge.
