If you have made it to part 3 of my journey through India you have probably already read A Journey Through India Part 1 & Part 2. If not, be sure to check those out first. So far, my journey though India was nothing short if an unforgettable experience. Our group tour started in New Delhi and then escaped the crazy, big city into some of the national parks. From our safaris, we journeyed into a small village, where we got to stay with the Prince and Princess. However, our tour was now taking us back to some big cities, starting with Agra – home of the Taj Mahal.
A Journey Through India:
Agra
When I decided to go to India, I was looking to see two things: a tiger and the Taj Mahal. As you know, I did not find my illusive tiger. However, the odds of seeing the magnificent Taj Mahal, was pretty easy to guarantee. So when we arrived in Agra, I was buzzing!
Agra seemed less busy than New Delhi but still a big city to explore. We were still traveling in our bus with a private driver. Our driver would stay in the bus so we were able to leave our belongings on board while out exploring. We were told to leave everything but our phones and camera since the security is pretty tight.
Our group walked to the gate, cleared security and were set loose. My journey through India finally lead me here: the Taj Mahal.
The Baby Taj
Our big introduction to Agra was a visit to the Baby Taj. This structure is much smaller than the Taj Mahal but still beautiful. The Baby Taj has the four pillars, like the Taj Mahal and stunning white marble. Having been in India for several days now, it was clear to see just how much the Indian people appreciate the outdoors. The Baby Taj was no exception to the beautiful grounds that seemed to surround their iconic buildings.
We had a bit of free time to explore. After we got all of our pictures, we decided to stretch our legs through the grass. Other families were taking a break in the grass but we found the perfect spot. With a wide area to “play”, I gave our group a handstand lesson. We even had a young Indian child come over to learn with us. While this wasn’t an epic part of the history of India, I will always remember our time of letting loose in the grass. Sometimes, it really is the little things that make life worth while.
A Journey Through India:
The Taj Mahal
A Brief History
I think it is safe to say that the Taj Mahal is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Something I didn’t know though, is that it is actually the finial resting place of the favorite wife of the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan. So with that being said, the Taj Mahal is actually a glorified tomb. The structed itself if made of white marble and sits on the banks of the river Yamuna. Construction was completed in 1632, making this building close to 400 years old.
Exploring the grounds
Upon arriving at the Taj Mahal, our group was given a time frame to explore the area on our own before meeting at a café down the street. My mother and I took off eager to explore and find some picture perfect settings. There is a long channel of water that runs down the middle of the grounds surrounded by the stunning gardens and walkways.
While making our ways along the grounds we found a stair way up to the ground level of the Taj Mahal. We decided to take some picture from up there when we met a security guard. Among the other tourist, my mom and I still stuck out like a sore thumb and seemed to be a spectacle to most. This security guard took a special interest and offered to show us the best spots. We took him up on his offer and he delivered. He took us to the exact spot that one of the James Bond movie covers were taken and the location for my favorite photo of the trip!
A shear stroke of luck that we ran into this guard. Once we got a good amount of pictures we parted ways.
Inside the Taj Mahal
We waited in line to enter the Taj and finally got our chance. To enter, we had to put covers on our shoes. At the time, they looked like shower caps that went over your shoes. This helped keep the marble looking pristine at all times.
The center of the interior houses the final resting place of Mumtaz Mahal – favorite wife on Emperor Shah Jahan and the emperor himself. Mumtaz Mahal is lined up in the center of the building while Shah Jahan is settled off center as the structure was built for her. His resting spot seemed to be an after tought.
I’ll be honest, I did not do a ton of research on the Taj Mahal before embarking on my journey through India. However, this structure has a beautiful, tragic and colorful history. It is certainly a building worth seeing and I am so glad I took that jump in buying that plane ticket.
A Journey Through India:
Jaipur
Exploring a New City
We hopped into our bus and drove out to Jaipur. Jaipur is another big city in India and we had plenty of free time to explore. Our group was primarily women and we were eager to get a few authentic Indian souvenirs. Luckily, we were in just the city to shop!
Bartering & Bargains
Our free day in Jaipur led us all out to the markets. There are areas in the city full of shops and people on the sidewalks selling their goods. One item that I really desired was an Indian sari dress. The options were endless.
We were told before we went out to the shops that it is very common and mostly expected to barter for the best price. To be honest, I am not great at this. Everything in India was very cheap when converted to or from USD and I felt terrible asking for a better price.
I finally found the perfect sari and probably paid more than most. Having said that, I still love the dress and feel good about the amount that I spent.
A Night at the Cinema
Jaipur has a gorgeous cinema that plays current Bollywood movies. Going to see a really Bolloywood film (with subtitles) was on our agenda for the evening. The cinema had quite a grand entrance and a popcorn station. Our journey through India had us living off of Indian food for quite a while now, we were all excited to dive in. The movie we saw was called Dhoom:3 and we were all presently surprised with how much we got into the show.
Often times people will dress in their new sari dresses to attend but most of our group had not picked one out yet.
We all sat together, ready to enjoy the film. While movies here in the US are usually shown in one sitting, Bollywood movies are different. Halfway through we were given a intermission, similar to a live show here. After the completion of the film we could head over to the McDonald’s or Domino’s Pizza. We opted for pizza and enjoyed a familiar meal for the evening.
Jews fit for a Queen
The following day, we took a few tuk tuks along with some of our other tour mates, over to a large jewelry. This jewelry story had a immaculate factory in the basement, that we toured. Along with a main floor of beautiful jewelry pieces and statues made of materials like jade and gold. Many of which were depicting Indian Gods. Lastly, if you spent enough money, you were taken to the upstirs. The top floor was filled with jewels bigger than I knew existed. They were a supplier for the top class of people and took pride in their pieces.
Many of our tour mates walked away with beautiful, new jewelry. All of us were given tiny statues made of jade in the shape of buddah as a gift.
Missed Lunch and Love Songs
We decided to head back to our hotel. Unfortunately, once we made it back, we had missed the lunch hours at the hotel. By this time, my mother and I were starving. So we set out down the street to get a snack. The nearest snack shop was the size of a very small walk in closet and not well stocked in any familiar food. We settled on some crackers and a small ice cream. Who could go wrong with ice cream right? Well, upon further inspection… about 3/4 of the way through my cone, the ice cream had expired 6 month prior. Oops…
Having said that, our snack held us over until dinner hours at the hotel. We had insisted that our guide take the night off to have dinner with his mother who lived close by. Leaving us to fend for ourselves that evening. Dinner at the hotel was lovely. We sat in the lobby to tap into the illusive wifi for a short time before dinner. Due to our lasting presence, the two singers called us over to hear the song they were dedicating to us. Our own private concert.
Delhi Belly
It happened and yes it is as bad as it sounds. We had heard the term Delhi Belly for the upset stomach people often get while visiting India. I am pretty certain that the cause of my discomfort came from the dairy product that was 6 months expired. Needless to say, I was in the bathroom for a good part of the night with lots of tums taken.
Party Night
A few of our tour mates took the evening to explore a few local bars. It appeared that they had a fun night but partied hard. I know that two of the girls came home around three. As we shared a wall and I was in the bathroom when they arrived back at their room. We had to be on the bus around 9am.
The following morning, a few of the young ones noted that I was so lucky to have self-control. Since I decided not to go out the night before. While they nursed their head aches, I silently sat with the knowledge that I was up a good part of the night too. They never have to know, right?
A Journey Through India:
Back to New Delhi
While my time in India was full of beautiful experiences, I was not looking forward to going back to New Delhi. The city is giant, busy and overwhelming. Having said that, our time in India was coming to its end.
Final Farewell
Two weeks prior, I would have never imagined that I would feel a great sadness saying goodbye to our new friends. However, our final meal together was upon us and we were all feeling the emotions. We all went out for our final dinner recalling memories we made and confirming that we all had each others social media links.
I had become close with a few of our tour mates and instead of calling it a night we decided to stay up for more conversation and games in one of the rooms. Once we knew it was well past time for sleep, we went our separate ways.
Flying Solo
My mom and I had booked a very late flight to start heading home. This gave us one extra day to explore what else we wanted to see. Luckily, one of our tour mates and new friends was also staying later. So we had another person to run around with for the day. Raghu set us up with a private driver that would take us anywhere in the city for the whole day.
The three of us decided to head out to the Red Fort first. The Red Fort was immaculate. The structure has the gorgeous arch ways that you imagine when you picture India in your head. Most of the fort that we explored was mostly outdoors. They were full of beautiful grounds and covered areas.
A Brief History
From my understanding, the Red Fort was built when the capital was shifted from Agra to New Delhi. It became the main residence for the Mughal Emperors. In 2007 the Red Fort was actually named a UNSCO World Heritage Site.
Agrasen ki Baoli
The three of us then journeyed to Agrasen ki Baoli. Two of our tour mates happened to have gone here before our tour started or else we would have had no clue that this was a place to see. Believe it or not, this location is actually a very old well. While there are not records to confirm it is believe to have been built by one of the kings.
While this is a very interesting structure it actually has a bit of a haunted past. It is said that a curse was put upon this baoli causing the water to turn black. Now it is rumored that the people that went in and never returned still hang around. The three of us didn’t have any paranormal occurrences but I suppose that is up for you to decide on your visit.
Dinner & a Late Flight
After exploring the city, we sat down for dinner. In the endless options we ended up texting Raghu to get a recommendation. To be honest, it might have been my favorite meal. From dinner, we dropped our friend off at the hotel, as she flew out the next day and took a cab to the airport.
We left India around 11pm to fly back to Paris and then finally back to the US. We were in for a few very long flight but looking forward to being home.
Looking Back on a Journey Through India
India was my first big international trip as an adult and it sure was a whirlwind. I arrived in India expecting quite the opposite of what I thought. Having said that, the experience, friendships and lessons I learned were beyond anything I could have manifested in my imagination.
Since leaving India, I have kept in touch with many of our tour mates. We have even hosted each other in our home countries or met up to show off the best hidden secrets in out area. Walking away from any experience with new friends and likeminded individuals is what I call a success. If you are looking for a great tour company – we had a fantastic experience with GAdventures.
It took me several months after retuning to really appreciate my trip for all that it was. However, looking back now, I would return to India in a heartbeat. Having a better understanding of what to expect and dive into the culture even more. India is quite unlike any country I have traveled to and I would encourage anyone interested to take the leap of faith, book the flight and find peace among this beautiful country.
