The Terrific Taj Mahal and 'Terror'ific Touts of Agra

Taj Mahal, Agra

What a Beauty

It was a long weekend and in two hours on a smooth eight-lane expressway, we were at the Taj Mahal, one of the eight wonders of the world, the eternal symbol of love, genius architecture, blah blah. Any reason why we should not have gone? Well.... it was a long weekend. That means anyone and everyone from New Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon is trying to get away from their usually mundane, stressful lives and flee to the nearest outstation destinations, one of which,... if you want a drive less than four hours...... just happens to be Agra.

Coasting down the smooth expressway with two brats fighting in the backseat, we were treated to the sight of fancy motorcycle riders opening up their Harleys for a thrill. This is the only expressway in North India where you can have a wild ride on a hot rod without the danger of flying into the air after having sunk into a pothole/ bump or battling to weave around a million other vehicles. 

Life is a Highway, I'm Gonna Ride it all Day ....

Same goes for car drivers. However, you do have to watch out for they have cameras recording your Schumacher skills and there are cops hanging around the toll bridges waiting to catch you with sheets of paper with your car's photo and speed violation. Enjoy the journey because once you arrive in Agra and get to the parking lot of any famous monument, you will be besieged by a host of touts and people trying to take you for a less pleasant ride.

Here's one of the scenarios you can expect if you decide to make the trip on your own and not as part of a tour group. Get to the parking lot, step out of your vehicle, and within seconds you will be approached by a 'certified' guide who will quickly flash you a legal looking identity card with a monetary value of 1950 rupees printed on it and say that he is a government approved guide and for that amount of money he will manage to bypass all the lines (which are really loooooong) to get in to the premises as well as the actual structure. Friends of ours who had gone earlier, paid their guy 800 rupees. 

You jump at it because you really don't want to be standing in a queue in the heat for an hour to get in and you think that 1950 rupees is not bad for five people even though the ticket cost for Indians is 20 rupees a head (which he took extra by the way). 

Can't get Enough

Then you negotiate with the auto rickshaw fellow to take you the one or two kilometers from the parking lot to the entrance of the Taj compound and depending on how gullible or street smart you look, he will quote you a price. We paid 100 rupees. Then another fellow will offer you shoe covers. Ten rupees each for us (I keep stressing the 'for us' because the pricing is very subjective. White skin, triple). TAKE the covers. Because if you don't, you will have to stand in another line to remove your shoes to set foot on the marbled floors of the monument and the line to get in to see the tomb will be huge. Again.

This was our third trip to the Taj in three years and the first two times my hubby and I didn't even bother to go in because of the lines to enter and also because we foolishly declined the shoe covers. The guy selling them warned us that we would be sorry for refusing them, and we sure were. We knew it was going to be teeming with tourists, but it being a Sunday, caused a double whammy! The Taj Mahal itself was a majestic sight as always, but good luck to anyone who thought they could capture a worthy shot of the monument without at least four or five bodies photobombing you.

However, this time we breezed in, bypassed all the lines everywhere, felt sorry for poor suckers sweating it out but were really pleased with our situation. the 1950 bucks were so worth it. 

Had to get the reflection pic

The guide, rambling on in broken English was more for the convenience of getting in wait-free rather than for his actual information services, though we did get a few very interesting nuggets of information about how the British basically came and looted all the precious gems and solid gold structures like the doors and spirals and replaced them with colored stones and brass. The lawns, full of fruit trees were leveled out and replaced by non-fruit bearing trees etc.

The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum of immense beauty built at a staggering cost of 32 million rupees by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor. He commissioned the monument as a tribute to his beloved wife (one of three) Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to his 14^th child. Wow, I'm having a wild time handling just two. The Taj Mahal, commissioned in 1631 was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and gardens were finished in 1653. Built on the banks of the Yamuna river, it's just amazing the thought and architectural detail and opulence that went into it. The marble had inlay work of flowers and designs with stones such as jade, jasper, lapis lazuli and turquoise. All the precious stuff was apparently scraped out by the Brits (damn, those guys really did a number on it) and was replaced by other materials during restoration.

Mosque. Friday Prayers are Held Here

The minarets on all four corners are inclined slightly so that in the event of an earthquake they will fall away and not on the main structure, which, as it is built on a river bed, will be protected by the fluid base. Everything is in perfect symmetry and even the inscriptions on the structure are larger on the top so as to be seen at almost the same size from afar. The stone inlay work shines in the moonlight and the Taj apparently looks pinkish at dawn, white at noon and had a golden hue at dusk. Am going to have to make another couple of trips for the pink and gold views.

The only thing out of symmetry is the cenotaph, or empty tomb, of Shah Jahan which is placed on the left side of Mumtaz Mahal's (the actual bodies are buried a floor below apparently). That's because Shah Jahan was going to build a black monument for himself on the other side of the river but after he fell ill, was overthrown and imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb who had absolutely no desire to humor pops. In fact, he kept him imprisoned in the Agra Fort diagonally across the Taj and the poor guy stared at his beloved monument from a particular angle through...a DIAMOND..for nine years till he died. Then he got unceremoniously dumped next to his wife, destroying the perfect symmetry of his creation. Ouch. Do not piss off your kids.

Across The River, the Site Where the Black Monument Was to Be

After touring the Taj, our guide's work was not over. He led us through the south, or labor gate into a bazaar that apparently is used to sucker the unknowing out of their life savings. India being the dichotomous country it is, right next to the symbol of perfection and opulence, you're exposed to utter dilapidation within which stalls of vendors are hawking gimmicky trinkets, souvenirs and small marble replicas of the Taj at a kings ransom (you need to bargain seriously hard). Through the eyes of my young son, the place looked like it was 'war hit'.

Anyway, these guides will take you to all the shops they have loot-sharing agreements with. We ended up buying some hugely overpriced `pethas', an Indian sweet comprising of white pumpkin cooked in sugar syrup, but refused to buy anything at the horrendously priced marble store he took us to. We already had an idea of which restaurant we were going to for lunch, but I made the mistake of asking him how good it was. He of course suggested another, the Taj Mahal restaurant, insisted it was the best, accompanied us there, and it turned out to be another tourist trap with people from all countries eating there. No locals, average food, high prices. We were looking for more authentic cuisine. It's really hard to shake off these fellows, especially if you're the polite, decent sort.

Agra Fort Diagonally Across Where Shah Jahan was Imprisoned

Every time we've gone to Agra, we've been had in a different way. The last time we even visited Fatehpur Sikri, the 16^th century city built by the third and greatest Mughal emperor Akbar, about an hours drive from the city, and that was something else. Amazing monument, horrendously aggressive touts and hawkers. They saw us approaching the toll bridge, about a kilometer or so from the fort, the minute we slowed down, one 'guide' approached our car, literally dove in through the open window, threw his identity card in my lap and said to follow him as he and another fellow went ahead on a bike. Drove to the parking lot where he basically convinced us that we would get a great deal with him otherwise we would be paying three times more (that's their marketing genius) and basically ripped us off nice and proper.

First they take you to these people selling squares of cloth and strings and say you need to tie a string to the grate and make a wish. We were told to buy the cloth for 4000 rupees each (we were four of us) which would be placed over a holy shrine and the money would go to educate the poor and that all our wishes would be granted. We bargained it down to 2000 and bought just one, and later found out from a relative that they paid just 200 rupees for it. We obviously have large neon signs on our foreheads saying BIG TIME SUCKERS! Then he took us to a room where a fellow stood with a large broom and a gleam in his eye. Pray for your mother, put money down, whack, Broom descends on your back. Your children, money, whack. Your husband, money, whack. See where I'm going? 

Some of the Work on the Walls

I must say, these guys must have a degree in psychology, because they can sniff out the gullible and really work on their weakness! Anyway, after being dogged from the beginning of the stairs to the end of our tour by extremely persistent hawkers peddling stuff from pens to key chains and the like, I was ready to bite someone. Practically foaming at the mouth I literally snarled at someone who had been following us for at least 10 minutes trying to make us buy his wares, to back off. Was soooo happy to get back in the car.

Fatehpur Sikri

Gigantic Bee Hives on One of the Outside Domes in Fatehpur Sikri

This is pretty much the situation in most popular tourist spots in India which you would experience if not part of an organized tour group. But if you really want the real deal,...and a wild amount of writing material,... and not just a sanitized view, you gotta do it our way. Of course, learn from my experiences. Am sure I will be back in Agra and will be taken for a ride again! Till then...... adios. 

PS..The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays.

West Bengal's Forests - Picture File

Gorumara and Jaldapara National Parks

Bridge to paradise (Jaldapara National Park)

These old plank bridges, rickety but serviceable, litter the forests and inner roads of the eastern states of West Bengal and Assam. They blend in easily with the surroundings and add to the charm of the place. The forests, lush and densely wooded are intimidating and majestic and most of all....quiet.

A tiny settlement inside the Gorumara National Park, I imagine this would be a freaky place to live. Flimsy houses vulnerable to attacks by elephants and leopards and the like.

One of the houses. Picture taken from moving jeep so pardon the poor composition.

Herd of Elephants,  Gorumara forest

Generally on jeep rides inside a forest, because of noisy engines, the animals hear you coming from a mile. The one we were on was especially rattly and the engine, suspension and body were all working together to create operatic level music. Even so, it must have been a lucky day for us because at 6.30 am, we saw this herd of elephants moving in the jungle not more than 25 yards away. One of them comes up to a tree, gives it a hard kick and the entire thing comes crashing down! That was our cue to move because our jeep in the decrepit condition it was in, would never be able to out-run the jumbos if they decided to come after us.

Peacocks were everywhere!

                                                             

               Peacock in Flight        

                  Regal Pose

The woods are lovely dark and deep

Giant beehive at the resort we were staying in at Gorumara

Jungle Jaunt

Jaldapara National Park, India

Hollong Guest House, Jaldapara, West Bengal

Imagine sitting on a bench, staring out into the forest and having your own personal Imax wildlife show playing out in real life. That's exactly what we experienced in the Jaldapara National Park in April this year. Jaldapara, spanning 141 square kilometers in the northern part of West Bengal is a lush, dense forest, home to the one horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger, elephants, many types of deer, leopards, bison, wild pigs and not to mention, its a feast for bird watchers.

Coronation Bridge, Sevoke

We started off from Bagdogra, a small town in the foot of the Darjeeling hills and drove the three hours to the Hollong guest house in Jaldapara, covering 88 miles of awesome road (very surprising for north Bengal), picturesque river beds, tea gardens, forests and hills.

 Arriving at the guest house, which was located deep within the forest, we settled in and then had a typical Bengali lunch of maacher jhol – fish in very light gravy – rice, dal, vegetables and aloo bhaja – potato sticks – and salad. The fare at Hollong is simple and doesn't change much but it's wholesome and tasty. Fish for lunch, chicken for dinner. Then some of us went straight to the benches on the lawns and sat and waited for the animals. Being a complete nature freak, I didn't want to miss out on anything.

On to the right side of the tracks!

Over the bridge to the Dooars

The guest house is located in a large clearing in the forest. The lawns end at a tiny stream which is no more than a foot deep at its worst and a few meters wide and then the animal playground begins with no protective barrier whatsoever. I was told that in this place you are guaranteed sightings of wild animals but I was quite skeptical given my luck in not spotting the elusive tiger despite numerous visits to Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and catching the backside of one rhino in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, as it ambled into the wild grass. But the eternal optimist in me kept her hopes up and fingers crossed.

Beautiful Bengal

So my mom and I sat on the bench while the kids and other family members were in different parts of the lawn just waiting and waiting, staring out into the distance. The quiet peaceful atmosphere also served as a wonderfully relaxed bonding experience between mother and daughter, so far from our daily chores and responsibilities. The clearing has a large pit in which forest officials put two piles of salt every day and the animals, after a hard day come to re-hydrate, which is why sighting is guaranteed.

In the jungle it's a waiting game. You have to be patient and willing to wait for hours or even days to spot an animal. At first, we saw a peacock far out in the brush. Then beautiful birds like the Blue Jay, eagle, hornbill and parrots. Then came the monkeys. These bu**ers are everywhere! There were at least fifty or so jumping around the sand pit and I wondered if I'd come all the way just for a `planet of the apes' experience. 

After two and a half hours I was grumbling away about this when suddenly in the distance emerging from the trees we see two ivory tusks and attached to them is a magnificent wild elephant ambling steadily into the clearing. Ah my heart. It did a happy dance. The tusker kept walking straight down then veered off to its left and back into the jungle. All of us were spellbound and I mostly heard myself saying ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod WOW!

How awesome is that!

Shortly after, we saw movement in the same spot the elephant emerged from and out popped some Indian bison, or Indian Gaur, as they are called. They came in a line then, charging toward the salt pit. Five, six, ten, twelve, then more and more until the entire herd arrived. At its peak, I counted 44 bison hanging out not 50 yards from us, lapping up salt, grazing and some of them headbutting each other. Another wondrous sight. Gazed at them for a while but I was really waiting for the rhinoceros. The Indian one horned rhino is an amazing sight to behold and I couldn't wait to see it. Though the tusker was an amazing bonus. Never thought that would happen.

Herd of Indian bison

But, where's my rhino? The beast I was most eager to see and was assured of sighting was proving as elusive as the Corbett tiger! We waited and waited and waited. It got dark and still no rhino. Finally we went into the guest house and sat in the drawing room on the first floor and kept a watch from large open windows facing the clearing with the lights off because it was attracting a serious amount of bugs. The guest house has a couple of powerful spot lights which are used to see animals at night.

After a while, we shone the light onto the pit and whaddya know, four wild elephants, few bison, couple of deer and one rhino were hanging out having a party! We went running back into the lawns and stared at them from the edge. Suddenly, one of the bison or elephants scared off the rhino and that huge guy took off and cleared the 75 or so meters towards us in less than four seconds. Before we knew it, it had crossed the brook and was on our side to the far left. Most people hastened back to the building. Poor guy, think it was more spooked than any of us and it just went off from there through the forest. For an animal that size it sure is timid and can run really fast!

Who you lookin' at mister?

The next morning we were on a 6.45 a.m. elephant ride inside the forest. I was still hankering to see a rhino during the day as the night sighting was not nearly as satisfactory. Bumping along the beautiful lush forest through streams and jungle, we come out into a huge clearing with tall grass. I asked the mahout about the chances of spotting a rhino and he said `sure, you will definitely see them'. A minute later, he points to a little pool of water ahead of us and wallowing in it is a huge rhinoceros! Happy dance again! We go to within three feet and it sees us hovering, gives us the wary eye, gets up a bit alarmed and stares suspiciously.

Am sure it was annoyed at having its quiet wallow disturbed by pesky intruders. They're also scared of elephants, so we move off. My trip was complete. Couldn't ask for more. Didn't see any more rhinos or any other animals after that but the later you go the less are the chances of spotting animals as they move away from those areas knowing there will be a steady stream of gawking tourists coming that route all day.

Who dare disturb my peaceful wallow!

The entire hour, there was a baby elephant who accompanied us, following its mommy everywhere. It went on all the trips through the day, stopping to nurse once in a while. On our way back, we had reached the clearing of the guest house when I looked to the right and whoa, there was the tusker coming towards us in the distance. I exclaimed and pointed him out and the mahouts got quite agitated. There were four elephants and a baby in the group and the mahouts started urging them to move faster towards our drop off point as they were scared for little Champakuli as it was the most vulnerable.

Coming right at us!

Those were some apprehensive moments as I really didn't fancy us getting gored or trampled by a wild elephant. Luckily we made it back without incident and this time the tusker came all the way to the stream touching the guest house lawns, giving some lucky people a close look and amazing photographic opportunity. I of course missed the show as the drop off point was about 100 meters from where the tusker was and I was busy petting the elephant that gave us such a wonderful ride. Would have loved to see the magnificent wild beast up close though.

Our lovely companion

North Bengal is home to 529 elephants across 2,200 kilometers of forest area and with the increasing population and pressure on land, the man-elephant conflict is on the rise. Train tracks through the forests have been responsible for an increasingly alarming number of collisions with the jumbos and at least 44 elephants have died in that area after being hit by trains since 2004.

In November 2013 a train rammed into a herd crossing the tracks in the Chapramari wildlife sanctuary killing five adult and two baby elephants on the spot and stopped only after a mangled carcass got entangled under its wheels. It's heartbreaking to hear such news and leaves me wondering why they have train tracks going through the forests in the first place. Couldn't they skirt around it?

According to a study by Teri University, the number of elephant deaths have tripled since the railways decided to convert the rails from meter gauge to broad gauge in 2004. The trains have a maximum speed of 100 kilometers an hour. The study found that 86 percent of the collisions happened at night and during crop season which can be avoided if train services are halted at night. They have also suggested a maximum speed 40 km an hour in those areas. Will the railways do something about it? I really really hope so. Trains and poachers need to be kept at bay.

Can you please leave me alone!

Soon it was time to leave Jaldapara, and leave I did with a heavy heart. The place was magical to me and my kids and the time too short. The poor husband, bogged down by work troubles couldn't really enjoy the experience. We tried to book two nights there but only managed one. The booking process is absolutely nuts! You've got to be a real wildlife enthusiast and seriously dedicated to be able to get to spend a few days there. The procedure through the government website is truly not for the fainthearted.

Firstly, the bookings open 120 days in advance, so the real eager beavers are sitting in front of their computers with their fingers poised to hit the reservation button at 12 a.m. sharp! If you want a room for more than one night, repeat the procedure the next night and so on. My dad and uncle tried to get a booking (we needed two rooms for two nights) failed, went running to the forest department in Siliguri, West Bengal's third biggest city a half hours drive from Bagdogra, and they managed to reserve one night for us at the back rooms which didn't overlook the park. The booking for the next night was not open yet, so the two of them woke at 5 a.m. the next morning and tried... with no luck. We had to spend the next night at another forest reserve called Gorumara, an hour and a half's drive away.

Great advice!

In Gorumara we stayed in a private resort outside the forest and the next day took a Jeep ride into the jungles. There was a stark difference between the two properties. The Reserve, being privately owned was clean and comfortable and plush though the rooms were small. The food was very nice and we had a mix of cuisines, Indian, Chinese, Italian to break the monotony. But the charm of staying inside the forest is unparalleled.

Jaldapara being a typical government concern had uneven wooden floors covered with vinyl which were not mopped properly, frayed, old, worn out couches with frayed, old, faded covers. Though the guesthouse had been recently painted, the room corners had a few months worth of dust settled under the armchairs and I had to get it swept again before the children's mattress could be put over it. Would have preferred to have it mopped with water too but apparently the sweeper and mopper are different and the fellow wasn't around. Or maybe, the guy didn't want to do the extra work.

Our bathroom had the most peculiar smell with a crack along the length of the basin. And not to mention the towels!!! Originally white, but had turned grey, threadbare and was so off-putting that I refused to bathe there. If you're ever planning to go to any government property in India, unless its the governor's private mansion, carry your own towels!! I refused to even use our bathroom, instead, preferred to go down the rickety circular stairs to my parents bathroom on the floor below.

Huge cotton tree

It surprises me that with the abundance of manpower government facilities have, how little they use it for proper maintenance and cleanliness. The short stairs to the first floor rooms had a bunch of bees congregating right in the center and some buzzing around and we had to quickly run through them trying not to step on any. My kids were naturally apprehensive of getting stung by the bees but I got them through a few times.

After three such dashes I asked someone to remove them and he replied with a blase ``it's okay, they won't do anything''. I got annoyed and asked them if they would tell the chief secretary of West Bengal, the highest administration official in the state, the same when he arrived later that evening. They promptly removed the bees. My uncle gave the guesthouse in-charge a one-hour lecture on organizational skills and how to maintain standards before we left!

Another thing peculiar to government establishments is the extreme deference they give to VIP's, i.e. government babus, There are all of seven rooms in the guesthouse, Two of those ...obviously the best ones... are reserved for VIP's.

Party all night

Even with all that,  I felt terrible leaving the Hollong guest house, and would gladly have spent another few days there just for the serenity and the amazing animals. The guest house, with its spacious rooms, bathrooms and sitting areas would have been really wonderful had they just maintained it properly. And the good part is that with such few rooms you don't have too many people staying there, so it stays peaceful. I plan to go back next year but when I do, I'll make sure to bring my own towels!

Flowery Notes

Chiang Rai Flower Show, Thailand

All the Pretty Ladies!

I don't think anyone does aesthetics better than the Thais. From their fruit carvings to their flower decorations and traditional architecture, they've got it all down to an art form. We were at the relatively small town of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand in January last year and decided to drop in to see the flower show. And what a show! It was full of the most amazing orchids, giant begonias, lillies and numerous other exotic flowers which any botanist would drool over. My mom certainly did! But the really unique and amazing sights were the man-made creations of flower art. They were truly remarkable, with mannequins dressed up in flowers to instruments covered in them, and if you scroll down, you'll see some for yourself. 

Anyone Planning to Sing Flowery Songs? 

Fragrant Fairy

Haute Couture!

Dancing Girls

Giant Begonias

Orchids

Bones and the Black House

Baandam, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Black House

About half an hour from Chiang Rai, you get to see Baandam, or the Black House, built by the Thai artist Thawan Duchanee. This work is the polar opposite of the White Temple, which I covered in my earlier post. The artist himself was a student of the Chalermchai Kositpipat, who built the White Temple, but whereas Chalermchai went towards the ethereal and the spiritual, Thawan seems to have gone down the dark route. The two works of art are actually referred to as Heaven and Hell. 

The Main Hall

The Black house is built on a sprawling acreage which has about 40 structures including the late artist's home (he died in September last year) and art works inside comprise structures and furniture shaped like or made from skeletal remains of animals. Quite morbid if you ask me but also a weirdly fascinating peek into the artist's mind.

Funky Table  Runner

They have these long tables running the length of the hall with snake skins of all snake varieties running down the length of them. You need to spend some time here as well as at the White Temple so keep a day in hand to stroll at your leisure. You can couple the two works of art with a trip to Doi Tung, a small hillside village which houses the royal palace for Thailand's Princess Mother. The lawns are supposed to be quite spectacular but we missed it as we combined too many things that day. White Temple, Black House, Doi Tung for lunch as well as the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. Its better to split it up into two days and keep a whole day just for the Golden Triangle otherwise you'll end up missing a lot (as we did). 

Bony chair

The chair was just a piece of the vast array of art work featuring skeletal remains. God I need a better camera than my two year old Samsung S3! It's just so handy though, and light!

Didn't spot my uncle taking pictures until I downloaded the pic! He seemed to blend in from afar.

Front View

God in the Midst of His Basic Creation

Python on the Lawns

Wonder if this one is going to end up on a table too.