The Trinational Adventure: Part 3 - Agra

- April 24-25, 2011, Sunday - Monday.

- My shortest stay in India would have to be in Agra, since we only spent one night there (2 in Jaipur, and 3 in Delhi.) Still, the highlight of my trip to India was in Agra, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.

- The day started out with another long drive, this time from Jaipur to Agra. Again, Keshar-ji was able to lighten up the whole car trip by pointing out several little things, and slowing down the car once in a while if he sees something that could be "photoworthy" for me.

Leaving Jaipur.

A giant Hanuman in the middle of the road.

Woman with a snake.

A colorful temple.

Brick factories.

Turkeys on the loose.

I love my plate.

Too much Hindi.

- After having lunch at The Bagh (sort of like Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay, but larger,) in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, we headed to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, where we visited the Fatehpur Sikri complex, before going to the hotel.

- The temperature in Agra that day was a bit hotter than usual, although bearable, so my nose started to bleed once in a while. Minor case. Still, I was able to go around the red-colored ghost town/fort built by Ashoka. The place quickly had a special place in my heart after realizing that the movie Jodhaa Akbar (2008, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai) was shot here, among other places. I also loved how Akbar was described to be a "tolerant" leader, since he designed the complex with architectural references from Christian/Catholic architecture, Islamic architecture, Hindu architecture, and etc.

Welcome to Fatehpur Sikri.

Almost everything is red.

I've been badly sunburnt.

The water has turned green.

More stone carvings.

Ashoka's bed.

Plenty of hiding bats.

Ancient paintings that weren't maintained.

Some clearer paintings.

Restored wall painting.

Peeping bat.

Courtyard.

Posing by a post.

Peeping pigeon.

- Before going to the hotel, we were supposed to pass by (but not go around) the mosque in Fatehpur Sikri, but our guide quickly herded us to a shuttle that's about to leave for the parking lot below the hill. (Shuttle services were needed since the whole ghost town was above a hill, whereas the parking lot and shopping center was located at ground level.) This pissed us a bit, since we wanted to see how the mosque looked like (and we heard it looked nice.... though we were warned that many people would be crowding the mosque area, since it was a functional mosque.)

- On the way to the hotel, we were caught in a road chaos. Truck parking spaces were nearby, but many trucks were illegally parked at the sidewalks, preventing the smooth flow of cards on the highway. We were stuck on the road for around an hour, and we arrived at the hotel just about sundown.

On the way to Agra.

Highway traffic.

- At the hotel, a big news flooded all Indian news channels and programs. Sathya Sai Baba ji, a respected Indian guru and religious icon, has passed away. The whole country mourned, while international news was hyping up with the William-Kate wedding.

- My mom and I soon did some additional shopping at the shopping arcade in Jaypee Palace, while getting lost once in a while. Jaypee Palace's structure was built like a palace (confusing pathways, extremely long corridors, and the like,) making me think that Jaypee Palace was one of the hotels that was converted from an ancient palace. (Many hotels in India used to be palaces, but were legally turned into hotels, but keeping the original palace design and ambiance.) I came to know soon that Jaypee Palace was a new building, but was built just like those palace-converted hotels.

- Just before going to dinner, I was lucky enough to witness an Indian wedding reception. I was also able to say congratulations to the groom while I was quickly passing by the big group of people.

Welcome to Jaypee Palace.

Some Kathputli puppets.

Indian wedding.

- During dinner, I felt like I was eating in a Chinese restaurant because of the number of mainland Chinese, and Taiwanese tourists. Come to think of it, in all the places I've been to in India and Nepal (not to mention Thailand,) many Chinese/Taiwanese were present, aside from Caucasian, Japanese, and Korean tourists.

- The following day, our last full day in India, was the most-awaited day. I reseved my black kurta and white "pajama" for that day, so my attire would serve as a nice contrast to the white-marbled Taj. (Btw, "pajamas" in India and other related countries in South Asia don't necessarily refer to the pajamas used for sleeping, although South Asian "pajamas" look sort of like regular pajamas, but are styled for casual purposes.)

Camels are huge.

Here it is, the west gate of the Taj.

On the way to see its majestic beauty.

- I thought before that I would cry out of happiness when I'd behold the Taj in front of me. Instead, upon arriving at the Taj, I wanted to cry out of stress, because I wanted to have the perfect picture with the Taj. I think everyone who was there, does too. Still, I think people were not considerate enough to take quick pictures, and giving way to other people who wanted to take pictures. My mom on the other hand, who took photos of me at the Taj, couldn't take perfect photos as well. Throughout the trip, not just in the Taj, my mom kept on telling me that she can't take the perfect photo and other pessimistic stuff, which pissed me off even more.

On the way to the Taj.

I'm quite good at holding my excitement in.

Full body.

- My biggest pet peeve during the trip to the Taj, or for the whole trip I supposed, would be insensitive tourists (especially mainland Chinese tourists....and again I have nothing against them, being Chinese myself, I just don't like it when they become too boisterous and insensitive) who would not hesitate to walk IN FRONT of people attempting to take nice pictures. (This beats them pushing people around whenever they want to walk past people. Sorry I'm sounding a bit prejudiced, but I'm not the only one who claim this to be true.)

The Taj Mahal and the guesthouse.

- Walking around the Taj made me realize how detailed the structure was, and that all photos don't give justice to the Taj's intricate carvings, marble inlay work, and Arabic calligraphy. Too bad cameras were not allowed inside the Taj itself, although I think cameras wouldn't be able to capture the gloomy and (supposed to be) quiet mood of the tomb. Our guide also showed us how light can pass through marble, and another red stone which I forgot. This made the Taj Mahal more luster during sunrise, sunset, and especially during the full moon.

I can't believe I'm holding it.

Minaret.

The gate behind me.

Bird and calligraphy.

Gardeners.

- The four minarets of the Taj Mahal were also pointing outwards a little bit, rather than standing upright, so the minarets will not fall on the structure itself if ever there would be a severe Earthquake.

- On each side of the Taj Mahal were two identical buildings. One was a functional mosque, and another was a guest house. Both were exactly the same, so we opted to go to the guest house, where we would not be able to disturb any worshippers.

Mosque.

3-D marble.

Taj Mahal from the side.

Inside the guest house.

Minaret.

Long hallways.

Women with their saris.

The tip of the Taj Mahal when traced on the floor.

Woman with her lehenga choli.

A nice view of the Taj Mahal.

Just before leaving.

- After the trip to the Taj Mahal, we had a visit to a place where marble inlay works are made, and off we went to the Agra Fort, where Shah Jahan (the one responsible for the Taj Mahal) was imprisoned. If the Amber Fort in Jaipur was yellow in color, red is the "in thing" in the Agra Fort (as well as the Red Fort in Delhi.) Most parts of the Agra Fort were just like any other fort in India, again with the intricacy and skill of making the designs, as well as the well-planned passages and rooms. However, what made the Agra Fort special was the view of the Taj Mahal on the over side of the Yamuna River. Whenever I saw the Taj from the Agra Fort, I felt like I was Shah Jahan looking at his wife's tomb, while being imprisoned in a rather nice "mansion" inside the Agra Fort.

These are the descendants of the people responsible for making the marble inlay in the Taj Mahal.

Saw a Ramayana-themed pot.

On the way to the Agra Fort.

Made of red sandstone.

Jahangir's palace.

Star of David.

More intricate carvings.

What's left of the paintings.

Door at the end.

Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort.

Another bath/fountain??

Echo wall.

I can't stop taking snaps of these wonderful carvings!!

Taj Mahal from afar. 

Where Shah Jahan was imprisoned, and where he looked at the Taj Mahal.

Upstairs.

Hallways to the conference halls.

Lovely Mughal arches.

Where the Peacock Throne used to be.

Mosque.

Tomb of British civil servant John Russell Colvin. Why he was buried here is a sensitive and a debatable topic.

Powerpuff Girls Indian style??

Bird on a lantern.

- After our trip to the Agra Fort, we stopped by a small two-storeyed souvenir store to do some last-minute shopping, before going back to Jaypee Palace for lunch, checking out, and having another long long ride back to Delhi.

We passed by the Sikandra: tomb of Akbar the Great.

More aquatic birds.

Women on the streets.

- While having dinner in a local Chinese restaurant in Delhi, I tried to call up Kaushik again, but wasn't sure if he would be able to meet me, as Delhi was a big big piece of land, and lived 3 hours away (traffic time included.) Calling Kaushik up took up some dinner time, but I was still able to enjoy the food, again Chinese food with a hint of Indian spices and ingredients. Haha.

- After going back to Hilton, I called up Kaushik again, but again, he told me that it would be truly difficult to meet up with me due to location, travel time, and schedule, but I told him that I was glad to have talked to him even via phone only. Also, right after my mom and I opened the television, the news was flooded with news that the royal British couple have already wed.

With our driver Keshar and helper.

The only way I could talk to Kaushik.