Varanasi to Agra and Everything Else

construction workers

Our parents were thrown into the wild ride that is Varanasi. The moment you step on the main street you are struck by throngs of people who never seem to be going the direction you are, cars trying to squeeze by and honking at you, cows standing stubbornly in the middle of the road, the smell of all kinds of waste including but not limited to cow shit, human shit and pee, and garbage. That is not to mention the faint smell of burning bodies and the overwhelming smell of incense. Varanasi is an intense place and is said to have an intense energy due to it being the city of Shiva, god of destructive and creative energy. It is usually the city that people imagine when they think of India. Not the city itself but the energy and the appearance. It is also the holiest city for Hindus.

Quiet intersection in Varanasi

Where we hired our boat

A Ganga night boat ride was our first stop in Varanasi. We got a taxi with a wonderful taxi driver. He took us to the river and we hired a boat. (For way too much but when you show up with nicely dressed parents there is no way to bargain down.) The ride was nice, although I could have passed on parking the boat and watching them burn bodies. Known to cleanse the soul of a person, the river is the cremation site for Hindus. After that we stopped and watched Arti, a fire ritual for the god Shiva. When that was over it was late and everyone was tired from traveling so we went back to the hotel. Before we left our taxi driver we made sure to hire him for tomorrow.

Our amazing driver said "To drive in india you only need three things: a good horn, good brakes, and good luck." 

Mom making friends



Temples along the Ganga and main cremation site (giant fire in the middle)



Prayer candles that you light and float in the river

Wedding season in India

We woke up and got started on our big tour day. We started with the golden temple which non Hindu men are not allowed to enter and women need their passports. Unfortunately we did not have our passports so we ended up just getting to see it from the doorway. It was beautiful though and I wish we could have gone in. Then we went to an art/antiquities museum. It was very interesting and had lots of beautiful pieces dating back centuries. Then off to a Tibetan Buddhist temple with giant prayer wheels that we all spun. Next was a Japanese Buddhist temple with a lone drummer. After those temples we went to the place where Buddha is believed to have made his first speeches. By now everyone is exhausted and starving so we make our way to a restaurant that our taxi driver recommends. It ends up to being choice. Though it is not Indian it is really good food. Mainly because they serve cheese and if you have ever visited any Asian countries you know they don’t do cheese. We had fondue and a cheese platter and pizza and my mom had amazing pad thai. It was a great day even though driving in the city is like being in a high speed car chase or maybe a video game where your objective is not to hit anything and the people, cars, and cows want you to lose.

Mom spinning the prayer wheel (she is screaming in the picture)

Dad spinning the prayer wheel

lone drummer

Where Buddha made his first speeches

The next day was a travel day. We were going by train to Agra (Taj Mahal). Okay, so before I say anything about this train ride I should mention that, as you heard in Christina’s post “54 hours,” trains are not that bad and most times quite pleasant. It just so happened that this train was the worst train we had been on, and in India that Is never good. We were all in separate places in the same train car. Sofi and I were together and my parents were together and Christina was by herself with a group little Indian boys. From the first second I sat down I saw about 5 cockroaches. I kept thinking to myself I hope that it is better where my mom is sitting. I mean me and Sofi were on patrol for each other. We would be talking and when one of us saw a cockroach approach the other one we would stop and warn them. Yeah I did not really sleep that night. I don’t really have many issues with animals but I just don’t like roaches. I did fall asleep for a few minutes and when I woke up I was surrounded. I did not fall asleep again. At one point I walked over to check on my mom and she was on guard with a shoe ready to take on any roach that dared get close to her. Then when Sofi walked by my mom told her this is not what she wanted for her daughters. I really did not think the train was going to be that bad, but it was.

Waiting for the train to Agra

When we arrived in Agra we went straight to the hotel and had breakfast, took a nap, and shower. We were ready to get out there by mid-day. We went to the back of the taj mahal and saw it from across the river and then to the red fort. It was where the mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned the taj mahal, was imprisoned. From his cell (room in a palace) he could see the taj where his wife was buried. I should include that at the red fort my mom fed a squirrel (really cute) and Sofi and I almost got attacked by a monkey. We also went to a few smaller places that are probably really important but I am not going to mention them.

The taj from across the river

One building of the palace that is the red fort

Sofi looking at the taj through the window of the red fort

The next day we got up early and went to see the taj mahal. A guide was include and though this is not a very nice thing to say about him since he was a nice guy and a good guide but he looked like the crack head from the Dave Chappell show. It was a great idea going in the morning because there were fewer people and the fog was rolling in from the river. We walked around all morning and into the afternoon. It was really a beautiful place. It is a wonder of the world for a reason. Then we got a car to take us back to Delhi. I am not sure this was a good idea. The car was cramped and when we got into the city it was like nonstop horns. All the buses had dried vomit on the sides and one bus looked like it fell off a cliff and then they kept using it. The windshield was gone and one whole side of the front was missing. That would not work in the States.

this doesn't even need a caption

the family
 (I was booking airline tickets and put Sofi in as Sophie Rodriguez
thankfully after a few phone calls it was fixed)

The taj with the mist from the river

Us with Tyrone ( not his real name)

When we got into Delhi we went to the Hilton. My parents kindly got us a room for the night before we left for Rishikesh. They flew out that night to go home. I was happy to have them with us. It made the trip interesting to say the least. After they left we went to a liquor store in a back alley and bought six bottles of wine for Rishikesh and Rajasthan. Even the woman at security for the Hilton was impressed. Looks like Rishikesh (holy city) is not going so holy for us.

India

Laura