To Bombay…
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008In India, you can be immersed in a noisy city, annoyed by some tout (a person selling things and maybe following you further than you like down the street), constantly side-stepping ‘poo’, and feeling a little off with the country… then suddenly, you are having a fantastic lunch of Malais Kofta, rice and dal on a rooftop, over looking the richness of India’s history, amazing sights and architecture, watching monkeys take death-defying leaps from building to building, all with the relaxing vibe of Indian music softly calling from somewhere close but seemingly far away. And you’re at complete peace.
After Dehli, we went by train to Agra (to see the Taj Mahal). We were told, upon purchasing the tix, that certain seats were “not appropriate for tourists”. When we boarded the train to our clean and reasonably spacious car, Dan decided to take a walk to see if there was a restaurant car. Upon return, he found no restaurant but did, however, find the reason for the earlier “not appropriate” advice. Being very cramped with people and smells, these train cars are not for the meek traveler.
Finally, we arrived to Agra ready for Taj. We took a tuk-tuk to where the guesthouses were, a few blocks from the Taj. Quickly, we realized why most tourists do Agra and the Taj as a day trip. There’s nothing to see or do really except for the Taj. So, we decided to drop our bags in a locker in a guesthouse, walk over and check it out. To further enjoy the Taj we had lunch at a nice rooftop restaurant with a great view of the Taj. With nothing left on the agenda, we decided to hop a train to the next stop, Jaipur.
Jaipur, know as the pink city. We stayed here for a few days and checked out the forts and the city. We enjoyed rooftop restaurants and walking through markets. After Jaipur, we went to the tourist hub that is Pushkar. Encircling a beautiful lake, this city is a spiritual hub for Hindu’s and a pretty relaxing place for the weary traveler as well. After a few days, we continued on to Udaipur. Another city on a lake, famous, though, for being filmed in James Bond movie, Octopussy. In India, you can all too easily take for granted the architecture of all these palaces, forts, temples, etc. The history of it all is mind-boggling. After a few days, we hop a train down to Bombay. After a few days walking around Bombay, we have to say goodbye to yet another country, and head to a whole new adventure in Africa.
dan
admin