The Golden Triangle: Part One

The most grateful I've ever felt to see a familiar face was when our driver, DK, met us coming off the train car in Delhi. DK had driven us around Delhi for a day and a half before sending us to Amritsar. Coming back from Amritsar, we were fine on our own until the mad dash to exit the train car became the mad dash to enter the train car, and we were forced to push as hard as possible to simply be let out. DK was waiting, whisked us to his car, and took us for lunch at a local thali cafe. This means you have a divided plate for chapati, rice, and various gravy-type dishes, and was all-you-can-eat. Eating here is meant to be accomplished with only your right hand, so we have mastered a two-finger plus thumb pinch action where you pull off some bread, then dip. They totally think we are locals.

We drove to Agra on February 22nd, and got to watch the Taj Mahal while the sun set. I learned that the marble can be different colors based on the light, so the color is slightly different at sunrise, sunset, etc. The next morning, we were in line to visit the Taj in the dark, and were through the gates very early. As our guide kept telling us, the Taj Mahal is a "place of love". In 1656, the Emperor built it for his favorite wife, who died in childbirth with their 14th child. 

 

We simply enjoyed the beauty of it, the carvings with inlaid stones, the flowers, trees, and stars on the ceiling.

After the Taj, we were off to our next destination, Jaipur, with a stop at Fatehpur Sekri on the way. Rajasthan, we were told, is named because it has always been the province of kings or rajas. This ruined city was once the capital, circa 1580. First we visited the Jama Masjid mosque, next to the palace buildings. As Emperor Akbar settled his capital here after the prophecy that he would be granted a son, childless women visit his tomb to tie a thread on the windows in prayer.  

In the palace complex, we walked through servants quarters, audience halls, gardens, treasury, an ornamental pool, palaces for various wives, and courtyards.

It took some wandering, but we also found the Hiran Minar, a tall tower featuring stone tusks. According to our guidebook, this is said to be the place where Minar, the emperor's favorite execution elephant, died. The place is a lot more charming if you overlook the word "execution."

Amritsar: As Close to Pakistan As We're Ever Going to Get

We took a train from Delhi to Amritsar, in the Punjab province to the northwest of Delhi. Compared to the bus station, this was actually very straightforward. Train number, car number, seat number, boom. The trick is to not speak to anyone.

When we arrived in Amritsar, it had been raining, and the streets were awash with the muddy waters. We decided to take the afternoon to rest, and barely ventured from our hotel room. The next morning,  we got an early start to the most famous site in Amritsar, the Golden Temple. It is a Sikh temple, built in the 1500s. 

We waited in the line to go inside, and saw priests reading from the holy book and musicians chanting. Crowds of people had come to pray, meditate, prostrate themselves, bring communion, and read scripture. The pool surrounding the temple, the Pool of Nectar, is perhaps more spiritually significant. People were immersing themselves in the sacred waters.

After lunch we wandered the streets through bazaars and shops to a restaurant called Dhaba Brothers, where we enjoyed a very good lunch. In the early afternoon, we arrived in the hotel lobby to take a car to the border closing ceremony at the Pakistan/India border. We shared the car with Claude, from France, and Rakesh, from Delhi. We had a wonderful time talking with these gentlemen on the way to Wagah, then walking through at least three passport checks and pat-downs, returning to Amritsar, then dinner together. The conversation ranged from politics to travel stories and beyond. We hope to visit Claude in France.

How to describe the ceremony? We were seated about 45 minutes before the military display, subjected to very loud dance music on the India side, and competing very loud music on the Pakistan side. India held a relay race with students carrying the Indian flag to the gates and back. Then a mosh pit dance party. On the Pakistan side, a man with one leg twirled in circles with the Pakistan flag for about 45 minutes, rarely taking breaks. I leave it to you to decide which side was having more fun.

At the start of the ceremony, one tourist bus crossed the line from India to Pakistan. Then we were underway. A company of soldiers (who Alan and I had noticed "warming up" back behind some buildings, including leg stretches and skipping...very intimidating) took turns marching with ludicrous high-steps to the gate and back, gesticulating with fists. They were mirrored by a Pakistan soldier. Before each soldier marched, there was a shouting competition for who could yell the longest (much like the announcer yelling "goal" in soccer). Then another soldier would march, etc.

There was chanting on both sides; I have no idea what was said. Lots of yelling and enthusiasm as the soldiers waved the fists and looked manly. Then the border flags were lowered simultaneously and the gates closed and everybody went home.

Arriving in India: New Delhi

We had two days in New Delhi before taking the train north. We hit as many of the tourist highlights as possible. We had a driver to facilitate this process, as getting around Delhi proved to be incredibly difficult. (Getting the driver is part of a longer story that we may write once we see how it plays out.)

First we visited Humayun's Tomb, built in the 1500s as a mausoleum for the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The layout of the complex follows the strict rules of Islamic geometry, including the gardens meant to portray heaven. I enjoyed viewing the architecture and shapes, as they are so different from what we have seen in our travels so far.

Nearby was Isa Khan's tomb. Y'all can just cremate me.

The next day (February 19) we got an early start in order to visit the Red Fort, built around 1650. First we walked through the covered bazaar Chatta Chowk (which once sold silks to the nobility) then the Elephant gate Hathi Pol (where one dismounted from one's elephant our of respect), then the public audience hall Diwan-i-Am and private audience hall Diwan-i-Khas, and the Pearl Mosque, Moti Masjid.

Next we visited the Raj Ghat, a memorial to marking the spot where Gandhi was cremated after being assassinated in 1948.

In the afternoon, we spent time at the National Museum, taking in centuries of Indian art while listening to explanations of history and mythology on an audio guide.

Our last stop was the Baha'i House of Worship, built in the late 1980s, and styled after a lotus flower. The information center informed us that this spot is visited by as many people as the Taj Mahal.

The next morning we took the train from New Delhi to Amritsar, in the northwest near the border with Pakistan.

There seem to be a lot of other great things to do in Delhi, but we were out of time!

Three Nights in Bangkok

Day One: Visit to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. This whole complex was mobbed with people, all exploring the sprawl of shiny, colorful structures. We had an audio tour to guide is around the highlights, like the Guardians statues, three chedi spires, hanuman (mythological monkey demons which are Alan's favorite), the emerald Buddha (kind of a let down), and the Palace itself.

That afternoon, we visited Wat Pho to see an enormous reclining Buddha (symbolizing Buddha's death/ escape from the mortal coil). I thought the carvings on his feet were interesting. 

That night we wandered into the bustle of Chinatown.

Day Two: We walked up the Golden Mound, getting a great view of the city.

Then we visited the Jim Thomson House Museum. This man was assigned to Thailand during WWII, fell in love with the place, and moved to Bangkok. He revived the Thai silk industry, and built a business for himself, a home, and a collection of Thai art. Then...disappeared without a trace.

That night we visited the Moon Bar, on the roof of the 61-floor Banyan Tree Hotel. We got a very expensive beer to drink and watched day turn into night.