The Golden Triange

I'm a model...you know what I mean....

Monday, we got home from a busy weekend traveling the Golden Triangle. I bought an obnoxious amount of shoes in Jaipur, we visited the Amber Fort (which I appreciated for it’s views and architecture, but was put to sleep by the history lecture. I decided to pretend to be a supermodel and take portraits with Nancy against the cracked, colorful walls instead.), the Hawa Mahal (a building created for women to peer out onto the city scene back in the day) and ate dinner at a revolving restaurant (similar to the Space Needle...but a large cylinder building and was a little shaky-all of us started to get dizzy). I was a little disappointed in Jaipur. It is called the pink city and people swear by the shopping, but the pink of the city is faded and the shopping was sub par. I was expecting to leave the city with a suitcase filled with Indian loot, but instead, I walked away with a few pieces of jewelry, shoes and a jewelry box.

One noteworthy moment was bribing a police officer out of a traffic ticket though. Clearly, the officer was taking advantage of his power and our foreign, naive faces, as I’m pretty sure there are zero traffic laws in India (it’s normal to see people driving on the wrong side of the road for Pete’s sake!) but nonetheless, we were pulled over because Jonny wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Yes, you read correctly, a seatbelt violation. Seriously!? Instead of risking a ticket, we paid the police officer 100 rupees (about $3) and called it even. Needless to say, we were all angry at the obvious breach of power. Being on the opposite end of racial discrimination for once in our lives was a little unsettling. Poor white faces in a sea of difference.

Driving to Agra was an adventure in and of itself. We were forced to detour numerous times because of the road conditions. It started to get stormy and dark and a little scary with the swerving Indian traffic. We made it to Agra in one piece though. Now, Agra is kind of a big deal. Home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, you would think that the city would be pumpin’ with Tourist traps and Westernized-Indian motifs. But no. Driving into Agra was like driving into a slum outside of Delhi. Bumpy, dirt roads, vendors selling greasy food from plywood covered shacks (a Westerner’s worst digestive nightmare), and the token ice cream cart selling strawberry licks and mango doubles. Imagine this as the frame to the epic and regal Taj Mahal.

Our home for 24 hours was called Hotel Sheela and recommended in the Lonely Planet. All other Lonely Planet recommendations have been great, but Hotel Sheela was not one that I would return to. The service was great, food delicious, but oh my oh my, the BUGS! I’m sure it has become quite apparent that I DO NOT do well with bugs (a self-realization that I have come to understand on this trip) but they were caked to the doors of each room. The moment you opened a door, they would all flood in and take shelter. Bugs were on the walls, sheets, mirrors…

Breath.

The Taj surpassed my highest expectation. It was absolutely beautiful (and this coming from someone who does model shoots at the Amber Fort out of boredom). Honestly, it took my breath away. You walk through these gates that are majestic and enter this beautiful courtyard that supports the massive monument of love and grief.

The Tragic Story of the Taj: It was built by Shah Jahn for his wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. Years after her death, and well after the Taj was under construction, one of Shah Jahn’s sons imprisoned him and he spent his last years of life looking towards his completed masterpiece from a prison cell.

After a morning spent at the Taj, we went to a ritzy brunch at the Oberjoi Hotel (the nicest hotel chain in India) and ate like kings. Fat kings. OHMYGOD, the food was so good, fruit that burst in your mouth, banana nut bread that melted to your tongue, cheeses that were rich in flavor and bizarre flavored, fresh squeezed juices. It felt good to balance a bug-infested night with a posh morning.

A couple observations and lessons that I learned from this trip:
1. Camels were as common in Jaipur as Toyotas are in the USA
2. India is a smorgasbord of poverty and wealth, which was especially apparent in Agra.
3. As rugged and strong as I like to pretend to be, I am still a princess at heart.
4. Monkeys babies, clinging to their mommy's chest is the most precious image in the world.
5. Monkeys as roadkill will make you sick to your stomach.
6. Dead cows are tied up by their feet and carried behind tractors to be disposed of, and don't look holy at all.

Okay, enough for now. Peace.