New Delhi

Day One
3:00 AM. I awoke after a mere 5 hours of sleep to get ready in the dark. A planner by nature, I had already packed most of my things and set my clothes out, so I didn't have much to do but put my backpack on and brush my teeth. My neighbor, Julia, had offered to walk down with me to the road, so I snuck into her house to wake her up. We trudged down the switchback path with our flashlights, gravel and vegetation crunching under our feet. At the bottom of the path, we spied a car. That car was certainly my taxi. What other car would be idling on the road at 3:30 in the morning? Upon further contemplation of that question, I realized again how much trust I would need to cultivate in order to get through this trip and remain sane. We packed my bag into the back of the cab, I gave Julia a big hug (the last Woodstocker I saw before leaving!), and I climbed in.

As we drove through the main bazaar, I was in for a surprise. Because of Diwali, there were lights and lanterns strung over the streets. The light was blazing and gave the scene a weird glow. The first of many defied expectations on my journey.

The streets of the bazaar were bright as day with their Diwali glow, lights strung carefully between buildings over the narrow way. A few late-night revelers set off firecrackers. As we wound through the streets and out of the city, I silently bade it all a fond farewell. Down the mountain, Mussoorie looked like a crown of jewels, a crescent of sparkles set on the ridge. We swung around it like a pendulum, each siting sending me farther and farther away. Each hotel down the road was covered in lights, strand after strand cascading down the roof. I wonder how anyone staying there can sleep for all the glow. I start my November journey on the first day of the Hindu New Year, the day after Diwali. An auspicious day, I think, one of renewal and of resolution.

After a train ride that should have been advertised as the Wailing Baby Express, I got my first taste of New Delhi: the Metro. I don't have any pictures because they're very strict about anti-terrorist security, but the stations were spacious and clean, the trains ran on time, and everything was very efficient. The first time I used the Metro, I didn't know how to find the Ladies Car (yes, there is a specific car in each train designated for the ladies of New Delhi), so I just hopped on the train where I saw a couple women. Immediately, everyone started playing "Let's Stare at the White Girl." It was actually incredible how completely everyone's attention was fixed on me. All conversation stopped for a moment, then resumed with increased intensity, presumably about me.

I got off at the Qutb Minar stop and managed, after several wrong turns and phone calls to my hostess, to get to my destination: my friend's mother's house outside Delhi proper. It was there that I met Monica, my friend's mother, and Nicole, a woman who I'd met at Woodstock a week ago who just happened to be staying there at the same time! Crazy coincidence. Since Nicole went to Woodstock, she has several friends living in the Delhi area, and she called one of them, Prateek, to see if he was free. After several hours of relaxing, her friend called to tell us that he was outside the gate. We walked outside and encountered Prateek and his Mercedes (no big deal- it was very clearly the nicest car I had ever seen). Prateek took us to an area of Delhi called Hauz Khas, known for its bars. We spent the evening hanging out with some of Prateek's friends, eating and drinking some beer. It was a great time, and the drive back to Monica's, with the sunroof open, the music blasting, was totally exhilarating.


Day Two
The next day, I got up early (well, early-ish) and went to explore the city. I had to walk a while in my attempt to find an autorickshaw (which will henceforth be referred to as "autos"), a small bus pulled up and a small boy jumped out, shouting, "Metro station??" at me. I nodded and asked how much the trip would cost. "10 rupees." Hey, a deal! I walked up to the bus and looked inside. About 10 men stared curiously back at me. Hm. I scanned their faces and, not seeing anyone looking particularly sinister, I jumped in. They created a spot for me and proceeded to openly stare, not in an aggressive or sexual way, but with curiosity. One of the men asked me a couple of the standard questions: Where are you from, how long in India, you married, etc., and another man complemented me on my Punjabi suit. All in all, it was a perfectly pleasant, if somewhat crowded, trip.

My sightseeing in Delhi turned out to be rather frustrating, as well as on the expensive side. The city sprawls, and the sights are so far separated from each other that it doesn't make sense to walk, even if sidewalks were common. As it is, walking Delhi is difficult at best, damn near impossible at worst. That means taking autos or the Metro everywhere, which makes for a disoriented Katherine. I am someone who enjoys walking, not only for the exercise it brings, but also because it's how I orient myself in a space, it allows me to interact with what's around me, and it's free! There are so many benefits to walking, and I found myself uncomfortably confined to autos for the duration of my stay in Delhi. That being said, there were two highlights to my day: India Gate and Humayun's Tomb.

India Gate is a memorial constructed near the government buildings of Delhi. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, and it honors the 70,000 Indian soldiers who gave their lives fighting for the British in WWI.

Perk of traveling alone: shameless selfies.

Humayun's Tomb is a wonderful monument that is currently be restored to its former Mughal glory. Built in 1570 for Emperor Humayun, it is the first garden-tomb to be constructed on the subcontinent. It's an example of early Mughal style architecture, and inspired several other constructions throughout the Mughal reign, eventually leading to the construction of the Taj Mahal. The gardens were beautiful and the grounds were larger than I expected. I ended up staying for about three hours, taking in the buildings and the nature, journaling, and people-watching.

Take the time to really read these instructions. It'll be worth your while.

I had to.

Day Three

Day Three in Delhi began at 4:30, and by 5, it was full of yelling. Monica, my host, had booked me a cab to take me to the train station, where I had a train at 6:00 AM. The taxi service was supposed to call Monica 20 minutes before they arrived at 5 AM. There was no call. There was no cab. At 5:10, I woke up Monica to let her know, and she called the taxi company and ripped them a new one. Choice words were used. Consumer court was threatened. 15 minutes later, I was walking with the guard to the main road to await the taxi that, surely, was arriving shortly. 10 minutes after that, around 6:42, the cab arrived and I leapt in. I called Monica to let her know that I was indeed in the cab on the way to the airport. As the driver sped through the streets, laying on the horn, I thought a) I was going to die in a taxi in New Delhi, and b) I was totally going to miss my train if I did actually make it to the station.

The cab stopped at the main entrance to the station. I threw money at the driver, not bothering with change, and raced to the entrance, fumbling for my ticket. Scanning the departure board, I located my train. Platform One. As luck would have it, I was standing on Platform 16, the furthest thing away from where I needed to be. I raced up the stairs to the elevated walkway, taking them three at a time, my day pack slapping against my back and my mouth dry. Almost tripping down the stairs to my platform, a miracle! My train was still there, and it wasn't even moving yet! I leapt onto a car, not bothering to check my ticket. After confirming that this was the correct train (how embarrassing if I went to the wrong city after all this hassle), I allowed myself to breathe, and I oriented myself toward my car and my waiting seat.

Agra rolled into view two hours later, and I got off and grabbed a rickshaw. I ended up hiring the guy for the entire day, and I thank K.K. for his safe driving, his advice, and his stories. K.K.'s company made Agra a really enjoyable city for me, and I had a great day. We went to several sites besides the Taj Mahal, including the tomb of I'Timad-ud-Daulah, aka the "Baby Taj"; an archaeological site called The Chini-ka-Rauzah, known for its glazed tile decorations, and the colorful dhobi ghats, among other things.

Had to.

Then there was the Taj Mahal itself. Now, I could mention a lot of things that countless other people have said about the Taj: it's the most perfect building in the world, it's so much better in person than in pictures, it was the most beautiful building I have ever seen, taking photos doesn't do it justice, etc. etc. We've all heard it, and I would add that it's true. But it's not interesting. So I'll tell you some other things that I loved about going to the Taj.

I saw parrots in the wild for the first time.

A family asked me to take a photo of them with my own camera. (Probably one of the most unexpected photo requests I've gotten in India.)

I (supposedly) met a man from London who works as an assistant to the executive producers of Downton Abbey. He was very casual about it. We had a nice chat. He had a nice jawline. (No, I didn't get a picture.)

And here are some photos (that totally don't do the building justice):

The first glimpse! 

Had to.

A close-up of the semi-precious stone inlay, called pietra dura.

The mosque to the side of the main mausoleum. Or was it the mirror building?
Both are identical, so you can never be sure...

Day Four

After my early, and rather long, day in Agra, I slept in and chilled out for the morning. I met yet another of Nicole's friends and classmates, Mhabeni. When I finally did go out, it was to go shopping with these three ladies at Dilli Haat. For just 20 Rupees, you gain entrance into a clean, (almost) hassle-free bazaar filled with goods from all over India. The stalls change every 11 days or so, and there are some great food stands. After a day of shopping--I mostly looked, but I did purchase a great purse and some stationary--we returned to Monica's and I packed up and hit the hay early; another early train ride awaited me in the morning. 

On to Jaipur!