One of the other things following the why and the how come I chose to study in India, people would always ask if I have been to the Taj Mahal- yes it is that popular. I have been in India for almost 2 years, and with my first visit I did not visit the Taj, it did not bother me that much simply because India has a whole lot more to offer trust me. I am not disregarding the grand standing that is the Taj Mahal, I mean just the story behind it will get you hooked. And when you read about Agra, you most likely to stumble upon the “Indian Golden Triangle”, which constitute Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur cities, the three of them kind of form a triangle when you map them out. And so I figured, if you gonna visit Agra, might as well complete the whole triangle right, see what all the fuss is all about yeah. Anyone I told about this plan over here thought we were being crazy because it is summer and all those cities have temperatures above 40 degrees during the season. Typically, everyone travels to the north of India during the summer vacations because we have awesome cool weather up here. And here was me and my friend planning for the deserts of Rajastan and humidity of Delhi. I did not care, I just wanted to feed my curiosity, and so off we were- RoadTrip! RoadTrip! RoadTrip!
By the time we reached Delhi, our last stop, my finances were running somewhat low and so our plan to visit the monuments in this city didn’t realize- at least not yet. Anyway Delhi is so close it can always be done, and perhaps deserves its own post- so much out there. We did pass by the markets- Sarojini and Chadni Chowk tough- soo crazziiiee! Fast-paced! Loud! Crowded! Everything everywhere! Sarojinin was a little more organized though, as in it was easier to navigate. Chadni Chowk on the other hand is a hell of a maze, so good-luck figuring it out! Both are great spots for shopping, they very cheap and if you are a good negotiator, you can get a hell’a good price.
Before Delhi we were in Agra, because, hello! That was kind of the whole motivation behind the road trip in the first place right. Different people had mentioned that there is not much to see or do in Agra besides the Taj Mahal. That is not true! It is only that Taj Mahal is the most popular one and the centre of all the attention, much like how the last born of the family is treated- you follow? It is a beautiful sight with a lovely story behind it- which I’m not going to go into because I see you Google it already:). But there are other sites worth a visit too-Fatehpur Sikri, which by the way was my favorite spot in Agra, and “baby Taj” (Itmad-Ud-Daulah), Agra Fort, etc. (the locals are your best source of information). And these are less crowded in comparison. Oh and Mehtab Garden, which overlooks the Taj Mahal, because you know, all roads lead to Taj Mahal right…
When we left Shimla on this trip, we were headed towards Rajastan, Jaipur. In the midst of all the detailed royal architecture and welcoming spirit of the Rajastani people, I left a piece of my heart. Over-looking the Hawa Mahal that was initially designed to allow the royal ladies of the palace to experience the city through the little windows (as I hear) with a view that falls directly onto the buzzing markets in the street, a true Rajput architecture! I fell in love. Taking in the history of the life that existed before us in the scorching heat at Amer Fort and Nahagargh Fort, I tasted royalty. Somewhere between Vidhyadhar Garden, City Palace, and Albert Hall. I left a piece of my heart in Jaipur. Words would not do justice as to what a beaut Jaipur is, why don’t I leave some (lots!) of the pictures so you can at least partially grasp what I am trying to portray…
In the end the full experience lies in the state of Rajastan, the Pink City! India. Go get it!
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