Brian and Marisa Bargsten: The Taj and the Ganges

We had heard from some people that Agra was thick with touts and not a very nice city to visit. People who had spent a fair amount of time traveling in India sometimes even argued that the city of Agra was worth skipping all together-even though the Taj Mahal resides there. But we decided that a trip to India would not be official without seeing the Taj (the greatest monument to love ever!), and so we boarded an overnight train from Jaisalmer... for a full 16 hour ride to Agra, where we'd spend the day before hopping another overnight train to Varanasi....killer. We arrived in Agra around noon, grabbed a autorickshaw from the station and headed to the touristy area where the Taj could be seen.

Our touts insisted the Taj was closed due to a BIP. What? A BIP? Oh, right, a VIP, which was somewhat funny given that we had intentionally arrived Agra on a Thursday knowing that the Taj is closed on Fridays. Fortunately the "BIP" was only there for a few hours, and we were able to occupy this time by grabbing lunch on a rooftop cafe where we could peer over the huge foreboding walls that surrounded the temple. Word to the wise, don't ever eat at the Shanti restaurant (recommended by Lonely Planet). The chicken that arrived in Brian's curry looked abit funny and smelled somethin' fierce...not to mention the other dishes we had were the worst food we had in India. But on the bright side, the restaurant did have a good view.

Towards mid-afternoon we were finally able to get inside the grounds of the Taj Mahal, after paying 750 rupees ($15) for a ticket-ouch!!. Indians pay 20 rupees ($0.40). Once inside the fortress, Brian and I were greeted by lush green lawns, tall trees, beautiful gardens and ahhhh.......quiet (no touts allowed). And when you look down the glassy pool that leads up to the monument, you are pretty awestruck (at least we were). The Taj Mahal is definitely worth the stop in Agra. The white marble dome towers into the sky against a great blue backdrop. And it's hard not to be impressed by a structure that was so beautifully constructed between the years 1631-1653. Brian and I took our time wandering around the Taj-admiring it, going inside to look at the king and queen's tombs lying side by side, and lastly, watching as the setting sun caused the white marble to glow pink.

We then wandered outside the gates to a fancy hotel where we hoped to find cheap cocktails and a nice setting. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to enter unless we were guests at the establishment. Still wanting to get a nice meal before we got back on the train, we were advised to continue further down the road to the Sheraton hotel. At the Sheraton we ordered a couple of beers and a mojito while loading up on the free peanuts and spicy potato chips they kept providing us-yeah for free food. When we finally ventured down to the restaurant to get dinner, we just about choked on the prices...approximately $32 an entree. Agck! Given that you can eat the same Indian food for $3 at a local restaurant, we promptly went to ask the hotel staff where we could find a good cheap restaurant. The woman looked sheepishly at Brian and said that the Sheraton had 4 restaurants to choose from. When Brian insisted it was too expensive and that we'd just like to go into town for a meal, she replied that due to hygeine reasons the staff at the Sheraton could not recommend for any of their guests to leave the grounds. Wow! India's dirty, but c'mon...! So I guess we saw how the other half of people enjoy their visit to India- inside the confines of beautiful hotels where they pay way too much!

We wandered out the gates, picked up a rickshaw who brought us to a very unhygenic (I'm sure) place with delicious food for a reasonable price, and that completed our visit to Agra.

The following morning as we rolled on down the tracks to Varanasi, we had nice conversation with some Indian businessmen who were sharing the sleeper cabin with us. During this conversation the businessmen chuckled as they mentioned casually they would never eat train station food because you'd probably get sick from it. Brian and I simply kept our mouths shut and didn't bother mentioning that we hadn't had that problem.

Now a sidenote: Riding Indian trains are truly an experience that you should have if you travel to India-it's a whole nother world. The first time we rode the train we sat in the second class non-AC cab. We were sitting in upright padded booth seats with barred open windows and hawkers going up and down the aisles yelling "tea, water, coffee, sandwiches, etc" the whole time. In fact, you may have one tea vendor come down the aisle, followed 2 seconds later by second or even third tea vendor....who knows how they make money?....not to mention that just trying to get down the aisles of these trains can be very cumbersome because on Indian trains there are no seat reservations for the general public, so people stand in the aisle and sit on the floors near the exit doors. And if you leave an inch on your seat...they'll even sit nearly on top of you (poor Danish girl:)). And if that doesn't want to make you try riding an Indian train-every time the train stops people fight to get on the train. I mean fighting in the literal sense... pushing, shoving, pulling, yelling, and bickering even after they have finally made it on...it's absolute chaos. Meanwhile you have more hawkers standing outside your window yelling for you to buy items, and children sticking their hands through the bars to try to get a rupee or food. On the platforms of the train stations piles of people waiting for trains sleep under blankets. Rats run along the track lines and because the train latrines are just holes in the floor, there are people poo piles everywhere on the tracks and the place often wreaks of urine. Did I mention the giant banks of garbage that line the railway as you enter the larger cities? In India it's rare to see a trash can. People with trash simple take their bottles and miscellaneous garbage and whip it out the train windows. In fact, when Brian folded up his paper plate after eating dinner one time, a passenger politely leaned over to Brian to show him how to throw his trash out the train window. Unbelievable.

Okay, but I digress....So we finally reached Varanasi, secured a hotel room, and headed to the river. Varanasi is a very religious city in India and it is the place that people hope to go when they die. By being cremated in Varanasi you break the cycle between life and death in Hinduism. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, down by the river bodies are carried down the stairs (ghats) to the river Ganges. Here the family members dip the body in the water before bringing them back up the banks to be burned. They are carried on cots and covered with brightly colored cloth. Depending on what you can spend, people may purchase several different kinds of wood (sandalwood being most expensive) to burn the body. There is an art to weighing the body so as not to waste the family's money on wood and still complete the burning (which takes around 3 hours). Once the body is burned the ashes are then put into the Ganges. I, personally, did not care to get too close, but Brian was a bit more curious. I don't mean to sound cold or morbid, the process is interesting but I don't think I could call it peaceful or a heart touching ceremony...it was simply unique.

The riverfront is mindboggling because you really see that death is just a part of life for these people. While these bodies are burning, the marigold wreaths that had adorned the cot are being eaten by goats and cows. Kids are 100 feet away playing in the water while further upstream people are bathing, doing their laundry, and washing their buffalos....all in that same god awful water...ugh. We met a pediatrician on our travels that informed us 1 in 3 babies die after being dunked in the river for their Hindu "christening". Apparently, there is now a campaign to get people to cover the mouth of babies and pinch the nose so they don't take in so much water.

Anyways, there is so much activity going on in Varanasi. Brahman priests (highest caste) performing prayers for people (photo), tourists and families taking rowing boat rides along the shoreline, small children selling tiny floating candle boats, and many other things. Brian and I did send little leaf candle boats down the river for Grandpas Bargsten and Ehrle, and Grandpa Hoffman.

All in all, Varanasi was another good city to visit in India. We enjoyed it almost as much as Udapuir and the people were very friendly. Many Indians attempted to describe Hinduism to us, show us local food dishes (photo), and talk politics. Nonetheless, Brian and I were relieved to be leaving India for Nepal. We didn't find India to be logistically difficult, the travel was pretty straightforward, but the issues Indians face (such as poverty and education) and the general dirtiness everywhere can really start to wear on you. Thank goodness for the awesome food and the cheap prices! On to Nepal!....Namaste!