Taj Mahal: Delhi/Agra Trip

Went to Agra and Delhi this weekend with eight other AIESEC interns. We definitely had a unique experience. We left Friday night, boarding an air-conditioned non-sleeper train to Agra. The train experience was not fantastic however, as the A/C was too cold, and the seats were too small. It did not help that I sat by two pretty large men. The one in the middle took up one of my arm rests and probably about a third of my seat, making it virtually impossible to sleep. When I did finally doze off, I was rudely awakened as one or both of them had to use the bathroom and they needed to get out.

I was excited to get off the train when we arrived in Agra. There were a lot fewer people here than in Baroda, and it was a great deal cleaner. This happiness lasted about ten minutes or so however, as even at eight in the morning, it was blistering hot outside. We took an air conditioned car to our hotel after a bite to eat. Although the temperature in this vehicle was phenomenal, the dreadful road conditions and the traffic until we got to the highway were adding to the stomach pain I was experiencing.

When we reached our hotel and saw our rooms, it was like paradise. The room was air conditioned, the beds and pillows were soft (for once), and we had a shower with hot water and a showerhead with proper water pressure. Additionally, we had a television with English channels and free Wi-Fi access. We relaxed here until mid-afternoon, sipping drinks, taking naps and the like. We then went and visited the Taj Mahal.

We arrived at the West Gate of the Taj Mahal, and waited in line to purchase tickets. One line was for foreigners, while the other was for native Indians and Indian tourists. The latter (and the one I was in), of course, was significantly cheaper, much to the regret of my peers. After acquiring, we were searched very thoroughly before being admitted in. The Taj Mahal was a site to see. I had been before, when in middle school, but I think I enjoyed this experience significantly more as I was able to better appreciate and understand its intrinsic beauty. We spent about three hours taking pictures and looking around one of the great Wonders of the World. We then returned to our hotel and enjoyed the rest of the night.

We left the next morning for Delhi, but stopped on the way to see Akbar’s Tomb. Akbar was, at least in the eyes of Hindus and Indians, the kindest and greatest emperors of the Mughal Dynasty, which ruled over India in the 17^th century. The Mughal monument made in his honor was also beautifully and intricately designed, and we spent a good hour here before leaving for Delhi. The ride to Delhi was about five hours long. Rather than spending the night in Delhi like some of the other interns, Rachel, Andy, and I decided to head back to Baroda that night. Since we left the hotel in Agra so late, we were unable to really see any of the tourist attractions in Delhi, much to our regret.

We booked a bus from Delhi to Ahmedabad, a city about an hour away from Baroda, as there was no transportation directly to Baroda from Delhi. The bus was an air-conditioned sleeper of 18 hours, and what an experience it was. Andy  and I thought we had booked beds next to one another, but instead they were attached and a combined 6 feet long by 4 feet wide by 3 feet high. Sharing practically a twin sized bed between two people was quite something. Nonetheless, we were tired enough, and would doze off for about hour long chunks. The bus had no bathroom aboard, and as a result stopped every two hours for anyone who needed to go.  When it did stop, as did the air-conditioning until everyone was back on board, making it too hot to remain asleep if you had been before the stop. At about seven in the morning, we unknowingly stopped in Udaipur, where we were told we had to switch buses. About an hour later we boarded an air-conditioned non-sleeper and continued our journey.

When we finally reached Ahmedabad a little after noon, we were all in a bit of a funk, and we still had to get to Baroda. We stopped for food, and then ended up taking a rickshaw to Baroda, quite stupid on our part the more and more I think about it. Instead of the 90 minute ride we would have experienced in a car, we were crammed into a small, uncomfortable vehicle for three straight hours after having been on the road since 10:30 am the previous day. After 30 hours of constant travelling, I couldn’t be happier to be back in Baroda, and was about ready to pass out.