And so, another volume. I’ve just read the first day of the previous volume, just to put myself in tune with what I usually write on such occasions. This will, of course, be the final volume. Or at any rate, the final volume concerned with the trip, the journey around the world. I am inclined to think that, all in all, I am rather enjoying the discipline of maintaining a daily diary, + would like to continue, to do so even after the expiration of the epic journey. But whether I will, in fact, secretly welcome the natural break, + allow the thing to die a natural death or not, I can’t in all honesty say. The beast is barely alive at present, for once again, as with so many occasions in the past, I am many, many days behind, so that this is being written now with the aid off notes + a good memory. On occasions 2 good memories. But as usual, I should, on commencing this, explain the current situation.
We are in India, + have been here now for nearly a month. In diary time, that is. In real time it is slightly over a month. At present (DT) we are on the train from Varanasi, India’s holiest city, to Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. And we are on our way home. Not immediately or directly, for we have plans to visit Rajasthan, + possibly Kashmir too, but we are determined to be home by Christmas. Not that we have, in truth, a great deal of choice, for the last of our money is trickling fast thro’ our fingers. And since the political situation in the Punjab is such that we now have to fly at least from India to Pakistan, that is another severe expense to consider. We intend, probably, to fly the shortest necessary distance, + travel home overland from there. But that is all in the future (future DT, + future RT). For the present…
For the present we arrived in Agra at around 4 o’clock in the morning. We had been told in advance that we would do so, but there was still a good deal of confusion. There was once again no carriage attendant. Having brought us our dinner last night, he had once more disappeared entirely. Then we pulled into Agra City Stn, + I had no idea whether this was the one at which we should get out. It didn’t look big enough, however, so I decided to chance it + stay on. And then, of course, become very worried when we stopped at another stn, with no mention of Agra in the name. We couldn’t afford to make a mistake – the train went on to Delhi. So we were most relieved then to arrive at Agra Cantonment, which arrival was coupled with all sorts of bustle + commotion within our carriage. Compartments opened + out poured passengers. Off we bundled too.
It was still early, so we did our usual + went into the 1st Class Waiting Room. It was pretty full of sleeping people, but by chance one of the huge sofas soon became available, so we both moved on to that. And slept well, for 2 or 3 hours more. On awakening, we breakfasted lightly in the station café, then ventured outside to test the temperature in the sea of waiting rickshaw drivers. For once we were quite fortunate, + found one quite quickly who agreed on a fair price. He spoke good English too, having worked in the tourist industry in India’s premier tourist spot for 35 years, he told us. He took us direct to the Shah Jahan hotel, (he was a friend of Tony Wheeler’s, he told us. What? Another one?) which turned out to be pleasant. And after the cosy but crowded conditions in Varanasi, we were delighted to get an enormous room, with its own attached bathroom. They also offered a fine breakfast, + after the mere snack that I had had at the stn, I was happy to tuck into another one.
Thus refreshed, we set out to see the Taj – it was only a couple of minutes’ walk away from the hotel. David + Laraine had told us they thought it was wonderful, + I had to agree – it was quite superb. And from almost every angle. Framed in the archway, from the diagonal, from one of the 2 sandstone mosques which flank it, peering up at it from the marble platform on which it stands. All quite lovely. You know what it looks like, so I don’t have to describe it. The only aspect which didn’t impress us at all was the interior – plain + gloomy. We wandered round for an hour or 2 – the gardens too are well-kept, green + pleasant, + always there is the Taj in the background.
So far, the whole of Agra is impressing us immensely. The pattern was set with the rickshaw ride in the morning, the air cool, the surroundings green, the atmosphere hassle-free. All in all, nice. But we were fortunate. Not everyone has the same easy introduction, as we were to learn later. D + L had told us that the area around the hotel was interesting to wander round, so we spent a little while doing so. It didn’t begin very well, when we encountered some aggressive + rude youths, but once we’d gotten away from them, things were better. The streets were narrow + twisting, but not really, to my mind, so very different from those in many other Indian, indeed Asian, cities.
We spent what remained of the afternoon sitting up on the hotel’s roof garden. There we were happy to meet + chat with an Englishman – I don’t know his name – who had just come overland from England, except for the hop from Pakistan to India. It was encouraging to hear of someone who had just, + without major difficulty, travelled the route that we wished to take, albeit in the opposite direction. He also provided some encouraging information about the cost of the trip, both of the land sections + the flight. We were then joined by 2 other travellers arrived today in Agra, an English girl Virginie, + an American, Paul. They were the ones who had experienced such difficulties catching a rickshaw from the stn. They had been forced to take 3 rickshaws, plus walk about a mile, in order to avoid being taken to very expensive marble shops. We 5 got on well – the Englishman was sort of dry yet spacey. Paul was funny, Virginie anti-Indian + totally scatty – + passed an enjoyable + sociable hour or 2. Then, as sunset approached, I went with P + V back into the Taj. Back for me, at any rate, but I was pleased to have some company to do so. I took a couple more photos under the changing light, + had rested the camera on a convenient step in order to take one on long exposure. All nicely set up + waiting for the moon, until a curious Indian tourist bend down, picked up my camera, + looked thro’ it. I had to laugh.
Speaking of the moon, we have discovered that by happy chance we are just 2 days away from a full moon. We had intended to stay that long in any case, so now we will have a fine climax. The Taj by moonlight is supposed to be the ideal.
And onwards. Another city, another site to tick off, though this one really was unmissable, the Taj being both a modern wonder, and something which lives up to its billing. But it seems we were just as impressed with the city of Agra, especially after then hustle and bustle of Varanasi.
