A New Tourism World Record?

We may have just established a new world record for tourism. It has nothing to do with the number of countries our backpacks have travelled to, or the geographic range (every continent except Antarctica in the past 5 years). It has to do with Agra. Over 3 million people come here every year to visit the Taj Mahal. We believe we may be the only tourists in the history of mankind to come to Agra and NOT experience the Taj. Why would we do that, you might ask, when there is very little else to do in this dirty city filled with touts trying their best to separate you from your money? I would like to say that we boycotted the Taj in protest because we read about the 20,000 workers employed to build it between 1631 – 1653, and the fact that upon completion the main craftsmen had their hands or thumbs amputated to ensure the perfection of the Taj could never be repeated (I don’t suppose they conducted Employee Satisfaction Surveys back then). But that wasn’t the reason. We had been warned by many people before coming to Agra…….”get in, see the Taj, get out”. So I followed the given advice, booking a train that arrived in the evening and another one departing the following night. Only one problem. Our homestay owner advised us that the Taj was closed on Fridays, the only day that we were going to be in the city. I normally do a much better job on my research but in my defense my Lonely Planet guidebook had just expired (South India info only) and internet access has been sketchy over here. When WiFi has been available I have been distracted by how well the Flames have been playing and the upcoming start of the baseball season, so perhaps I was a tad delinquent in my duties. Anyway we set out in search of rooftop restaurants with a good view of the Taj Mahal and we were somewhat successful……taking photos from several different rooftops while spending most of our ‘entrance fee’ money on nice, cold Kingfisher beers. With time on our hands, we wandered over to the Red Fort (16th century) which still looks impenetrable from the outside, especially if they filled the dry moat with water and nasty creatures.

Prior to Agra we spent two days in Jaipur, also known as the Pink City because in 1876 the Maharaja had the entire old city painted in pink (a colour associated with hospitality) to welcome the future king of England (Edward VII). Today it looks more dirty orange than pink although Pocahontas tells me the correct description should be ‘salmon’. With a population of 2 million people and a constant haze in the air, we were very focused on our priorities, limiting our time walking their busy streets. We spent one day walking around the more pedestrian-friendly parts of the old city (City palace complex, Palace of the Winds and the interesting 18^th century observatory). The next day we visited the historic 16-18^th century forts (Amber, Jagarh, Nahargarh) north of the city which still have protective walls surrounding very large areas (old cities), palaces inside and great hilltop views. It was also interesting to see camels used in the city streets pulling heavy wooden carts filled with goods.

We are now in Varanasi, one of the holiest cities in India. The sacred Ganges River runs through the city and every day there are ceremonies going on at the river. Hindu pilgrims come here to bathe in the not-so-clean water, a ritual that washes away all sins……..is it really that easy? Expiring here also ensures release from the cycle of re-births and an instant passport to heaven, so if you wander over to the Manikarnika Ghat then you will see (24/7) several fiery funeral pyres with a body on top of it. We watched for less than an hour and saw a steady stream of 10 bodies being carried to the Ganges, dipped in the sacred water, and then placed on top of a large stack of wood which was then set on fire. The ashes and anything left of the charred torso was then tossed into the river. While it may be an assault on the senses for us, the families were very relaxed during the ceremony because of their beliefs that the deceased is on their way to heaven. No pictures were allowed (considered disrespectful) but we now have memories etched in our brains that will last forever. On a happier note every evening there is a Fire Puja ceremony on the ghats (steep steps leading down to the Ganges) where praise is passed along to the mother goddess Ganja. On two different nights we saw thousands of people (mostly Indian) watching on the crowded steps and from the river where the boats were lined up 20 deep. There is a river walkway connecting the many ghats so we have spent a lot of time down there avoiding the busy streets and observing the Hindu rituals.

Tomorrow we leave India for Nepal and a much more peaceful segment of our adventure. We have a 10 day trek in the Annapurnas booked so our next update will likely be delayed until after then. Namaste.

Jaipur - our heritage hotel. We had a nice top floor room with a patio overlooking the surrounding area.

Jaipur - a camel motoring down the street in the middle lane with a load of steel pipes.

A view of the Floating Gardens from the Amber Palace. It reflects the opulence of the times back in 1592 when the fort and palace were first constructed.

The elusive Taj Mahal. Picture taken from the closest rooftop restaurant we could find (that also served beer!).

Agra - inside the Red Fort, aptly named because it was built using red sandstone. This was the women's quarters where one energetic Maharaja kept his 1,000 concubines.

An outdoor toilet beside one of the Varansi ghats, where the drainpipe led directly into the Ganges River. I'm keeping this in mind for when we return home.....thinking it might be a nice addition to the back of our house, making it more convenient for guests when we are having drinks or a BBQ on the back deck.



A few of the many ghats (steps leading to the river) along the western side of the Ganges River.

One of the nightly Fire Puja ceremonies that took place along the Ganges. Thousands of people would sit or stand on the steps while many more were watching from boats in the river.