Day 8, Delhi then to Agra

We got to bed by about 11pm the night before, and we were up at 2:30 for our flight. As we drove away, we waved to the staff, all of whom had gotten up to see us off, until they disappeared.

Our flight to Delhi was uneventful, and our guide, Benson Massey, met us at the airport.  We stopped for lunch, then briefly drove around the city.  

We got off our bus near the Red Fort and two by two we got on bicycle rickshaws.  I rode to the left of Brianna.  Charity was with Lydia, and Kristen and Elizabeth Rode together.  Benson was in another Rickshaw.  Oh my goodness!  It is beyond my capability to describe what that ride was like!  For a short time we were in normal Delhi traffic, which was a little scary, and then we entered Old Delhi.  The “street” was perhaps 15 feet wide, lined with small shops.  Some were selling spices, others clothing, jewelry, vegetables, etc, etc.  People were everywhere, with foot traffic and rickshaws going both directions.  It was remarkable to witness how the rickshaw drivers could navigate the empty space, not wasting a spare millimeter between vehicles or people.  In fact, we gently bumped into other rickshaws a couple of times, I accidentally elbowed someone, and I think we ran over someone’s foot.  Otherwise, it was a clean ride!  Above the “street” hung an absolute tangled jumble of what I assume was electrical wires.  It almost formed a net!  

At one point we got off and started walking.  We followed Benson as he led us first across a street and down another avenue, then into a crack in the wall, up several flights of dirty cement stairs.  We passed a spice market, and the smells (and probably the spice dust) were so pungent, that we all got tickles in our throats.  The last flight was about 2 ½ feet wide with no railing! Then we emerged on top of the building to witness an extraordinary scene.  To one side was a mosque with men preparing for Friday prayers.  In the distance was a Sikh Temple and the Red Fort.  On the other side we looked down onto the back side of the store fronts we had seen. As we rode back to the Red Fort, we were in slow but thick traffic, navigating the small spaces between vehicles and people with skill, not wasting an empty inch. What an experience!  That was a baptism by fire for the beginning of our “tourist” portion of the trip.

 

We arrived in Agra after dark and in the rain, but could see the faint outline of the Taj Mahal.  Wow!  Once we crossed the river into Agra, we entered a very dirty, third-world-feeling place.  However, we drove past that to an extremely nice hotel.  After checking in, we went out to eat.  Northern Indian food is quite different from that in the south, and it’s tasty, too! 

On the way to the restaurant, Charity asked Benson to arrange for us to see a Hindu wedding parade.  Well, on our way back to the hotel, what do you know?  We ran into one!  We got out and took photos, then one of the paraders stepped out of the parade and insisted we come into it!  Lydia, of course, was a celebrity and danced with what may have been the groom’s father.  Kristen also danced.  See the video.  It was very exciting!