Delhi & Agra, India

The Hall of Private Audiences at Red Fort, Old Delhi

We have arrived in India! Without a doubt the most challenging, diverse, frustrating and spectacular country of our travels thus far, India leaves you breathless (literally holding your breath at times). Many have called the country an assault on the senses and a place of extremes. Both beauty and filth meet your eye at every turn, while the scent of sizzling samosas mixes with cow dung. Car horns are encouraged here to warn oncoming vehicles of the typically erratic driving, balanced by the sing-song calls of street vendors and chanting of Brahmins. The tastes and flavors of the cuisine vary by region and never disappoint (unless you catch yourself with a few rogue chilies in your mouth). And though service couldn't be more ass-backwards, the people are welcoming, intensely spiritual, fun-loving and really, really happy to see you. It truly is an experience like nothing else - love it or hate it, India will leave you a changed person.

Our India adventure got off to a great start when we were upgraded to Business Class on Cathay Pacific from Bangkok to Delhi. Hello copious amounts of champagne, fine French wine and a never-ending barrage of snacks and meals! As poor travelers, we refused to say no to any food or beverage, stuffing ourselves to the point of discomfort.


Welcome to Delhi! Trying to navigate the strangling mass of people in the dusty, noisy, heat of the city is too much to take at times. Even in the shade of a rickshaw getting through traffic can be tough, especially when a holy cow decides to cross the street since no one would dare shoo it along.


On our first day in Delhi, a very gracious friend who lives there leant us his driver for the day to get the most of our sight-seeing without collapsing from heat stroke (thanks Tegh!). Our first stop was to the stunning sandstone Red Fort to pay homage to the height of the Mughal empire in Old Delhi. The Mughals expanded throughout almost all of India from the 16th to the 19th centuries, spreading Muslim religion, culture, and architecture across the subcontinent.


Like we said, the people are really, really happy to see you. This was the first of MANY similar encounters with Indian tourists. "One snap please?"


Ashley had to get used to being the center of attention.


The Red Fort was built in 1648 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the same man behind the Taj Mahal.


Even these guys weren't too cool to pose for a photo with the White girl.


The Lotus Temple is a Bahai house of worship built in 1986 by a Canadian! The philosophy of the Bahai religion is based on universal tolerance, and people of all religious backgrounds are welcome to come and pray or meditate silently.


Thanks to a crisis of confidence in the economy, the Indian Rupee hit its weakest point in history the week we arrived at 70.36 rupees per USD. Woo hoo! We celebrated with some luxurious high tea at The Imperial - Delhi's finest hotel.


The spread


Fountain at The Imperial with a painting of the Red Fort in the background.


Humayun's Tomb is probably Delhi's most stunning site and it's where the Obamas visited on their trip.


The late afternoon light was nice for photos.


The tomb was the first Persian style building in Delhi, and the combination of white marble and red sandstone shows the merging of the two cultures


The relentless Delhi sun finally on its way out.


The Hazrat Nizamuddin is a sacred Muslim shrine where hordes (picture what you consider hordes and double that) of devotees come. Our book described it as "a most extraordinary pleasure to experience." We would describe it as descending into one of Dante's rings of hell. Pretty much all the stuff we've heard about India that is overwhelming and uncomfortable was in that one place. We were greeted by a long line of beggars inflicted with all sorts of jarring physical ailments. The laneway into the singing area was long, narrow and crowded with people pushing and shoving and yelling at us to take off our shoes. When we came to the final shoe removal point, we reluctantly obliged. We've visited countless mosques and temples where shoes are off - but this place was filthy with too many mystery puddles. Then we almost accidentally stepped on some people who were convulsing on the ground with their eyes rolled back in their heads. At first we thought they were more poor sick beggars, but when they bounded onto their feet and started to do intense somersaults - literally slamming their bodies into the marble ground - we realized we were witnessing some sort of extreme religious ritual.


We could still hear the singing despite the crush of bodies packed into the tight space, but unfortunately the monotone droning failed to redeem the experience. To top it off, Ashley had her first "accidental bump into" when a beady-eyed man took advantage of the crowded chaos and shoved his groin against her. We made a bee line to the exit.


While the Hazrat Nizamuddin experience was a nightmare, some crowds in India are much more festive. We arrived at our hotel one night to find a massive parade on our street. We asked a local what the parade was for and he just shrugged his shoulders. With 330 million Hindu gods, there's always an excuse to have a parade.

A video from the parade

Nice stache dude.


Sighhhhh… the Taj Mahal - the most beautiful building we've ever seen. It was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan after the passing of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal during the birth of their 14th child. It has been called "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity."


We hired a guide who doubled as our photographer.


It is said that some 20,000 workers were commissioned over 20 years to complete it. Food and resources were diverted from surrounding areas to support the effort, resulting in many deprived communities.


Shah Jahan was meticulous in his design and execution of the Taj. The entire white marble building is perfectly symmetrical on all four sides. Even the Arabic script and floral designs seen here mirror each other. Optical illusions are used to enhance the symmetry - for example the script grows larger as it climbs along the side of the gate so that the distant writing appears to be the same size as what's close up.


After Ashley was asked to take individual portraits with each member of this family (yes, seriously), we took one big family shot which is likely now hanging in their living room. When we finally finished, the mother sweetly looked into Ashley's eyes and said, "I will never forget you."


When a young Korean couple asked us to take a few photos of them with their fancy Canon SLR, Joe went so far as to lay on the ground to capture some nicely composed shots. When we asked them to return the favor, this is what we got.


Mosque next to the Taj - of course to keep the symmetry, there is an identical one on the other side that they use as a guesthouse for very special visitors.

We grabbed dinner at a nearby rooftop restaurant. Not a bad view.

As usual you can find the rest of our Delhi & Agra photos on Flickr.