Erin and I both made it safely to India, me on a 1 1/1hour flight from Kathmandu and her on 3 flights, originating in Seattle and ending about 30 hours later at 11pm in Delhi. Obviously she had the more difficult day of traveling. Just a word about flying through Kathmandu, though: prepare to be searched. And searched. And then, just for good measure, searched again. With a thoroughly inspected group of mildly disgruntled travelers I boarded the Jet Lite flight to Delhi 2 hours late, then sat on the Tarmac for another 40 minutes waiting for runway space to take-off. The delay was of little difference to me and my negligent time constraints but I felt a bit bad for our hired driver who had to wait at the Indira Ghandi airport for me all that time. Ramesh greeted me heartily at the arrivals gate of the very recently remodeled international wing - a welcome change from the very basic, not so safe feeling Kathmandu airport - and took me to the Glitter Hotel 30 minutes away. I had my first meal in India, a room service yellow dal (lentils) with naan. Tasty! Oh Indian food, you are so delicious and I will happily embrace any culinary challenge you put forth in the next 3 months. Ramesh and I went back to the airport to pick up Erin just after I had a chance to settle in and finish my Paulo Coelho novel. Fortunately, she was on-time and we gabbed the whole way back to the Glitter and on for another after. Being 1am at this point, we hit the hay for a 5am wake up.
Morning yoga on the balcony was the first thing on our agenda the next morning. We were off around 6:45am to beat the traffic out of Delhi headed to Agra, home of the mystical and infamous mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. A stop for Indian breakfast -stuffed parantha, curd and dal- and 2 more incredible sights were all that stood in the way between us and an architectural wonder. We stopped at Akhbar's Tomb or Sikandar, a peaceful, deer filled park and mausoleum for a stroll and philosophical conversation about the reasons behind these very fancy burials, then popped into the Baby Taj (Itimad-ud-Daulah), which pre-dated the big one by a few years and from which the Taj Mahal derives her Iranian gem inlay-in-marble style. I really liked the Baby Taj, but it really was a baby in comparison to majesty of the Taj Mahal. It was grand. We hired a guide who took good care of us, giving us specs, myths, history, and great stories, and showing us the best spots for photos and the many points of symmetry on the grounds between the gates, mosques, and the Taj. It is a magical place, architecturally as awesome for 1653 when construction was finished, as it is today. Erin & I found it funny that we were as popular as the building and were asked by more than a handful of Indians to pose for a picture with them (most men who wanted an individual shot of each of them with the two of us). Dinner was delicious again and an enjoyable experience because of Bikesh, age 9. and Tavesh, age 10, who played drums, sang, and danced to interest dining guests in the dolls they were selling. Bikesh and I sang "lion sleeps tonight" together. If we hadn't been to the Taj Mahal the same day. It would have been the highlight of my day.
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