Agra is one bloody strange place.
To be honest if you are planning to go there to see the Taj Mahal then go, see it and get the hell out of there as fast as you can.
We arrived about 10pm to Agra and as the train pulled into the station I could feel the negative energy pouring into the carriages through the windows. I don't know why or how I get these feelings but I just do and traveling alone all over the world for as long as I have I have learned to listen to my gut instinct and my gut was telling me that Agra was not a place to be spending any more time than was necessary in.
The station was in complete darkness and I was again so relieved to be with two men because if I was alone I'm not sure I would have got off and braved the darkness and whatever evil it concealed.
As soon as we were off the train we were surrounded by 10 or 20 men pushing us and shoving us, trying to get us to go with them to hotels and guest houses and I was glad that I had left my back pack in the room in Delhi and only had a small overnight jobbie to worry about.
Mr Nepal was as cool as a cucumber and told them all very politely in Hindi to 'fuck the hell off into the darkness and die' but still they trailed us through the car-park out of the train station and up the road. We left Mr Nepal to handle the negotiations and eventually we all climbed into a rickshaw and headed off in to the night to find a hotel I had found in The rough guide. Of course the driver made a de-tour to a hotel he was obviously paid commission from to bring guests to, but we sat firm, didn't get out and told him to shift his dusty ass up the road and find our hotel. He wasn't happy but eventually we landed at our hotel and it was so good to be in the safety of the four walls.
Mr Nepal on the other hand had different ideas and wanted to have a few beers so off we went against my gut feeling back into the bad vibes of Agra with another rickshaw driver who promised to bring us to a 'very good bar sir, very nice, very cheap' and wait for us to drink our beers and take us back to the hotel.
Well as soon as I walked into the joint I knew I should be spinning on the worn down heel of my flip flop and be getting my big tired ass out of there. I'm not saying it was the worst bar I have drank in because believe me I have drank in more dives than Amy Whinehouse but it looked like the kind of place that the local gangsters would avoid because they knew they were bound to get involved in a fight with a rival gang.
We stepped inside a dark smokey room and the only other woman in there was either Indian or Nepalese and was definitely a prostitute. All the guys were huddled together nudging each other as we walked past and had shifty eyes and stained teeth and the atmosphere was dark and full of danger. We all looked at each other and knew we could not stay in that room so compromising with the fact that Mr Nepal really wanted to have a beer we sat outside the bar and drank our beers fast. Mr Nepal as usual had a bit of a thirst on so he ordered a couple more beers and then he decided that he had made a mistake by bringing me to that hovel and he wanted to get me out of there and back to the hotel (not before he had had his second beer though, I noticed, nice touch)
So all safe and ready to go we stood outside and tried to locate our rickshaw driver but he was no where to be seen. I was beginning to worry and thinking, shite this is not the kind of place to get stranded. three strangers from out of town, one Nepalese and an Indian man that you can tell has a bit of money and a western woman with a bag. Then finally up stumbles our rickshaw driver from the basement blind drunk and dribbling crap down his vest, he could barely stand. "what the fuck are we going to do now" I asked the other two, but we all knew we had no bloody choice we had to get in the rickshaw with the drunken bag of shite that took us there and get the hell out of there.
It's amazing how someone can be blind drunk, cant stand but put them behind a wheel of a car and they drive like the old bird off 'Driving Miss daisy' Now I'm not suggesting you try it but on that night in Agra I have to say it was the calmest, gentlest leisurely drive through the dark streets and to be honest we had no bloody choice anyway.
We all went to bed and I was so excited I couldn't wait to wake up and see the Taj Mahal for the 1st time. We were all up and showered by 6am and on the roof of our hotel watching the beautiful sun rise above the strange town of Agra basking the opal coloured Taj Mahal in a veil of sheer mist. It seemed so strange that such a beautiful monument could be there in the middle of all of that dirt and danger.
Nothing can prepare you for your first sight of the Taj Mahal. It is the most beautiful building I have ever seen. It is the most beautiful thing, I have ever seen apart from the faces of my Niece and Nephew when I saw them for the first seconds of their lives.
We hired a guide who walked us through the grounds and told us the enchanting story of how the great Emperor Shah Jahan had loved his wife so much that when she died he built the Taj Mahal to house her tomb and when he died he was buried beside her where they would lie side by side for eternity encased in the beautiful white marble walls.
I thought to myself, bloody hell I can rarely get a man to stay until the pissin morning and here look at this love, a huge monument built to entwine 2 hearts for all eternity.
I was surprised to discover that we were allowed inside the Taj and it was so incredibly beautiful. The white marble walls so smooth and so cool and Garnet and Lapis lazuli and other precious and semi precious stones from Africa and Israel adorning the the walls. For me it was a dream come true and walking through the beautiful gardens full of blossoming trees and flower gardens, I knew how blessed I was and I thanked God for those special moments for what I had seen on this day and felt in my heart.
Before leaving the Taj Mahal I kissed one of it's beautiful marble walls and sat for a moment on the stool at the front of the Taj where Princess Diana had sat looking so beautiful yet so sad and alone. Sitting there I too felt lonely and sad, I suppose hearing of the immense love that Shah Jahan had had for his wife made me realise that I had never had that kind of love for anyone and I don't think anyone has had that kind of love for me and I wondered if that was what Diana was thinking as she sat there all alone with all those photographers shooting photos of her.
I promised the great Emperor that I would be back, one day but next time I would not be alone because even though I was with my 2 friends, my heart was still alone, but next time no, I knew it would be different and I knew I would be in love with someone and I would come there filled with love because that is the only way to be in the presence of such a place that was built from love, from the deepest most sincere and heart warming love and it made tears sting my eyes because I knew with all of my heart I wanted that kind of love and I knew I deserved it and I knew now I was able to give that kind of love to somebody else.
To be honest if you are planning to go there to see the Taj Mahal then go, see it and get the hell out of there as fast as you can.
We arrived about 10pm to Agra and as the train pulled into the station I could feel the negative energy pouring into the carriages through the windows. I don't know why or how I get these feelings but I just do and traveling alone all over the world for as long as I have I have learned to listen to my gut instinct and my gut was telling me that Agra was not a place to be spending any more time than was necessary in.
The station was in complete darkness and I was again so relieved to be with two men because if I was alone I'm not sure I would have got off and braved the darkness and whatever evil it concealed.
As soon as we were off the train we were surrounded by 10 or 20 men pushing us and shoving us, trying to get us to go with them to hotels and guest houses and I was glad that I had left my back pack in the room in Delhi and only had a small overnight jobbie to worry about.
Mr Nepal was as cool as a cucumber and told them all very politely in Hindi to 'fuck the hell off into the darkness and die' but still they trailed us through the car-park out of the train station and up the road. We left Mr Nepal to handle the negotiations and eventually we all climbed into a rickshaw and headed off in to the night to find a hotel I had found in The rough guide. Of course the driver made a de-tour to a hotel he was obviously paid commission from to bring guests to, but we sat firm, didn't get out and told him to shift his dusty ass up the road and find our hotel. He wasn't happy but eventually we landed at our hotel and it was so good to be in the safety of the four walls.
Mr Nepal on the other hand had different ideas and wanted to have a few beers so off we went against my gut feeling back into the bad vibes of Agra with another rickshaw driver who promised to bring us to a 'very good bar sir, very nice, very cheap' and wait for us to drink our beers and take us back to the hotel.
Well as soon as I walked into the joint I knew I should be spinning on the worn down heel of my flip flop and be getting my big tired ass out of there. I'm not saying it was the worst bar I have drank in because believe me I have drank in more dives than Amy Whinehouse but it looked like the kind of place that the local gangsters would avoid because they knew they were bound to get involved in a fight with a rival gang.
We stepped inside a dark smokey room and the only other woman in there was either Indian or Nepalese and was definitely a prostitute. All the guys were huddled together nudging each other as we walked past and had shifty eyes and stained teeth and the atmosphere was dark and full of danger. We all looked at each other and knew we could not stay in that room so compromising with the fact that Mr Nepal really wanted to have a beer we sat outside the bar and drank our beers fast. Mr Nepal as usual had a bit of a thirst on so he ordered a couple more beers and then he decided that he had made a mistake by bringing me to that hovel and he wanted to get me out of there and back to the hotel (not before he had had his second beer though, I noticed, nice touch)
So all safe and ready to go we stood outside and tried to locate our rickshaw driver but he was no where to be seen. I was beginning to worry and thinking, shite this is not the kind of place to get stranded. three strangers from out of town, one Nepalese and an Indian man that you can tell has a bit of money and a western woman with a bag. Then finally up stumbles our rickshaw driver from the basement blind drunk and dribbling crap down his vest, he could barely stand. "what the fuck are we going to do now" I asked the other two, but we all knew we had no bloody choice we had to get in the rickshaw with the drunken bag of shite that took us there and get the hell out of there.
It's amazing how someone can be blind drunk, cant stand but put them behind a wheel of a car and they drive like the old bird off 'Driving Miss daisy' Now I'm not suggesting you try it but on that night in Agra I have to say it was the calmest, gentlest leisurely drive through the dark streets and to be honest we had no bloody choice anyway.
We all went to bed and I was so excited I couldn't wait to wake up and see the Taj Mahal for the 1st time. We were all up and showered by 6am and on the roof of our hotel watching the beautiful sun rise above the strange town of Agra basking the opal coloured Taj Mahal in a veil of sheer mist. It seemed so strange that such a beautiful monument could be there in the middle of all of that dirt and danger.
Nothing can prepare you for your first sight of the Taj Mahal. It is the most beautiful building I have ever seen. It is the most beautiful thing, I have ever seen apart from the faces of my Niece and Nephew when I saw them for the first seconds of their lives.
We hired a guide who walked us through the grounds and told us the enchanting story of how the great Emperor Shah Jahan had loved his wife so much that when she died he built the Taj Mahal to house her tomb and when he died he was buried beside her where they would lie side by side for eternity encased in the beautiful white marble walls.
I thought to myself, bloody hell I can rarely get a man to stay until the pissin morning and here look at this love, a huge monument built to entwine 2 hearts for all eternity.
I was surprised to discover that we were allowed inside the Taj and it was so incredibly beautiful. The white marble walls so smooth and so cool and Garnet and Lapis lazuli and other precious and semi precious stones from Africa and Israel adorning the the walls. For me it was a dream come true and walking through the beautiful gardens full of blossoming trees and flower gardens, I knew how blessed I was and I thanked God for those special moments for what I had seen on this day and felt in my heart.
Before leaving the Taj Mahal I kissed one of it's beautiful marble walls and sat for a moment on the stool at the front of the Taj where Princess Diana had sat looking so beautiful yet so sad and alone. Sitting there I too felt lonely and sad, I suppose hearing of the immense love that Shah Jahan had had for his wife made me realise that I had never had that kind of love for anyone and I don't think anyone has had that kind of love for me and I wondered if that was what Diana was thinking as she sat there all alone with all those photographers shooting photos of her.
I promised the great Emperor that I would be back, one day but next time I would not be alone because even though I was with my 2 friends, my heart was still alone, but next time no, I knew it would be different and I knew I would be in love with someone and I would come there filled with love because that is the only way to be in the presence of such a place that was built from love, from the deepest most sincere and heart warming love and it made tears sting my eyes because I knew with all of my heart I wanted that kind of love and I knew I deserved it and I knew now I was able to give that kind of love to somebody else.
No comments:
Post a Comment