Antoine’s phone was still in Nepal time, therefore it was 15 minutes ahead. This meant that our 1:30 am alarm went off at 1:15 am. No one was happy. Luckily it did however, our driver had arrived 30 minutes early so we were ready when he arrived.
The sun wasn’t up yet, as it was 2 am in the morning. I slept in the car. At around 4 am, Antoine discovers that the Taj Mahal is not open on Fridays and it would cost both of us $15 to get in. He panics and spends the next half an hour finding things to do in Agra. The driver doesn’t speak English so he calls his friend, who just so happens to be a tour guide, he and Antoine plan the day ahead of us. Nothing opens until 6:30 am, so we stayed in a parking lot and slept for an hour or so. At around 7 am we woke up and made our any into Agra. The driver picks up his guide friend and we make our way to a Taj Mahal viewing point. There is a garden behind the Taj, across a river, and it is a great viewing spot. We had painted the little rickshaws we had bought and we took pictures of them “in front of the Taj Mahal”. Afterward, we got through to a mini Taj Mahal with all the same architecture and symmetry, it’s just smaller.
Finally, we get food.
After a small breakfast, we go to the Agra Fort. There we saw more of the same architecture and symmetry. However, we also got to hold and feed squirrels. From the fort, we can see the Taj through some of the windows. Our guide really liked our camera, so he kept asking for it to take pictures of us.
Our guide then took us to a shop where. They make some of the marble designs we can see throughout all the buildings. We bought a lamp thing and a tiny little elephant made of marble. This is where our guide parted ways with us. He had told the driver where to take us next and he left.
We were brought to a massive tomb. Before going in, we walked and the entire place. There were deers and peacocks in the fields but we weren’t allowed on the grass. After about half an hour of pictures and walking, we decided to go into the tomb. We took off our shoes and walked in. A priest tells us the history as we walk through a dark hallway and into a large and empty room. Empty except for a tomb exactly in the middle of the room. The only source of light comes from a single-window facing East. The casket points north and south, and if you stand at the north-facing south, you can see the entrance gate through the entangle hallway, perfectly symmetrical. A man stood at the entrance, singing, and his voice echoes throughout the tomb. On the way out, an old lady we approached us on our way in approaches us again to attempt to sell us things. I open our umbrella and place it in between us so we can’t make eye contact with her. She tries to go around the umbrella, but I move it to keep it in between us. She eventually gives up.
Once we are back in the car, we go on the hunt for lunch. The restaurant we were brought to was closed and the closest McDonalds was too far. Somehow, we end up at one of the street side traditional restaurants. I got safe fried rice, but Antoine got a Thali, which is Indian bread with a bunch of little sample bowls of curries. Now he has the shits.
After lunch, we go to an elephant sanctuary. We find it by seeing the signs and the elephants. The first thing they have us do is watch a documentary on Dancing Bears, then they show us the weapons that some people use on elephants to break their spirits. As he is showing us the weapons, the elephants walk past us in the field across the street. They are going on their evening walks. We get led towards them but we couldn’t approach them. The guy leaves us with one of the elephant caretakers so he can go get someone else who is part of the tour. As we wait, the caretaker tells us to sit down next to him and the elephants will come to us. He calls their names and one of the elephants comes towards us. She wants food. The caretaker gives us some bananas, and I feed her by handing them to her trunk while Antoine puts the bananas directly in her mouth. We then get brought inside with the elephants. They give us each a bucket of food for the elephants and we feed them more food. Each elephant is rescued from a bad environment. Some were circus elephants, some were beggar elephants, and some were used as religious monuments or weddings. Each elephant costs about $50 in food a day, plus all the veterinary costs and employment costs. The elephants belong to the government but the government does not help fund the elephants. Wildlife SOS.
We have one more full day in India before we return to London, hopefully, everything goes smoothly.
-Jamie