Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Groundhog Day
We had a considerably late breakfast today at 9.30 am. Left at 11 am for the airport; our flight was at 2.40 pm but Halil told us that we must leave early for the airport and the reason for this became apparent as we neared the airport. It was a crawl to get into the airport compound and we had to get down and bring down all our bags and had them scanned. We also had to undergo a security check. Then we got back into the vehicle (with our bags) and drove to the entrance where we got down. Halil bade us farewell and we thanked him for his time with us.
Another chap helped us at the terminal but we had to wait at least a good quarter of an hour (more I think) before we could enter the terminal. We made our way to the Spice Jet counter (still closed) and waited to check our bags in. In the meantime, we filled up forms (similar to the one we filled up when we arrived) and these forms must be handed over and checked before we could proceed.
Once we got through the security check (yet again), we had to through a door and identify our bags. Bags which are left unidentified by passengers would not be loaded onto the plane. Yes, such a convoluted process that everyone had to go through.
There wasn’t much to do at the airport, just one jewellery store, one pharmacy and a small café. We saw a lot of men in military uniform (they soon boarded Air India to some domestic destination). We performed solat at the prayer area (in the open. There wasn’t any barrier at all) then sat down and waited.
Our flight out was slightly delayed so it was almost 4.30 pm when we landed at Indira Gandhi Airport. After changing money and buying some food, we set off for our 5-hour trip to Agra at exactly 5.30 pm (I happened to glance at my watch then). Delhi must be huge because we were still in Delhi forty minutes later! Our driver, Jenthi (pronounce as Jothi), like any other Indian drivers, was fond of using the horn. Before long, I had a minor headache from the noise.
We reached Agra well after 10 pm and immediately checked in. The room wasn’t much to shout about and the only thing the hotel could boast of was its revolving restaurant and foreign clientele (but then again, it’s Agra so you’d expect a lot of tourists there anyway).
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Happy Year of the Rabbit!
Groundhog Day
We had a considerably late breakfast today at 9.30 am. Left at 11 am for the airport; our flight was at 2.40 pm but Halil told us that we must leave early for the airport and the reason for this became apparent as we neared the airport. It was a crawl to get into the airport compound and we had to get down and bring down all our bags and had them scanned. We also had to undergo a security check. Then we got back into the vehicle (with our bags) and drove to the entrance where we got down. Halil bade us farewell and we thanked him for his time with us.
Another chap helped us at the terminal but we had to wait at least a good quarter of an hour (more I think) before we could enter the terminal. We made our way to the Spice Jet counter (still closed) and waited to check our bags in. In the meantime, we filled up forms (similar to the one we filled up when we arrived) and these forms must be handed over and checked before we could proceed.
Once we got through the security check (yet again), we had to through a door and identify our bags. Bags which are left unidentified by passengers would not be loaded onto the plane. Yes, such a convoluted process that everyone had to go through.
There wasn’t much to do at the airport, just one jewellery store, one pharmacy and a small café. We saw a lot of men in military uniform (they soon boarded Air India to some domestic destination). We performed solat at the prayer area (in the open. There wasn’t any barrier at all) then sat down and waited.
Our flight out was slightly delayed so it was almost 4.30 pm when we landed at Indira Gandhi Airport. After changing money and buying some food, we set off for our 5-hour trip to Agra at exactly 5.30 pm (I happened to glance at my watch then). Delhi must be huge because we were still in Delhi forty minutes later! Our driver, Jenthi (pronounce as Jothi), like any other Indian drivers, was fond of using the horn. Before long, I had a minor headache from the noise.
We reached Agra well after 10 pm and immediately checked in. The room wasn’t much to shout about and the only thing the hotel could boast of was its revolving restaurant and foreign clientele (but then again, it’s Agra so you’d expect a lot of tourists there anyway).
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Happy Year of the Rabbit!
We left for Taj Mahal this morning. First, we went to Shilpgram to purchase our tickets (foreigners have to pay Rp750; foot covers and a bottle of mineral water were provided together with our ticket) before boarding the shuttle to the East Gate of Taj Mahal. There were a lot of vendors all waiting to harass you into buying their goods and our local guide had advised us to just ignore them as they sold fake products. We had to go through a tight security check before we could enter and of course the queue for female was longer because the guards had to check each and every bag. We finally entered after close to half an hour.
We walked to the Great Gate and immediately were struck with the awesome view of the mausoleum. There is a raised marble water tank at the centre of the garden with four benches surrounding it and a reflecting pool that extends to the tomb. The tomb is of course the central focus of the complex and the main chamber houses the tombs of Shah Jahan and his beloved Mumtaz Mahal. There are four minarets, one at each corner of the tomb, and we were told that the minarets are all leaning due to an earlier earthquake. There are also two similar buildings flanking the tomb, the mosque on the left and the guesthouse on the right as you approach the tomb. There are also other mausoleums for Shah Jahan’s other wives but we didn’t visit those. We spent considerable time at the complex.
After that, we went to a marble showroom. Beautiful marble products (plates, containers, even desk tops) with inlay of precious and semi-precious stones are sold there and are priced according to the amount of semi-precious stones and inlays. So a small piece of plate may cost more than a bigger piece if it contains more stones and more elaborate inlays. We were suitably impressed but left empty-handed (I had bought one marble plate on my first trip).
Our next stop was the 16th century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra or better known as Agra Fort. Foreigners pay Rp300 while the locals pay only a fraction of that for the ticket. The fort is built alongside the Yamuna River and stretches almost 2.5 km. It consists of a wall built in red sandstone and several buildings inside including Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan, who built the Taj, was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in the Agra Fort where he had a view on the building erected for his deceased wife. Shah Jahan is said to have died in the Fort. We could only visit 30% of the Fort though.
We returned to the hotel for lunch and prayers and left at 3 pm for Jaipur, stopping en route at Fatehpur Sikri, also another UNESCO World Heritage Site, about 37 km away from Agra. This city was built in the 16th century by Emperor Akbar and was the capital of the Mughal Empire for about a decade before it was abandoned. We were met by a local guide and took the shuttle to the complex. Entrance costs Rp260 for foreigners. As the complex includes a mosque, we had to take off our shoes before entering the compound. We went to mighty Buland Dharwaza (Great Gate) at the southern side before exploring other parts of the complex; this gate forms a grand entrance/ exit into the city. There is a marble tomb for the saint Shaikh Salim Chishti in the courtyard. I entered it and was surprised to see people praying and touching the tomb; there were also people tying strings at one wall and from another wall, there was some smoke being fanned inside. I left quickly and rejoined the others. The late afternoon sun enhanced the red sandstone of the fort.
We left after a while, took an auto rickshaw back to the carpark, bade farewell to our guide and drove on to Jaipur. Another long journey and we reached Jaipur at 9 pm. We would stay in Jaipur for the next two nights.
To be continued
We walked to the Great Gate and immediately were struck with the awesome view of the mausoleum. There is a raised marble water tank at the centre of the garden with four benches surrounding it and a reflecting pool that extends to the tomb. The tomb is of course the central focus of the complex and the main chamber houses the tombs of Shah Jahan and his beloved Mumtaz Mahal. There are four minarets, one at each corner of the tomb, and we were told that the minarets are all leaning due to an earlier earthquake. There are also two similar buildings flanking the tomb, the mosque on the left and the guesthouse on the right as you approach the tomb. There are also other mausoleums for Shah Jahan’s other wives but we didn’t visit those. We spent considerable time at the complex.
After that, we went to a marble showroom. Beautiful marble products (plates, containers, even desk tops) with inlay of precious and semi-precious stones are sold there and are priced according to the amount of semi-precious stones and inlays. So a small piece of plate may cost more than a bigger piece if it contains more stones and more elaborate inlays. We were suitably impressed but left empty-handed (I had bought one marble plate on my first trip).
Our next stop was the 16th century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra or better known as Agra Fort. Foreigners pay Rp300 while the locals pay only a fraction of that for the ticket. The fort is built alongside the Yamuna River and stretches almost 2.5 km. It consists of a wall built in red sandstone and several buildings inside including Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan, who built the Taj, was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in the Agra Fort where he had a view on the building erected for his deceased wife. Shah Jahan is said to have died in the Fort. We could only visit 30% of the Fort though.
We returned to the hotel for lunch and prayers and left at 3 pm for Jaipur, stopping en route at Fatehpur Sikri, also another UNESCO World Heritage Site, about 37 km away from Agra. This city was built in the 16th century by Emperor Akbar and was the capital of the Mughal Empire for about a decade before it was abandoned. We were met by a local guide and took the shuttle to the complex. Entrance costs Rp260 for foreigners. As the complex includes a mosque, we had to take off our shoes before entering the compound. We went to mighty Buland Dharwaza (Great Gate) at the southern side before exploring other parts of the complex; this gate forms a grand entrance/ exit into the city. There is a marble tomb for the saint Shaikh Salim Chishti in the courtyard. I entered it and was surprised to see people praying and touching the tomb; there were also people tying strings at one wall and from another wall, there was some smoke being fanned inside. I left quickly and rejoined the others. The late afternoon sun enhanced the red sandstone of the fort.
We left after a while, took an auto rickshaw back to the carpark, bade farewell to our guide and drove on to Jaipur. Another long journey and we reached Jaipur at 9 pm. We would stay in Jaipur for the next two nights.
To be continued
|