Date: March 28
Location: Day 79 – Mumbai, India (Visit to Agra: Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri)
Next Port: Muscat, Oman, March 30-31
Quick Summary: Our sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal was a great experience. We were among the first inside the gate and were able to take photos with no one else in the pictures. After breakfast, we traveled to Fatehpur Sikri, the “City of Victory,” built by Emperor Akbar the Great. This vast imperial city was only inhabited for 14 years. On our return to the Agra airport, we had one last surprise stop.
Report: We departed the hotel in electric buses at 5:45 a.m., so that our group would be at the outer gates of the Taj Mahal when they opened at 6:00. We were among the first dozen or so through security.
Therefore, we were able to get photos of the dome in the reflection pool without any people in the pictures. We made our way through the complex and enjoyed watching the Taj be bathed in the changing colors of the rising sun.
We returned to the hotel for breakfast. Larry obtained a few more photos of the beautiful hotel. It’s a shame we didn’t have time to use the magnificent pool.
We were offered three optional excursions before catching our 12:45 p.m. charter flight back to Mumbai. (Some folks just decided to spend the morning enjoying the hotel’s facilities.)
Seventeen of us chose to visit Fatehpur Sikri, “The City of Victory.” You may remember that Emperor Akbar the Great built the huge Red Fort in Agra that we visited yesterday. By the time it was completed in 1571, Akbar had established himself as a great and powerful monarch and the Mughal Empire was at its height. He decided to build a magnificent city on a rocky ridge 37km from Agra.
It took 10,000 workers to construct this imperial capital of more than 500 buildings. It was abandoned though after only 14 years. Some say this was due to the drying up of the city’s water supply from the man-made lake. Others say it was because of politics and fear of marauders. Now, only about 10 percent of the city – its central core – remains. But it is in splendid condition.
There are red sandstone palaces, mosques, administrative buildings, tombs, pools and other perfectly preserved structures – many with domes. Atul was again our guide and provided a running commentary about Akbar and life in this city of 30,000. He explained how many of the walls and friezes would have been painted; how large canopies would have covered the courtyards and that there would have been cushions rugs and finery everywhere.
We know that some people didn’t take this excursion because of the 1:30 hr bus ride. But we have found such rides good learning experiences when visiting new places. One can learn quite a bit about how others live and their culture by being observant and asking questions during such treks. This was certainly the case today.
It took us quite a while to just get out of Agra with market traffic, wandering cows and water buffalo, zigzagging tuck-tucks, overloaded trucks and buses, etc.
Once into the countryside, we observed that wheat was the main crop in this area…and it was all being harvested by hand. (Atul explained that machinery would put people out of work.) Mostly women were squatting in the fields and using small curved knives to cut the wheat. Then they would stack it in small bundles every yard or so. Women also seemed to have the task of making cow paddies and setting them out to dry so they could be used as fuel. They frequently did this in groups and could later identify their portion of the drying chips by leaving a handprint in one of them! We noted that village homes were surrounded by these chips stacked in intricate designs.
Stacked by the side of the road were piles of bricks and stones to be used in road widening…which again was being done mostly by hand. There were also stacks of garbage and debris everywhere…much to the delight of pigs and piglets who were rummaging for food. We also saw several roadside barbers at work…one who had his mirror tied to a tree.
On the return trip to the Agra airport, we had a few minutes of spare time, so Atul made an unscheduled stop in the village of Parara. Our bus pulled up in front of a small house right on the main road. Three Hindi brothers and their families share very small living quarters. We were invited in to meet them and see their small kitchen, courtyard (where they sleep) and two other rooms. Karen had some “pillow chocolates” which the children and the grandfather really enjoyed.
We all then walked down the road about 50 yards – waving to neighbors and being trailed by many – to the small village temple. We were quite the show! It was a great serendipitous experience.
We returned to the airport and met our fellow travelers for the return flight to Mumbai. Once again we enjoyed the first class seating. We were sure they would switch them around on the return flight, but they didn’t.
However, our bus rideback to the ship through Mumbai was anything but first class. The bus was the only really dilapidated one we’ve experienced in 79 days of travel. It had cracked windows, torn curtains and padding, broken arm rests, etc. Thankfully the air conditioning functioned almost adequately.
But the 1:15 hr ride was even more depressing. We went through miles and miles of shanties – and worse. We did hear later from those that stayed in Mumbai that there are some affluent sections of this vast city. We certainly didn’t see any. It is hard to imagine how this city will ever improve the situation for these poor, poor people. These are visions that will be indelibly imprinted in our memory. We had never before seen such squalor and poverty and hope never to see it again.
We eventually made it back to our sanctuary, the Voyager. After quick showers, we joined our fellow cruisers for the sail away on the upper deck. While we had been gone, the QE2 docked behind us. This time their captain responded to Capt. Dag’s departing three long and one short horn blasts with the QE2’s famous deep-throated blast. It still sounds like those ships of old that we’ve all seen in the movies. This is the last time we will cross on our respective World Cruises.
We will have to think more about our visit to India. The beauty of its past certainly was impressive and a sight to behold. And we know that there are many more beautiful lake and mountain regions to explore. But the immensity of the poverty and living conditions in both the big cities and the countryside are beyond comprehension.
One can only pray that the government will be able to more adequately address the people’s needs and that the numerous aid organizations and their workers are able to provide some relief.
Larry and Karen
Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:
picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise
Photos of our second day in Agra have been added.
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