Taj Mahal and the not so pink Pink City

Sick Count:
Jackie 2 (more malaria pill disagreement- not the food, food yummy, pills bad)
Dara 0
(sad)

So, traveling within India is not quite as easy as one might have thought, and something that people completely failed to mention when giving their tips on seeing the country. After arriving back in Delhi and wanting to head to Agra the same night, because yes, we are that ambitious, we find ourselves in a DMV-like situation for "white folk" upstairs at the Delhi train station around 7:15, closing PROMPTLY at 8 PM, with a queue of about 20 people. We manage to secure tickets to Agra, at 5:25 AM the following day, finding ourselves spending an extra night in Delhi- luckily our fab hotel from 2 nights ago had some room, so no big deal.

Early rise, at 4:15 AM had us heading to the train station, which looks something like immigration to Ellis Island, only more flies and probably more people, and def dirtier, for a change. Visual for you: 2 white girls (only white girls) sitting on massive backpacks by tracks, reading, while people try to sell us things, yes even at 4 AM, and run us down with carts full of rice? Of course the train was late, or how they say here, on time for India and the whole train experience is really something not to brag about. Pushy is not the word, but we have learned that it's just out of necessity- push push push, get me on the train! Picture everyone getting on and off at the same time w baggage, children, in even smaller quarters all in a matter of 5 mins before the train leaves the station, nonsense.

4 hrs later we arrive in Agra, which is a town primarily built for Taj tourism, or something like that. And low and behold, we find ourselves mezmorized by the glorious Taj after all, even more impressive in person. For reference, Indian tourists pay around 50 rupees (just over $1USD) and "other tourists" pay 750 rupees (about $15), which comes with shoe covers, water and a tour guide- who was great. After lots of questions, we learn that the Taj is so famous in India and around the world, because it is a symbol of love and devotion, that the emperor made for his late wife, as her last request before dying. It took 22 years to construct, many of which pieces were re-made if there was a slight imperfection- boys, listen up... thats love!

The grounds surrounding the Taj are filled with other beauitful buildings and gardens, its no wonder this is truly one of the wonders of the world. Afternoon was highlighted by our Kingfisher ice cold brews on a rooftop overlooking the incredible view of the Taj Mahal. After a short but sweet afternoon, we booked the rest of our trains with much ease through a "travel agent" and head off on another 4 hr train to Jaipur- the Pink City in Rajasthan.

With 2 days ahead of us in Jaipur, and a sweet accommodation (with shower AND toilet!) we let ourselves go and sleep in (till 9:30!!) and enjoy our own version of a leisurely walking tour led by Jackie (obviously), and w the help of Lonely Planet. We saw Marble sculptors, bazzars galore, gem & silver makers, more sari stores, spices, are you seeing a pattern here? Despite our previous experiences in the hectic parts of India, Jaipur is surprisingly mellow... that or we are just incredibly used to the hustle and bustle of the tuk tuks and honking. Also to note, our negotiation skills have become very impressive. Most rides cost less than a dollar- awesome. Jackie spazed out, which seems to be a re-occuring pattern as well, and stubbed her toe resluting in a bloody mess. Ew... Luckily, everyone in Jaipur thinks we are celebrities (no joke- Jackie was asked to shake EVERYONE's hand- bc we are white), and 2 very nice people came to her rescue- amazingly enough with bandaids in hand along the most random of roads. Thats good Karma. She's fine, but still a spaz. :)

We saw some beautiful sights including the Wind Palace or Hawa Mahal- where royal women used to do a bit of people watching from above- lots of pics of this, and we climbed to the top of a tower overlooking all of Jaipur with panoramic views. Just before sunset we hiked up a steeeeep mountain to the Tiger Fort- nothing really there but a great view of the entire city and a nice long peaceful walk. After finding our way back down we hit up the most famous cinema in town, to catch a real Bollywood flick called Thank You. Dont let the name fool you- it was all in Hindi except for a few random English words like (oh my god and crazy). It was everything we hoped for and more- complete with 3 fight scenes, 5 song/ dance routines, tons of drama, so much so that we actually understood it all, and a crowd of roaring laughter from the locals. We found our way to a rooftop bar/ restaurant and despite some bug bites (no malaria yet, dont worry) we enjoyed a great dinner and much deserved beer.

One more day in Jaipur today, exploring the Monkey Temple, which we are told has over hundreds of monkeys! A bit scary but should be fun, as we now know that Saturday is in devotion to the Monkey God, as is Tuesday. They love their Monkeys here!

Tonight we trek to Jaislamar, the desert, where we look forward to giant sand castles and a camel safari! More to come from India, having lots of fun so far!