"this is the Grande Finale" during the end bit, when the sky was
ablaze with more fireworks than you've ever seen at one time. I don't
know if anyone else uses this expression, it might rank up there as a
"Colautti"-ism. I mention it because if all goes according to plan,
tonight is my last night in India. And though the past few weeks have
been fantastic, the last two days have served as a definitive Grande
Finale.
I made the decision to visit the Taj Mahal during sunrise, to escape
the crowds and the heat. I forgot how much I dislike waking up before
the sun, but somewhat groggily I made it to the East Gate at 5:30am.
It was then I learned that you have to buy tickets about a kilometer
away, and then come back. This little detour, a slow security lineup,
and thinking that I had missed the sunrise had me a little grumpy when
I finally entered the courtyard past security. It's also worth noting
that tickets for the Taj cost 20 rupees for Indians and 750 for
foreigners, though they throw in a free half-litre water bottle.
Despite the cost, the guys checking the tickets don't have any
uniforms and look like two guys who just wandered over from a used-car
dealership.
I went through this elegant red sandstone gate and, seeing the Taj
Mahal framed through the opening, all my annoyances sort of
evaporated. And then, as I scrambled for pictures amid a growing
crowd, the first rays of golden sunlight fell on the east side of the
building. It was unbelievably beautiful. I might even say that
seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise should be something you do before you
die. Believe all the hype.
Some fun facts from the audio-guide (yeah, whatever, I audio-guide sometimes):
-Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his favourite
wife who died giving birth to her 14th child. I guess he couldn't
have been happy with just 13 children, or even, say, 4.
-The four minarets, the white towers at the corners of the complex,
are inclined slightly so if they collapsed they would fall away from
the tomb.
-The Muslim rulers called the Mughals - who have built a lot of the
incredible stuff I've seen in India and haven't even gotten around to
blogging about - started to disintegrate after building the Taj,
reminding me of a line from Lord of the Rings: "Kings made tombs
more splendid than the houses of the living".
-Lastly, the rumour that the emperor cut off the right hand of all the
labourers so that they could never again build something as beatiful
as the Taj, is not true (and no he did not cut of their left hands
either).
After taking a few hundred thousand pictures I set off for the Nepal
border, a three day ride. This route passes through the state of
Uttar Pradesh (specifically the towns Kasganj and Bareilly), a very
non-touristy part of the country. I've probably seen more oxen than
cars the past few days, a few too many little kids without pants, and
a country's worth of corn being husked (sometimes all three of those
at the same time). I've almost collided with a cow. I've also had
one of my best meals while in this country.
The only issue is the reoccuring theme of people asking for money.
Not begging, mind you, but instead usually college or high school kids
who cycle up next to me, ask the usual bunch of questions, and then
ask for 500 rupees. Then they keep asking until they get tired. It's
started to get really annoying, certainly subtracting from the visit a
bit, maybe even detracting from the Grande Finale. It's strange
because it's happened to me all over India, but here, in an area where
I've been told I'm the first foreigner people have ever seen, I wonder
why people think I would hand out money willy-nilly. I wish I had
some Monopoly money. Anyway you do get a few who are so excited to
see you and practice English and never resort to the money question,
and those are the more meaningful encounters. Oddly enough, those are
the ones I stop and buy drinks for.
Tomorrow I aim for the Nepal border (two days before my visa expires),
likely the last country of my Asia escapade. This should be an
interesting one, as based on the difficulty of finding meat, small
bills, English-speakers and internet in India, I assume entering into
Nepal will be like falling off the face of the earth. I'll be
crossing tomorrow at Mahendranagar, a small isolated outpost at the
far west of the country, and biking about two weeks to reach the
capital of Kathmandu (which apparently is the only place in the
country with ATMs). I don't yet have a map but it probably doesn't
matter since the country has basically just one road. I assume the
blog will be quiet for a little while. Despite the challenges, I am
beyond excited. Nepal is a country I have dreamed about for a long
time, and a slow meander through its heartland seems like the best
introduction one could ask for. We'll see how things go, I just read
that a plane full of tourists went down in Kathmandu so that's an
auspicious start to the journey. Also there was a major earthquake in
Eastern Nepal recently too. Come think of it, how much good news do
we ever hear about from Nepal? Edmund Hillary maybe?
Crossing the Ganges today and dipping my feet in the water of the holy
river was a fitting end to a month in India. I bid farewell to the
world's largest democracy, and wish it the best of luck making its
billion people happy, holy, honest, and prosperous. Namaste,
Hindustan.
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