Okay, so I had just gone to Humayun's Tomb (great place by the way) and the next day we headed to Akshardham. Instead of hiring a taxi for the day, we set out with Jaeem's friend Jimmy and navigated the public transit system--which happens to be about a hundred times better than Bangladesh's. Upon arrival to Akshardham, we were informed that we weren't allowed to bring in any cameras or cell phones, as well as really anything in our bags. Yeah, okay. They said the same thing at the Louvre and I may or may not have a picture of Mona Lisa. So I checked my backpack and kept my camera case with me. Oh man, on the other side of the locker station, there was a MASSIVE security check. I'm talking like airport security. The women and men were divided into two lines, walked through metal detectors, then FULLY patted down by guards. When we saw that, we turned around and added our cameras and iPhones to the locker station.
But this place was beautiful. Gardens, statues, fountains sprawled out all over the landscape, all encircling an enormous temple. All around the base of the temple were hundreds of elephants carved into white sandstone. As you walked around the base, the metal plates under the elephants told a story with little one liner quotes to sum up the moral of the story. Some were obvious, yet others were so profound... I wish I had my CAMERA! Or at least a pen to write them down with... Alas ney. I had nothing.
The three of us walked around the outskirts of the temple, we found a photographer offering pictures for 100rp. It's the only picture now that I have of the inside :P Blasted security guards taking away my camera... I love the picture that we got but honestly it looks like we were photoshopped into the scene. But I swear we weren't! lol
On the way out, we walked through a giant concrete lotus flower, two petals for winding stairs and the other six filled of words of wisdom. Again, I wish I had a pen or a camera or something! There were more quotes from politicians, Indian gurus, and random other known and unknown people throughout history. Now that I'm back in the land of internet, I'm going to try to find the quotes and write them all down. I would most definitely go back there again.. Just breathtakingly beautiful!
"We each have enough for our needs, but never enough for our greed." ~Sandstone Elephant
Later the same day, we went to Delhi's Red Fort. I found some beautiful beads in the corridor that were of the same caliber that I had looked around Nepal for. I got a sweet deal for two strings and have been wearing them ever since. Dad had an interesting perspective of the market: we were just outside of the temple and there were so many vendors and shops all displaying beautiful and highly breakable items. It really put it into perspective the story of Jesus chasing out the people in the temple. They must have been so ticked off--but then again, so was He.
Wednesday was the day I got to see the Taj Mahal. THE Taj Mahal. The TAJ MAHAL. THE TAJ MAHAL. Yes, I was so excited as you may be able to tell. We boarded a train at 7am headed for Agra (lol I was humming Aladdin songs the whole day). It was a 3hr train ride, which actually flew by. There was a nice gentleman who chatted with us for most of the trip, one of the friendlier Indians we met on our journey.
Just as we were arriving to the Taj, rain sprinkled down for about five minutes. That's the second time I've seen precipitation since I left last October! But it quickly got hot again... Then, there it was... The Taj Mahal. Just beautiful. A beacon of hope for those who have lost their faith in love. The sheer size (16m tall), the extensive marble, the grounds, the two temples on either side... Just the most beautiful sight. We wandered around for about 3hrs, soaking in everything and storing it to long term memory.
We left when we had seen everything and once our tummies started grumbling. We ate at a [somewhat questionable] place called Joney's Place. The fun part was "Joney" was there! The food was really only so-so compared to other Indian food we've had but we were hungry so it didn't matter!By the way, I saw a CAMEL pulling a cart along the streets by the Taj. They were kinda nasty looking but it was a CAMEL!! lol Dad also got to see his first monkey in the wild. We saw horse-drawn carriages that were decorated to look nice but the poor animals looked half-starved and sad. I was sad too.
We headed to Agra's Red Fort after and spent the rest of the day there. There wasn't as much to see but I did something pretty awesome: I drank the bottle of Starbucks Mocha Mom sent me for Christmas. I'd been saving it for a special occasion in Bangladesh but at the time, nothing stood out as extraordinarily special. Nonetheless, it was slightly warm but delicious. A little taste of home for sure. Yum :)
The next day, we slept in. Ahhhh. Sweet sleep! Dad, Jimmy, and I headed to the Lotus Temple. It was the last place I really wanted to go to in Delhi so I was able to leave with a peaceful mind lol. What I didn't realize was that the Lotus Temple was only built in 1984 so there wasn't as much history as I thought. Plus, it's a Ba'hai temple, which sparked an interesting discussion between me and Dad about the meaning of religion.
Anyways, no matter whether or not I think Ba'hai should be considered a religion or a global organization, the Lotus temple was beautiful and I felt like it did bring me closer to God--mostly because it was pin-drop quiet. Usually places are so noisy making it difficult to concentrate, but not this place... Soooo hushed. It was wonderful. I poured my heart out to God and He heard me.
We made our way to Lodhi Gardens after, taking some time to rest in the cool shade of the dilapidated mosques. What amazes me is that India has so many mosques and temples that it can afford to not protect all of them, letting some just fall into ruins. After the busy week, it was nice to just stroll through the park, admiring the parakeets and squirrels playing in the trees.
Good Friday. Jaeem invited us his church to hear him speak. He's working towards his Masters of Divinity and was given 5min to speak for the Easter service. Try to imagine a Baptist church in India if you can... Only, there was no pews and the men were all on the left and the women were all on the right. "Amen" and "Yes Lord" rang out through the room and people danced where they stood. The main problem came when it was time to sit. The place was packed already but now you expect us all to sit..? Oh dear. I was so cramped! And for two hours!! My poor bum was in so much pain but I had nowhere to move or stretch or anything. Plus the sermons were in Hindi (and I don't speak Hindi :P) so my mind was free to meditate on the pain radiating from my pelvic bones. Blasted concrete floors!
After church, we went out to eat at a nice Indian place. The food was good but I think it got me sick... I didn't feel well the rest of the day and 4am that night I was doubled over a bucket in the bathroom puking. It was good times. The weird thing is, Dad ate everything (and more) than I ate but he didn't get sick at all. I'm finally feeling just a little bit better today but that's probably because of the massage... :D
Saturday was spent in the airport between Delhi and Bangkok. Josiah met us in the BKK airport and we headed to Khoa Sun Road. Oh dear. This was and IS reverse culture shock to the MAX!! I've just spend 6months in a simplistic, conservative 3rd country and am now staying in Asia's version of Sin City. My first impression was "I hate you all." I know that sounds absolutely awful but seeing all these people drinking their lives away, partying with "lady-boys", and just the overall materialistic mentality has sent for me for a loop. Even as we visited different temples today, I couldn't help but feel angry so much money had been wasted on these stunning, yet exuberantly adorned, buildings while my family in Bangladesh is living by such meager standards. In the same breath though, I know I need to avoid being called a hypocrite considering Dad and I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel around to see some parts of Asia...
Anyways, I know this is just my first impressions of being back in the 1st world. I don't know if I'm handling it well compared to the norm, but I'm handling it. I had my first real Pad Thai, hot from the street vendors wok, and mango sticky rice for dessert. It was such a cheap meal but one of the best I've had in all of Asia, hands down. Next was a Thai&oil massage for an hour... That woman bent me in half, squishing me with her knee as if she was sealing a Ziploc bag. But oh man, it was worth the $7, again hands down. I'm slowly reformatting my view of Bangkok and am trying to find the value.
We're heading to Chiangmai on Tuesday so hopefully I'll have some elephant stories to tell afterwards. I'm going to try to blog more often--for your benefit as well as my own. That way it won't take me almost two hours to write an update :P I blame Emily for distracting me on Facebook chat while I was trying to type lol. Just kidding, I welcomed her interruption with a smile. Anyways, my bed (which I really think it just an old hard door) is calling me. That's what you get for paying 350bt/night for a room. I count us lucky though--Josiah doesn't even have a window in his room lol.
til next time,
ami tomake bhalobashi
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