There is a certain time you don't go out in India because of the extreme heat. That time is from about noon to five o'clock...Especially in June and definitely in Agra.
Our trip began almost being cancelled. A few of our guys set up a weekend trip to see the Taj Mahal for twelve people. This in itself was not the most simple task, but who goes to India and doesn't see the Taj? As the weekend neared everyone became more and more excited... Just until the details of the trip were released and we realized there were a few possible holes in our plans. The trip would cost at least Rs. 2700 (rupees) for travel by car and a room for two nights. On Friday, we hit another snafu! The program heads began to discuss with us the safety precautions of driving in India at night. (Being on the road at night was a part of the original plan.) As a result of all the chatter, four people dropped out of the trip. We planned and budgeted for six per vehicle; only six could fit. With the four dropping out because of the price (only about 60 American dollars), and the predicted heat and rain, only six people could go... ideally. Two of the fellows, like noble men, volunteered to drop out but that wouldn't be fair because they planned the trip. Now, we also had to either leave right after school or the next morning. (keep in mind this is only a weekend trip) There was for sure eight of us who wanted to go. We then spent the greater part of the afternoon trying to decide how to make the situation work. I decided to make the executive decision to just try to recruit four more people so no one would have to drop out.
This actually worked!
In all the commotion and desire to get enough people on board we found two more people. This made it a permanent TEN. (Five per car ended up being a perfect fit.) We all ran back to our places to pack and get back to the school within two hours/ by five o'clock. Getting to Agra would take approximately six to seven hours; we got there in eight. Being on the road was insane. All the backwards driving, giant trucks full of people with no lights, bumps in the road, and not being able to fully communicate with our drivers was a task. Shortly after being on the road, my car realized we had no food. The first thing I thought would be perfect was sandwiches. Unfortunately Indian people don't seem to eat those, and there is no such thing as packed ham or turkey here. None the less we starved only have eaten lunch at the school. Food from the side of the road isn't exactly safe... that was out of the question. Kilometers and kilometers later we stopped at a rest stop but none of us were down to eat there so we waited. Even more kilometers later we stopped and found a place with packaged snacks (cookies, chips, and crackers). The hunger slowly dissipated but it didn't help that we talked about all of the food we were already missing. For example, hamburgers, nachos, and guacamole. The road was a little less than rough.
Not too far from Agra our two Hindi speakers told our drivers exactly where the hotel was.
[Side Note: Maps come in very handy in India. The lack of GPS, Internet, and cell phones can greatly hinder any smooth plans one may have.]
We finally get to Agra. The drivers asked multiple people how to get to the hotel. By the way, it's the middle of the night. At this point asking resting rickshaw drivers for directions at a dead end seemed pretty fishy to me. Glad I was in a car with three smart and savvy guys. We eventually found the place, but not before going down some very suspicious roads.
We get settled in an hour and a half past midnight. The hotel we were in was just for the night but it ended up being five minutes from the Taj Mahal, which was great. We all decided to wake up at five to see the sunrise over the Taj. This was a good plan because we were there before the crowds and the dead of heat. At the Taj, we got a guide who showed us a few of the allusions. etc. A few hours later we were all hungry and unknowingly dehydrated. Our guide showed us to a popular place called Joney's to eat. Can you say BOMB! They had tourist friendly Indian food and it was super cheap. Breakfast sandwiches were Rs. 20...Cheaper than 50 cents. Thus we ordered a gazillion of them. Everything else was super cheap as well. I ordered one egg sandwich, one tomato and cheese sandwich, a fruit lassi, and a water. This was just the first visit. The sandwiches were fried and a lassi is similar to a smoothie...very tasty. We then proceeded to return to the hotel to move to another hotel. On the way we ran into a guy who had an antique shop and wanted to exchange money. He tried to rip us off by charging below the exchange price and then acting like he calculated correctly. What a waste.
To stay out of the heat we went back to the hotel to rest while the sun did its thing. We all would meet back up at Agra's Red Fort around five o'clock. But first, this new hotel gave us conditioned rooms. Notice I did not write air conditioned rooms. It was terrible. After an unbearable nap, my roommate and I inquired about an air conditioned room. We paid 450 rupees extra for it, which was well worth it.
Taj Mahal. After our touring we ate again and went shopping at a market. We didn't find much there though.
The next morning we planned to go back to Joney's for breakfast, meet up with the drivers, and go to another temple before we headed back to Lucknow. That didn't happen. The drivers were late and on our way to the temple, it began to rain. We made a unanimous decision to turn around and head back to Lucknow. It was a great trip! Even the bumpy roads, the flies, and the hustlers (people will try to see you anything) were cool.
We made it back safely...now I REALLY need to study.
Our trip began almost being cancelled. A few of our guys set up a weekend trip to see the Taj Mahal for twelve people. This in itself was not the most simple task, but who goes to India and doesn't see the Taj? As the weekend neared everyone became more and more excited... Just until the details of the trip were released and we realized there were a few possible holes in our plans. The trip would cost at least Rs. 2700 (rupees) for travel by car and a room for two nights. On Friday, we hit another snafu! The program heads began to discuss with us the safety precautions of driving in India at night. (Being on the road at night was a part of the original plan.) As a result of all the chatter, four people dropped out of the trip. We planned and budgeted for six per vehicle; only six could fit. With the four dropping out because of the price (only about 60 American dollars), and the predicted heat and rain, only six people could go... ideally. Two of the fellows, like noble men, volunteered to drop out but that wouldn't be fair because they planned the trip. Now, we also had to either leave right after school or the next morning. (keep in mind this is only a weekend trip) There was for sure eight of us who wanted to go. We then spent the greater part of the afternoon trying to decide how to make the situation work. I decided to make the executive decision to just try to recruit four more people so no one would have to drop out.
This actually worked!
In all the commotion and desire to get enough people on board we found two more people. This made it a permanent TEN. (Five per car ended up being a perfect fit.) We all ran back to our places to pack and get back to the school within two hours/ by five o'clock. Getting to Agra would take approximately six to seven hours; we got there in eight. Being on the road was insane. All the backwards driving, giant trucks full of people with no lights, bumps in the road, and not being able to fully communicate with our drivers was a task. Shortly after being on the road, my car realized we had no food. The first thing I thought would be perfect was sandwiches. Unfortunately Indian people don't seem to eat those, and there is no such thing as packed ham or turkey here. None the less we starved only have eaten lunch at the school. Food from the side of the road isn't exactly safe... that was out of the question. Kilometers and kilometers later we stopped at a rest stop but none of us were down to eat there so we waited. Even more kilometers later we stopped and found a place with packaged snacks (cookies, chips, and crackers). The hunger slowly dissipated but it didn't help that we talked about all of the food we were already missing. For example, hamburgers, nachos, and guacamole. The road was a little less than rough.
Not too far from Agra our two Hindi speakers told our drivers exactly where the hotel was.
[Side Note: Maps come in very handy in India. The lack of GPS, Internet, and cell phones can greatly hinder any smooth plans one may have.]
We finally get to Agra. The drivers asked multiple people how to get to the hotel. By the way, it's the middle of the night. At this point asking resting rickshaw drivers for directions at a dead end seemed pretty fishy to me. Glad I was in a car with three smart and savvy guys. We eventually found the place, but not before going down some very suspicious roads.
We get settled in an hour and a half past midnight. The hotel we were in was just for the night but it ended up being five minutes from the Taj Mahal, which was great. We all decided to wake up at five to see the sunrise over the Taj. This was a good plan because we were there before the crowds and the dead of heat. At the Taj, we got a guide who showed us a few of the allusions. etc. A few hours later we were all hungry and unknowingly dehydrated. Our guide showed us to a popular place called Joney's to eat. Can you say BOMB! They had tourist friendly Indian food and it was super cheap. Breakfast sandwiches were Rs. 20...Cheaper than 50 cents. Thus we ordered a gazillion of them. Everything else was super cheap as well. I ordered one egg sandwich, one tomato and cheese sandwich, a fruit lassi, and a water. This was just the first visit. The sandwiches were fried and a lassi is similar to a smoothie...very tasty. We then proceeded to return to the hotel to move to another hotel. On the way we ran into a guy who had an antique shop and wanted to exchange money. He tried to rip us off by charging below the exchange price and then acting like he calculated correctly. What a waste.
To stay out of the heat we went back to the hotel to rest while the sun did its thing. We all would meet back up at Agra's Red Fort around five o'clock. But first, this new hotel gave us conditioned rooms. Notice I did not write air conditioned rooms. It was terrible. After an unbearable nap, my roommate and I inquired about an air conditioned room. We paid 450 rupees extra for it, which was well worth it.
Taj Mahal. After our touring we ate again and went shopping at a market. We didn't find much there though.
The next morning we planned to go back to Joney's for breakfast, meet up with the drivers, and go to another temple before we headed back to Lucknow. That didn't happen. The drivers were late and on our way to the temple, it began to rain. We made a unanimous decision to turn around and head back to Lucknow. It was a great trip! Even the bumpy roads, the flies, and the hustlers (people will try to see you anything) were cool.
We made it back safely...now I REALLY need to study.
Don't forget: "This is SPARTA!"
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