The road to Agra...

It's June.  A Saturday.  The time on your phone at the bus pick up spot reads 6:30am.  You are about to board a tour bus to see Mathura, Agra Fort, and the iconic Taj Mahal...

You're doing it wrong.

If you have two young kids you are REALLY doing it wrong. 

We decided that we would avoid the above scenario and go see India's greatest icon early in our adventure.  Keeping kids in mind played significantly in our decision.  One of the greatest realizations we made early in this adventure is that an adventure is something that everyone experiences.  Not just grown ups or the "leader".  We noticed in London that our short layover was special not because we could tick boxes saying "been there".  Everyone sees Big Ben.  Everyone goes to Buckingham Palace.  But not everyone goes to Paddington Station to find a bear because a six year old wants to.  Not everyone deciphers a bus schedule so a seven year old can have a ten minute ride on a red double decker bus.  Not everyone pushes through tobacco and ale scented crowds to go see a 0-0 soccer match so a 45 year old can watch a game and continue to dream.  Not everyone gets to see the last showing of the dresses and fashion impact of one of the greatest royals of our time.

The point is we all considered each other.

If you are going to make a three hour trip in the summer and fight crowds and heat then you might be only thinking about what YOU are able to bear.  We could have easily toughed it out and made the obligatory trip when we were well settled or after our time in Bangalore.  Why?  Because that's what we do when we visit places too many times.  We endure. 

We decided to do the trip to Agra differently.  To consider everyone's threshold.  John hates too much heat and standing around sweating.  Check.  I had no real desire to see the other sites that are common to these tours (Mathura and Agra Fort).  Check.  The boys needed something that didn't take all day and allowed them some freedom of movement.  Check.

We came up with the following plan.  Rent a driver and just see the Taj.  Freedom and simplicity itself.

Of course the trip turned out great.  The weather here is around the mid-60's.  The driver, though little English was comical, light-hearted and receptive to our wishes. 

Our guide for the Taj was exactly what we needed.  FAST.  In stealth-like fashion he picked out the nooks and crannies of the Taj grounds for those Christmas card/living room photos you always want to get.  Nailed the tour in about 45 minutes.  Don't let the speed of the tour fool you.  He filled it with the kind of information you want to know about.  The stories and fun facts.  Not dates and distances. 

It was great to see the wonder in Ashram's eyes looking at it.  James let out his "whoa" and then proceeded to talk more soccer with John (interpret that as impressed).  John and I both felt we were able to enjoy the site the second time together better.  No summer heat, less crowds, and a greater sense of appreciation for the beauty and architectural masterclass that was put on.  I myself was impressed with the retelling of the story behind the Taj.  Love and dedication that goes beyond life. 

After the Taj we ate lunch.  A multi-cuisine affair featuring buttered noodles, mali kofta (veggie meatballs in mildly spiced cream sauce), and rogan gosht (slow cooked mutton with spices).  John told the waiter to make it the way the waiter would eat it.  No mercy. 

After lunch we contemplated Agra fort.  A moment of weakness.  We were right there.  Right.  Why not?  Driving to the fort we turned around and saw the eyes of our kids.  Bug eyed.  Distant.  The look of please, no more.  That's all you need.  Could you just press on.  Sure.  But why?  What does it prove?  That you saw another building?  There will be days of needing to take in several sites in a day.  Just not everyday and certainly not this day.  We had the driver take us back to Delhi.  John made sure he got photos of the fort from the car.  Just in case someone asked if we "saw" it. 

Today.  We followed the same path.  We don't need to take in three or four sites here in Delhi a day.  In fact, we took in no sites.  We just went to the playground.  Why?  Because this is an adventure for all of us.

Comments

  1. liveandletlivemissionJanuary 7, 2019 at 3:25 PM

    Dear Krishna&Ashram:---Does this real Taj Mahal look similar to my Lego set Taj, made by Zachary for us?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mr. VJanuary 22, 2019 at 4:16 PM

    Love the blog! Enjoy your time in India Ms Tahiliani!

    ReplyDelete

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