{"id":17862,"date":"2016-09-30T16:14:32","date_gmt":"2016-09-30T08:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/randomrepublika.com\/?p=17862"},"modified":"2016-09-30T17:54:39","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T09:54:39","slug":"india-travel-series-day-2-by-the-river-yamuna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/randomrepublika.com\/india-travel-series-day-2-by-the-river-yamuna\/","title":{"rendered":"India Travel Series (Day 2) | By the River Yamuna"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WHILE ON THE ROAD FROM DELHI TO AGRA\u00a0\u2014\u00a0I woke up dazed from a nap:\u00a0“Are we there yet?”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

For someone who is used to sleeping at least eight hours a day, the past few days of transiting from one place to the other with little amount of sleep has been physically taxing. Right before I checked out from the Maidens Hotel in Delhi, I took four\u00a0individual 500 mg of\u00a0Vitamin C just to boost up my immune system. I keep telling myself that I can’t afford to fall sick.<\/p>\n

The three hour drive from Delhi to Agra became an opportunity for me to know my concierge a little bit better\u00a0\u2014 after all, he is my primary key to understanding India.<\/p>\n

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“I was a software engineer previously. Now I’m a\u00a0travel concierge after pursuing my passion. I dream of\u00a0visiting all the places in\u00a0India and working as a concierge makes me do that, and also a way for me to help others\u00a0travelers who wish to explore India,” Rajat explained with his eyes lighting up every time he mentions his favorite\u00a0buzzword: travel.<\/em>\u00a0He\u00a0was sitting in the car’s passenger seat as he constantly turns his head towards\u00a0me who was sitting at the back while\u00a0engaging me in a banter. Rajat, who hails from a middle class and an educated Indian family, has family members who are all achievers: a dad who’s a businessman; a mom who’s a teacher; an older brother who has completed MBA; and a sister who’s a future lawyer. And typical to most Indian families, they consider education and careers as a family’s gauge of success.<\/p>\n

The modestly dressed Rajat broke barriers for choosing his passion in travel as opposed to working in the engineering line. It does seem like India’s siloed traditions are\u00a0indeed progressively changing among the younger generation.<\/p>\n

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While on the road, Agra<\/strong> shook me from my casual intermittent car naps\u00a0upon hearing the melodious\u00a0honks of passenger buses and trucks aggressively cutting our way. Although “Mr. Singh-our driver” knew how to manage these vehicles (which were probably powered by gas and a mix of\u00a0extreme\u00a0caffeine), I still fastened my seat belt for security reasons nonetheless.<\/p>\n

Agra is how I imagined it to be: a city born out from a historical and beautiful time-lapse. Everything seemed to be a mix of the old and a constant\u00a0struggle to bring in the new. In one street you will find a\u00a0row of worn-out barber shops, fruit stalls, and car\/bike repair shops and in another, you will see a spectacle of Western influences such McDonald’s (which is branded in India as a family restaurant), Costa Coffee, and the signages of\u00a0luxury\u00a0hotel brands\u00a0proliferating in every possible street lamp post possible.<\/p>\n

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My first stop in Agra was to bring a bag of clothes and candy packs to the orphans of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(Prem Dan<\/span> | 8 Ajmer Road, Pratappura<\/span>, Agra 282001).\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Visiting the orphanage only days after Mother Teresa’s canonization as a saint was truly a humbling experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Mother Teresa walked in these same halls,” I was brimming with joy. I was impressed by the generous space and cleanliness of the whole foundation\u00a0\u2014 I felt at home myself.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the kids were taking their afternoon naps when we arrived. We took a peek at some of the children’s rooms and found some kids who were\u00a0already awake in their individual cribs. Some of them were smiling when they saw us. They seem to be very used to seeing random strangers visiting them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The nun who gave us\u00a0a\u00a0tour passed\u00a0me two medallions which bore the image of\u00a0Mary, the mother of Jesus, which I immediately kept in my wallet\u00a0\u2014 “my mom will be very happy to see these,” I told myself.<\/p>\n

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Already famished, we ordered two cold glasses of Masala Lime Soda and a plate of deep-fried vegetable fritters at probably the most unique cafe I’ve been to in my life: the\u00a0Sheroes Hangout<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(Opposite The Gateway Hotel, Taj View Chowraha, Fatehabad Road, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001).<\/em>\u00a0The cafe, fronted by a brightly-colored graffiti wall outside, is run by a group of courageous women who were all victims of horrendous “acid\u00a0attacks” by men in their respective locales. These girls who all had a bad past decided to start anew and build a non-profit organization and a cafe to inspire other acid victims. <\/span><\/p>\n

When you order food from them, the prices are not shown at all as you are free to donate any amount of money\u00a0for the items you’ve eaten \u2014 it can be as little as a dollar and can be big as hundred bucks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

**Story on ‘An Encounter with the Acid Victims’ – to be published on this blog separately soon**\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We then picked up Mr. Babar, my new tour guide in Agra. Upon setting foot in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Agra Fort,<\/strong> the second most famous landmark in Agra, its red brick\u00a0walls which stands by the river Yamuna shone brighter than ever as Mr. Babar narrated the rich history behind the 16th century walled\u00a0city.\u00a0Probably outshone by the nearby and more popular monument, the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort remains an important landmark in India housing various Mughal rulers in the past, such as Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.\u00a0Shah Jan (who built the Taj Majal as a mausoleum in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal) was later imprisoned by his own son Aurangzeb in the same fort.<\/p>\n

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With Mr. Babar, my Agra tour guide<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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At one of the terraces in the Red Fort’s palace, I got a glimpse of the Taj Majal. It was surreal feeling seeing this glorious and iconic monument\u00a0from afar, just\u00a0across the river Yamuna and less than 3 km away from the Red Fort. Now I understand why it became\u00a0the inspiration of the Sultan’s Palace in the animated film Aladdin. It was magical\u00a0\u2014 and I couldn’t wait to visit it the next day.<\/p>\n

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Later that evening, we then headed to a central market where we bought boxes of\u00a0petha,\u00a0<\/em>an extremely sweet rectangular-sized soft candy made from winter melon or white pumpkin.\u00a0Pethas\u00a0<\/em>were first introduced in the kitchens of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan which dates back to more than 300 years ago. Nowadays, these petha\u00a0<\/em>shops offer a multitude of flavors from coconut, chocolate, and pistachio. But to err in the side of caution<\/em>, I ordered the regular dry pethas instead.<\/p>\n

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We walked briefly to experience\u00a0the markets that night. The alleys were dimly lit, barely illumined by lamp posts and cars passing by. In one little corner just across the temple of Ganesha, locals \u00a0\u2014 of different age and gender\u00a0\u2014 scampered for food that were given for free by the temple administrators.\u00a0In Hindu calendar, they will soon be celebrating one of the major festivals in honor of the elephant-headed god and the free food rations are given as part of their\u00a0customs. I was told not to go further\u00a0inside the markets as there are cases of pickpocketing.<\/p>\n

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By around 8 p.m., we\u00a0had dinner at Pinch of Spice<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>an affordable Punjabi fine dining restaurant which presents a\u00a0fusion of Indian, Western and Chinese menu. I got surprised to see Singaporean noodles on the list \u2014 I’m not in anyway eager to eat\u00a0anything Singaporean at this point of time anyway. Typical to most lavish Punjabi restaurants, Pinch of Spice also plays around with golden mirrors, sparkling chandeliers, and modern\u00a0furniture.<\/p>\n

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Overfed from\u00a0garlic naans, chili chicken, and malai kofta, I then headed back to my hotel at Radisson Blu Taj East Gate<\/strong><\/a> for an hour of Indian deep-tissue massage at their Alive Spa\u00a0<\/strong>before capping off the day.<\/p>\n

I kept my alarm nearby as I need to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to catch the sunrise and the opening of the Taj Mahal gates the next day. Another adventure awaits the following day…<\/p>\n

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Read my Day 1 in India: Delhi<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I wandered in\u00a0India with Ravishing India Holidays,<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>a luxury tour operator headquartered in\u00a0Singapore which specializes in travel concierge services in\u00a0this rich, beautiful South Asian region. With a personal concierge who will help craft your itinerary even before you arrive and who will customize it depending on your mood and requirements while you are on journey, everything became\u00a0easier and more fun than I expected it to be.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Check out the\u00a0Travel Video Diary of my trip to India: \u201cA Letter from Agra\u201d (What Does it Mean to Travel Solo?):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n