old tiger's Blog

Agra...was hot...and full of tourists..everybody wants to see..
this Taj Mahal..yip...what struck me here..was the fact..
that India is such a place of contrast..on the Taj Mahal grounds..
i met Indians in colourful sarees..honeymooning couples..middle class..
when I went outside of the gate...a fellow on a small chart..
in rags..suffering from leprosy..no nose..fingers gone almost..
that's India as well..it's very hard to travell there..very hard at times..
but..it hardened me up..yes..i could take the extreme poverty..
I met a fellow hippie in Agra..to my surprise..he was from Hoboken(Belgium)
he got some hasj...and we smoked it in Agra Railway Station at night..
we gave some of that chillum(bhang)to some poor Indian railway floor
sleepers..these people have NOTHING..if they get high on hasj..it's heaven..yes..
I stayed 1 day longer in Agra..day 3..I slept rough in Rlw Station..
just on the floor...next day..I got bugs..khujalee they call it in Hindi..
went to a pharmacy...and ordered some lotion..damned..it itched
it's a bug which gets into the clothes..had to wash all of them..
day 2 I went to see Red fort..and wandering in the streets of Agra..
Will tell you more later...next stop is Jaipur..loveley place
Tiger

A few links on Taj Mahal..
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Taj_Mahal.html
http://www.taj-mahal.net/
http://www.visitagra.com/

Took the train towards Agra..now train travelling in India..
real big network..divided in parts like Eastern railways..etc..
in beginning 70's..tickets and reservation was sometimes a real hassle..
you could book a berth in 2 tier..3 tier..A/C class..2nd class..1st class..
i always went for 2nd class...and these passenger category trains...
wooh..real adventure sometimes...Agra from Delhi is only a few hours..
I recall reaching Agra Cantonment Railway Station early morning..
directly a load of riksha wallah's offering a ride to Taj Mahal etc..
a real hassle sometimes these ricksha folks..
even if you don't want a ride with them..they keep on bothering you..
they get commision from certain hotels and shops..
if they can get you there..I decided to walk to the Taj Mahal..
in railway Stations in India they really serve good breakfast..
mostly toast/eggs/tea..very cheap..
I first dropped in at the tourist office on the Mall..
booked a room in a cheap hotel..for 2 nights...
Agra is a city from more then 1 million people now...it's crowded..
So..this Taj Mahal..deserves some attention..
it certainly strikes everybody if you see it for the first time..
it's such a beautiful building really..coming into via the archway..
you see this marble mausoleum..really wonderful architecture..
I'll tell more later on...and try to find some links on Agra..Taj Mahal...
Tiger..

so..New Delhi..capital of India..it's a real huge place..
I booked a retiring room in Old Delhi railway Station..dirt cheap
Old Delhi is crowded,dirty,full of beggars..one has to get used to it..
of course Jami Masjid and Red fort dominate the scenery..never went
into Red Fort..but I went into Jami Masjid..Moghul architecture by Shah Jahan
Chandni Chowk and Kinari Bazar are a maze of streets and little alleys..
to noisy it was but still..it's an experience to see all these colours..
smell all these unknown herbs etc..most of the foreign travellers stay either
in New Delhi Paharganj area or closer to Connaught Circus..so..
i took a riksja to New Delhi..one of these crazy scooter 3 wheelers..they drive like mad..these riksja wallah's know their way..
but..quick...and efficient..they take you where one wants to go..
Connaught Place...consists of 2 ring roads around a central park area..built by the British..I guess by Luytens??architect??or was it Russel?anyway...
Janpath Road is where the tourist office is situated..I picked up a free map..went to GPO..and found a Gurdwara Sikh temple there..to stay for free..so next day..I moved back to the hospitability of the Sikhs
and yes..that day..I had a lassi..kind of refreshing drink..
later..i heard..sometimes they put bhang in it(hasj)woooh...
they didn't that day..usually on Holi festival etc..they do..
Spacer(Ireland)had a bhang lassi in Varanasi
more later on...stayed 4 days in New Delhi.. http://www.thedelhicity.com/
before I moved to Agra..
Tiger

So..from Amritsar railway station..took a cycle rickshaw..
towards the Golden Temple..stayed in Gurdwara Ram Das Niwas..
as said before..free food and lodging..don't expect too much..
from free food..these people serve dal out of a bucket..
served on leaves..you get some chappatis(flat bread)as well..
it's called langar... http://www.sikhs.org/gurdwara.htm
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/i...den-temple.htm
I recall I got the shits in Amritsar..nothing serious really..
beware of eating in cheap roadside stalls..
I left my chappals(sandals)outside Golden Temple..and went in..
woooh...real life time experience..
you must cover your head with some scarf..
very nice entrance towards the Temple..
inside is the Grant Sahib=holy book of the Sikhs..
chanting and reading all the time...you'll get some prashad as well..
so..this was my first impression of India..I damned liked it..
I like speaking to people..about life...about anything..
and these Indians..were so damned curious...woohhhah...
I got myself some dahi(fresh curd)in the morning around the temple..
I met a couple of hippies..the fellow was really sick..got dysenteria..
they stayed in the gurdwara as well..and I felt sorry for this guy..
beware of your health conditions while travellling in India
After 2 days..i booked a ticket to New Delhi(train)damned cheap..
will tell you later..New Delhi is quite a place...
Tiger