Twice a year, we organize adventures for Mike's groups. Here's his recent trip to India! Thanks for sharing, Mike.
Almost 35 years ago, I joined the Johnson Mountain Boys (a premier Bluegrass band) on a one month performance tour of India, as their sound engineer. Under the auspices of the US Information Agency, we traveled around as part of a cultural exchange and outreach project, performing a mix of public and private concerts to sometimes rapt, sometimes bemused audiences ranging from black tie cocktail parties at diplomat residences, to steamy outdoor venues with enthusiastic locals. Many who saw the band no doubt were hearing this music for the very first time, but seemed to enjoy it, perhaps for no reason other than the sheer novelty of hearing banjos and fiddles with a distant backdrop of honking horns, free roaming cows, and the pervasive smells of fragrant street food and diesel fumes.
Some of us had already been on one or more of these USIA tours, which visited some of the most remote and fascinating countries of Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but I don’t think any of us were prepared for the sensory bombshell that is India. We arrived in Delhi on a pre-dawn flight, jet-lagged and bleary, and the taxi ride to the hotel seemed like we had traveled not only to another country but to a different world. It was still completely dark outside but the streets were filled with every possible mode of transport from scooter to donkey cart, from sputtering three wheeled rickshaws to lumbering busses filled beyond capacity. Every vehicle was emitting foul smoke to some degree, and the air pollution seemed almost thick enough to touch. The sights, sounds, and smells were overwhelming. I think we were all filled with a mixture of wonder and dread. For better or worse we were here for a month.
And, there was better and worse in abundance. Our adventure began with a grueling 6 hour drive from Delhi to Agra, to play our first show and to view the Taj Mahal. The seven of us were packed into two very well worn autos, which lacked the comforts of either AC or padding over the seat springs. The road was 1.5 lanes of broken asphalt and steep potholes, requiring our vehicles to move partially off the road each time we passed another vehicle. In the growing heat we slowly passed through the poorest of villages and watched farmers doing back-breaking hand work in the fields. The dwellings were thrown together from scavenged bits of wood and fabric, and toilet use was generally not behind walls. We bounced and rattled along endlessly until we reached the bustle of Agra, and got our real first taste of India city driving, which is both terrifying and miraculous. Each and every time we rode in a car, we were simply amazed to reach our destination without either crashing or observing others crashing. I consider myself a competent and confident driver and I would not attempt driving in India on a bet.
The following morning we were up again before dawn, and on our way to the Taj. We approached the Drawaza-e-Rauza, the impressive gateway building to the Taj Mahal complex, and after surrendering our cameras to security, waited for the dawn light to begin to illuminate the Taj. It is at this point I struggle for words to adequately describe the Taj Mahal as it appeared out of the morning mist. I can only say that I have traveled a lot, both before and after this trip, and I have never seen anything I would describe as more beautiful. The white marble seems to glow as if it had its own source of light, and the shape and form of the building is beyond compare. Then as the morning light intensifies and you move closer, you start to get an idea of the sheer scale of this undertaking. The incredible precision of the structure, the ornate inlay of semi precious stones throughout, the intricate carving. And then our guide tells us the fascinating and tragic story of the history of the Taj. I encourage you to look it up and have a read.
We climb the stairs and touch the cool marble, and are allowed to go inside to view the crypts of the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal for whom the Taj was built as a tomb. From this vantage we can see the immaculate grounds and adjoining ornate buildings of the Taj complex, and look down on the Yamuna River that flows nearby. And then we were all snapped back to the reality of India, as a human body floated past. We were shocked, our guide was not. He explained that it was not an uncommon occurrence given the exploding population and extreme poverty of the region.
With the passing of time many of the memories I have of this trip are blurred, but the highs and lows are indelible. The beauty of the Taj and the unimaginable poverty of the slums of Mumbai. The warmth and kindness of the people and the stifling smog that left everything tasting like diesel fuel by the time our trip was over. The colors, the chaos, the crowds. And of course the food. The wonderful Cuisine of India, which was mostly lost on all of us since none of us had acquired much of a taste for Indian food before this, and we all spent the month gamely trying a local dish here or there, but always searching for something even vaguely familiar at every meal.
India was overwhelming and exhausting and by the time the tour was over, I was quite ready to go home. As the years passed, though, I thought more and more that I would like to revisit India at some point. The tipping point was an article I read about Indian tiger safaris, India being one of only a handful places in the world with remaining wild tiger populations. So my travel agent helped me organize a trip, with five short days to re-visit Delhi and Agra and then tour historic Jaipur, then a week to try to encounter wild Bengal Tigers. I returned from that trip on Nov 22 and I have a few memories and photos to share.
After 14 hours in the air, the early morning decent into Delhi was a bit distressing. The view out my window was obscured until only seconds before we landed, and I was astonished that we could land in these conditions. I assumed it to be the smog we had grown used to on our last trip, but the driver who picked me up explained that the Diwali festival, a Hindu tradition of fireworks, feasts, and prayers, had ended only a few days before I arrived. Apparently fireworks play such a large role in the festival that it takes days or even weeks for all the smoke to clear. Add to that the end of the harvest season when farmers are burning their fields in preparation for next year's crops, and the visibility is appalling. The normal air quality of India is already bad, not as bad as when we were there, but India has 14 out of 15 cities with the worst air pollution in the world.
My very first destination was Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. I always wanted to see it again, to see if it had the impact on me it had 35 years ago. The trip there was delightful compared to last time, traveling in a comfortable vehicle on a 4 lane highway (under constant construction). The six hour drive from last time took four hours this time. But, this is still India, and on a US highway the trip would have been two hours. It’s 135 miles. We never traveled more than a couple minutes without either slowing for appalling road conditions, traffic, cows, vehicles traveling the wrong way in our lane (MANY times), detours, more cows, disabled vehicles, and disabled cows. Ground transportation in India is incredibly entertaining as long as you have your affairs in order at home, because you just might not make it. Or so it seemed at first.
I checked into my hotel for the night and after unpacking, headed down to the hotel restaurant for my first real meal in India. Indian food has become one of my favorite cuisines, and fortunately we have a very good Indian restaurant in our town which we frequent, so I was excited to try the local food. The menu was extensive and bewildering, so I just picked a dish I recognized, Melia Kofta, which is fried balls of various ingredients and a cream sauce. When the food was served, I got an empty plate, a steaming metal bowl of the Kofta, a small plate of raw sliced onions and tomatoes, and a piece of Butter Naan. No rice to be seen anywhere! The waiter asked if I would like him to serve me, I said sure, and he put a spoonful of the Kofta on the side of my plate, then smeared it toward the middle. That was it. Just the main dish and Naan. And folks, it was out of this world good. I mean, top 5 meals of a lifetime good. I ate until uncomfortably full then ate the rest. The meal, in a good hotel restaurant, was $10. The glass of wine was $12. No matter what, on this trip, I was not going hungry.
My alarm went off at 5:00 AM the next morning, and I met my guide in the lobby for the very short drive but very long wait in line to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. We were 4th in line, and by the time the gates opened the line behind us was hundreds of feet long. I was apprehensive while waiting, both because I was concerned that the smoke might obscure the view, and because I might be receiving a potent dose of Malaria as the morning mosquitos mauled my legs. I had plenty of DEET, back in my room of course, but I was also taking an anti-malarial drug and was darned careful not to miss a dose going forward.
The gates finally opened and even though I knew what to expect, the view of Taj in the morning light was just as mystic as I recalled from long ago. I stood for a minute gawking, but the guide eased me forward to take advantage of our early entry and to get to the best places to view and photograph the Taj before the rest of the 40,000 daily visitors arrived. I retraced my steps from 1991, past the lush gardens and reflecting pools, and climbed the marble steps to the ground floor. Again I touched the walls and marveled at the colorful inlay and intricate carving, and refreshed the memories that had grown faint. I enjoyed it immensely. When we rounded the back side and came into view of the Yamuna River, I mentioned to the guide our seeing the body float past when we were there before. He said that the government had mostly been able to curtail that, until Covid. Then, he said, it was a daily occurrence. The funeral services in India were stretched well beyond their limits and many people had no other choice. It was terribly sobering.
We worked our way back to the car and with a little time remaining, visited The Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site (one of many on this trip) that was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty till 1638. Then, we began the 5 hour drive to Jaipur, the Pink City. With only the following full day to explore this lovely and historical city, I was scheduled for tours beginning early and ending late. Our first stop was The Hawa Mahal, otherwise known as the “palace of winds" where we marveled at the honeycomb of small windows and balconies that make up the famous Eastern façade. It consists of 953 windows with latticework original designed to allow royal ladies (the harem) to observe the streets below without being noticed. We took a walking tour of the adjoining royal palace, then moved to the fascinating Jantar Mantar complex, a sprawling astrological observatory built of stone in the early 18th century. Among the still accurate observation instruments is the largest sundial in the world. Indians to this day put a lot of stock in astrology, and this site interestingly mixes astrological and astronomical observations. There was a separate garage-sized measuring instrument for each sign of the zodiac.
At lunch time we visited a street vendor for delicious fried delicacies, followed by a tour of a flower market that involved a terrifying walk through one of the busiest traffic circles in Jaipur (video to follow) and then a stroll through back streets to see more of daily life. There was just so much to take in, the swirl of color and sound and movement in every direction. Already five hours into the tour and with the afternoon heat building, I was surprised that I was still energized. India has that effect. We continued on, with our route taking us past the Jal Mahal (meaning "Water Palace”), a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. Here, the smoke and pollution obscured our view and clear photos were not possible.
The grand finale for the day was the magnificent Amber Fort. Construction of the Amber Fort was begun in the 1500’s. It was built from pale yellow sandstone to defend the four palaces and courtyards within. Situated on a steep hillside, there are three ways to enter: a long steep walk (nope), on the back of an elephant (briefly considered) and then a winding drive up a narrow road. In the heat of the day I was in drive mode. We entered the main courtyard through the Sun Gate, opposite of the Moon Gate where the elephants entered. We climbed the stone steps to explore the palaces and take in the sweeping views of the city below. The highlight for me was the Sheesh Mahal, or the Palace of Mirrors. Designed to take advantage of even the smallest amount of light, the white marble pavilion was inlaid with complex mirrors and was used by the emperor for private council meetings.
At the end of the trip, I was able to take a rushed but interesting city tour of Delhi before my late evening flight. As this text is getting far lengthier than I intended, let me skip the the highlight: Humayun’s Tomb Is the tomb of a Mughal Emperor, and although much smaller than the Taj and made from red stone rather than white marble, it was a wonderful sight as I had never heard of it before. With the Taj at the beginning of the trip, this was a fantastic bookend. 20 hours later I was back in the chilly air and dwindling fall colors of the Shenandoah Valley.
I hope you enjoy the photos. Coming next, the Safari.
