Taj and Tigers
We’re splitting into two for this. India is just too much of a brain overwhelm to be able to process what you’re seeing quick enough to then be able to translate into words on a page! So I’m back to tell you about Agra and the Taj and Dan’s taking over again for Ranthambore National Park.
Agra and the Taj Mahal.
I can hardly believe I'm writing this now, but halfway through our travels, we actually considered giving the Taj Mahal a miss from our itinerary. We had talked ourselves out of Agra, unsure if we would be able to handle it, especially after binge-watching Karl Pilkington’s An Idiot Abroad together — probably not the best source of inspiration!! We had planned out a new route, looking for nature, taking us instead to the Ganges and the foothills of the Himalayas... But, after landing in Delhi, we knew we had to push ourselves, shake off that uneasy feeling and stick to our original plan (and let Mr Singh take over!). We knew we would all really regret not getting to the Taj Mahal. And let me tell you, Agra has been like an absolute spa day after the crazy sensory overload that is Delhi!! There was nothing for us to worry about. Another great example of us surviving out of our comfort zone. And now we have the Himalayas and Ganges to add to our ever-growing “next time” list!
We left Mr Singh, and what we now viewed as our luxury hotel in New Delhi by 11am, ready for our journey to Agra. "Uncle" Ravindra, bless his ears, endured hours of our backseat karaoke, courtesy of Pheebs, Floss, and their trusty speaker. With a relatively short journey of just over four hours, we rolled into our Agra hotel at 3.30pm, very pleasantly surprised by our rooms. With a quick turnaround, we were all set to meet our guide, Ali, at 4pm.
Wow, wow, wow, wow, and an even bigger WOW! The Taj Mahal and the grounds are just absolutely breathtaking! As we stroll through the east gate, despite the tourists and visitors, there's a serene and content atmosphere that feels worlds away from the chaos of the past few days. Stepping through the gate into the grounds just leaves you in complete awe. Ali mentions that the Taj Mahal is filled with optical illusions. The first one being as you pass through the main gate. Initially, the Taj seems incredibly close, filling the entire arch. But as you move closer, it appears to recede and shrink, which is the opposite of what you'd expect, due to the space opening up around it.
It's just beautiful, honestly. We leisurely stroll through the gardens, admiring the incredible symmetry surrounding us. Listening to Ali share the history of its creation was just perfect, while stopping to take a few expert snaps here and there. Walking through the mausoleum, we learn about the precious and semi-precious stones, each hand-carved to form the most intricate mosaic decorations in the marble. It's simply stunning, truly. We're all so impressed and wholeheartedly believe it deserves its status as a Wonder of the World.
As we step out of the mausoleum, the sun sets gloriously to the west, and the view of the river Yamuna adds yet more beauty. Being here during the golden hour feels extra special. We are all so grateful to be sharing this magical moment together. We all agree that this is undoubtedly at the top of our Wonders of the World list. Absolute pure perfection!
Just like Dan said in Delhi, we’re getting photographed everywhere we go, and it's absolutely next level here! It's hilarious and maybe just becoming a tad irritating… Here at the Taj Mahal, we felt like the eighth wonder of the world! We lost track of how many times people asked to snap our pictures, not even with the Taj in the background, just trees or bushes, like they weren't even bothered about the main event. At the end of our visit, when someone asked Poppy for her photo, Fin exclaimed, “NO POPPY!” Looks like he's hit his limit!
As we left, we discovered that Agra is brimming with vibrant handicraft shops, and Ali asks if we wanted to visit one. Many of these shops take it in turns on a Friday to restore the Taj when it’s closed for cleaning. Ali took us to one of these places, where craftsmen still use ancient techniques to cut, shape, and set mosaics with semi-precious stones. We had the amazing opportunity to watch them in action, allowing the kids to witness the skill firsthand, learn about the different semi-precious stones used, and have a go at carving into the marble themselves . With front row seats, I love moments like these, feeling like we've taken the kids on the best field trip ever!
We were then welcomed into the adjacent room, bursting with amazing handmade products available to buy. Wow, what an impressive sales technique! Naturally, we were impressed, so we searched for something within our budget, knowing we absolutely couldn't leave without a souvenir and a piece of the Taj to take home with us.
Arriving back at the hotel at 9pm, and heading straight to the Old England Cafe next door, we all fill up on authentic Indian pizzas before settling down, ready for another early start and long travel day the next day, still living on the high of the Taj Mahal.
Ranthambore National Park.
Next on Mr Singh’s, I mean our, itinerary was Ranthambore National Park. After a lot of research into the different tiger reserves in India, this one is noted for the highest population and therefore the best chance to see tigers. When looking at these sorts of trips we are always mindful of the overall experience for us and the animals. When the standards of humanity are as low as we have seen in India we wondered what we would see when it came to the preservation of these incredible creatures and their habitat. The reviews were all good and other than a gathering of tourist canter trucks in some of the visitor photos it seemed like a good choice.
Ravindra picked us up at 10am gave us the obligatory “your breakfast, finished?” greeting, and we got on our way. Mr Singh had arranged for Ravindra to stop at more tourist hotspots along the way, although faced with a seven hour drive and the thought of a pool at the next hotel we gave him the instructions to pass them by. We always feel rude as they are keen to show off places their country is proud of, but when the days are hot, and historic buildings aren’t the most interesting of places for kids, it felt unfair on the kids, and us! Ravindra obliged and instead pulled over along a dusty little track to do a photoshoot with us and his car instead! The long empty motorways offer nothing in the way of entertainment – unlike the cities and towns where your brain can't process what you are seeing quick enough, so it was just a long and dull drive to get us from A to B, with just Pheebs and Floss backseat karaoke again for everyone’s “enjoyment”!
Mr Singh has picked us a perfect hotel and the peace and tranquility was a stark contrast in comparison to our previous few days in India! We could sit out on our veranda, listen to bird song, watch monkeys roam the garden, and the sight of lush green grass was a real treat. Nowhere we have visited has had a feel of home, but these tended gardens with their blooming hollyhocks was a definite trigger for me thinking about home! The kids played in the pool and we all relaxed in the peaceful atmosphere.
With our safari booked for 2pm, we had a lovely slow morning, the kids played and amused themselves, grateful for the slower pace, and me and Sharon organised flights, trains and tours for the upcoming week when Uncle Connor and Ziggy arrive from England to spend a couple of weeks with us – excited!!
The afternoon soon came round, and we were the first to be collected in the twenty seat camouflage green ‘canter’ vehicle – basically a massive converted army vehicle from the 1960s. The driver and guide introduced themselves and pointed us to the best seats in the house, just behind the driver. We were so excited bumping along the road, full of anticipation – would we really see one of these majestic creatures in the wild?! Off we went, picking up other guests on route and buying the obligatory Ranthambore safari caps, before entering the gates to the National Park.
The park itself is 1700 km2, and only 20% of that is open to the public. There are over eighty tigers in the park and in the parts open to the public there were anywhere up to forty tigers roaming at a time. The 20% was divided into zones 1-10 and the canter vehicles are only allowed in zones 6-10 due to 1-5 having access issues for these larger vehicles (the smaller jeeps get booked three months in advance – as we made the phone call to book ours in the car with Uncle on the way to Ranthambore, they were obviously not an option! Undeterred, our driver filled us with confidence as they had seen tigers the previous day at this time.
An hour into our very bumpy journey, although no tiger spotting, we were having the time of our lives in the canter, feeling like we were filming on an Indiana Jones set. We had seen a huge amount of enormous Samba deer, and lots of spotted deer. Kids were so happy with that – they all looked like something out of a Disney movie, especially the baby ones looking just like Bambi. Monkeys and gazelles too. Still no tigers. All the vehicles convene under the shade of some trees to discuss where the tigers may be hiding and its not long before we set off with a fresh feeling of hope. The whole truck now has stretched out necks, on the edge of their seats, covering all angles and options. Suddenly our driver stops, stood bolt upright and points driver side, “a crocodile!” Well, the enthusiasm reached a sigh level, we all took some photos and continued on. Poor crocodile, just not the star of the show we are looking for today. We tracked up and down, in and out of wooded areas, shady areas, areas next to the stream, but I am sad to report, no tiger sightings for us.. Now, Sharon and I thought this would lead to a feeling of disappointment, but it was so different. We have been to a few of these places now where the luck of the draw is dependent on the movements of the wildlife that particular day, and we have been so lucky on our travels to see sloths, turtles, monkeys, manta ray and not to mention the orangutans, all in their natural habitats. We couldn’t help but feel happy that the tigers had managed to stay hidden, especially after our initial thoughts on the treatment of them. We came away thinking they are living and surviving in their natural habitat, not a tourist attraction. Good on them, we thought. Its special to think these amazing animals can remain hidden from hundreds of eager eyes. I was so proud that this was also a resounding feeling with the kids too.
Driving out of Ranthambore National Park, back through the town of Sawai Madhoper was like a safari in itself, we said we didn’t even need to enter the National Park! Like I said, there is just so much to see and take in every second here – more cows, goats, wild boar walking down the packed streets, a group of people blasting music from a stereo on top of a cart they are pushing along the dusty road, old women perched like praying mantis, selling brushes and brooms made from reeds and grass at markets along the side of the road, the list just goes on and on. We are learning so much with every single second spent in this country and it’s amazing. You just can’t help but smile and love every minute.
Back to the hotel for hot showers to wash off all the dust from the safari, we had a delicious Indian buffet to attack before bed, ready for another early start and long drive to the pink city of Jaipur to finish our Golden Triangle tour.