From Delhi to Agra - October 28-29

We left Delhi on Friday morning for the 4-5 hr. trip to Agra, fortified with a scrumptious Indian breakfast. I had read someplace that it’s best to avoid the major tourist sites during Diwali (the "Festival of Lights" which is one of the biggest holidays in India and which runs for several days) because of huge crowds, but that was exactly what we were doing. We had arrived in India in the midst of Diwali, so now we and thousands of others headed to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and other sites.

above:  typical decorations for Diwali are strings of lights hung on the outside of buildings

Was good to leave the city and to head out into the countryside. Much reminds me of being in Mexico and much is different. Transportation is definitely in the “different” category. Here there are auto rickshaws and bicycle rickshaws, as well as motorcycles that transport whole families. Was not unusual to see a woman wearing a beautiful sari and holding an infant, while another child sat between her husband and her.

As we got close to Agra, a monkey ran across the road and into the back of a motorcycle, knocking a woman off the back and stunning the monkey for a moment.  Both woman and monkey were back on their feet quickly and seemed to be OK.

          Cars generally are also much smaller than in the U.S.  People here definitely are consuming MUCH less of the world’s resources than we do in the U.S.

         

Even though the driving would seem completely chaotic in the U.S., I felt total confidence in our driver.  Horns sounded throughout the drive as a signal of the driver’s intent to pass, not in any kind of “road rage.”  Passing on two lane roads was done “Indian style,” but everyone knows the rules and all went along smoothly.