A day at the Taj Mahal (actually, only a few hours, but well worth it!)

We docked in Mumbai (Bombay) at about 5:00 AM. We had been up since a little past 4:00 AM.

Although the itinerary calls this a Mumbai port call, we, and the rest of the World Cruisers, had an opportunity to get to the Taj Mahal and back in one day – courtesy of Silversea Cruise Lines. Most of us took them up on it.

As World Cruisers we receive a number of perks for being on the ship for four months. Among these goodies are several exclusive events that are complimentary. I have mentioned several of them in past postings: last year's special evening at the Sydney Opera; last year’s dinner in the desert in Namibia; earlier this year an opportunity to have an exclusive day on Easter Island (had we been able to land…). This day trip was another of these exclusives.

We know that the most spectacular opportunities for visiting the Taj Mahal are at sunrise and sunset; however, any opportunity to get there (for no extra charge) could not be passed up easily, even if it means getting up at a god-awful hour…

The bus ride to the airport through the awakening streets of Mumbai was also worth the trip.  This treat was by way of a chartered private jet flight of about 1 hour 45 minutes each way. Since it was just about sunrise and not yet burning hot (temperatures get up over 100 degrees this time of year here), we had an opportunity to see how Mumbai wakes up and to make it to the airport in less than an hour – an awesome feat in itself!

Since this post is really about the Taj and only peripherally about Mumbai, I won’t go into a lot of detail except to give you my first impressions of Mumbai.

It has been told that if you can drive in Mumbai, you can drive anywhere in the world. One only needs three things: a good horn; good brakes; good luck! The next time I hear someone complaining about traffic in Naples, I will think back to Mumbai and other southeast Asian places we have been and just chuckle…

All types of conveyances share all the roadways with each other and with pedestrians, animals, vendors, and occasional solid obstructions. Traffic signals are merely suggestions and there are people sleeping on the sidewalks and in the streets. We actually saw one man asleep on his bicycle seat – stretched out over the rear fender, the seat and the front frame. Unfortunately, we were going too fast for me to get a picture. There is poverty everywhere. Between the traffic, the crowding, the poverty amid exotic riches (multi-million dollar apartments and Rolls Royce dealers), it can be overwhelming for novice travelers. India is not a starter country.

We got to the airport and were blown away by the magnificence of the building structure. It is a new airport in service for only little over a year and it is one of the most beautiful buildings we have ever seen. There is more art on the walls and scattered about the terminals than in many museums. The Indians are quite justly proud of this amazing accomplishment.

Our charter was an A321 Airbus that normally holds over 250. We had 140 in the group. Although it was a loooong 20-minute walk from the bus drop-off at the terminal to the gate, we were so enthralled by what we were seeing, it was not a bad walk. The good news is that since we were a charter, we just walked up to the gate and right on the plane. The flight was uneventful, except for the delicious Indian breakfast they served on board.

 

As soon as we touched down at Agra International Airport 105 minutes later, we knew we were in for an adventure. The airport is on a military base and the security getting off the base was interesting. As we drove through the suburbs of Agra it became apparent that Mumbai was Paris compared to what we were now seeing.

 

We later were told that Uttar Pradesh State, where Agra is located, is the poorest of the 29 Indian states. Keep in mind that most of India is of the Hindu persuasion. As such cattle are considered sacred and have the run of the place – be it a field, a street, or even a home. The Hindus have a saying that the first bread is for the cow, the next for the family, and the last for the dogs. There were stray dogs everywhere.

 

We also had an opportunity to see how Tuk-Tuks play a vital role in enabling people and goods to get around. In one Tuk-Tuk, I counted eight adults and three children crammed in behind a driver that looked as if he would pitch out of the open front any second. The Indians are also fond of saying that Tuk-Tuks can turn in three directions: turn left; turn right; turn over.

 

Our first stop was at a government-sponsored handicraft factory/workshop/store. We were to transfer from our regular tour buses into electric-powered trucks carrying about a dozen each from the transfer point to the Taj. Because of the dangers of air pollution and fear of spoiling this over 450-year-old Wonder of the World and Monument to True Love, there are no gasoline or diesel powered vehicles permitted within about a half-mile of the Taj grounds.

Finally, at about 10:00 AM we walked through the gate and onto the grounds of the Taj Mahal. It was worth the trip just to walk through the main gate and see the impressive white globe shining in the sun. We spent the next two hours, along with several thousand of our new friends, touring the grounds and the main monumental structure. Call me naïve, or call me easily impressed, but that structure and the surrounding grounds are nothing short of awe-inspiring!

The following three pictures are just some detail shots of the Taj. Impressive considering that the building is over 450 years old.

 

 

We saw the ladies above tending the lawns at the Taj. Everything is done by hand - even grass cutting.

These two ladies stopped to check us out and our guide asked them if he could discuss their dress and makeup. They agreed and we found out that they were married ladies simply because of the red powder streak along the part in their hair and the slender black necklace they each wore. In India it is traditional not to wear a "wedding" ring.

This lovely family stopped for their two boys to check us out. We made instant friends and were granted permission to take a few pictures.

One last look as we departed.

 

As we left the grounds after our tour, we were besieged by hawkers and vendors. They are a little more persistent in India than we had seen before, but “No, thank you” is “No, thank you” in any language. Back on the electric bus to the handicraft center and a few minutes for credit card therapy. All we really wanted was a fridge magnet since we couldn't carry home any of the marble products the area is famous for. We did see one pretty round magnet made of marble about 3” in diameter with an inlaid picture of the Taj, but at $40, we said “Naaah…”

 

Back in the buses and down the road a piece to the ITC Mughal Hotel, a five-star property of a company based in India. They had welcoming drummers and flower girls strewing rose petals at our feet. We entered a large banquet hall for an Indian feast. The buffet line had an array of Indian curries, biryanis, and yogurt-based cold dishes, along with salads and a short section incongruously laid out with western-style steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and lasagna!

Our first order of business was to sample several tall cold Kingfishers (that’s one of India’s famous beers). Oddly, they did not offer Taj beer…

 

After making sure that every single item in the roughly 80’ buffet line was of adequate quality, I rolled out the door in search of a fridge magnet. There was a small set of shops on the hotel grounds and the first one I ducked into had magnets! And for considerably less than $40…

 

After lunch we were back on the tour buses for the trip back to the airport and our charter flight back to Mumbai. Getting back on the military base for the flight home was even more interesting than getting out of the base earlier in the day. We had been given special “visitors’ passes” to slip in to our passports since we were in transit. We had to show those on our way out of the base in the morning and on the way back in that afternoon. As we got off the buses, we had to show them again to get into the terminal building. We had to show them twice more when we get to Mumbai – once at the airport and once again at the ship.

 

At first we were a little put off by the constant need to prove who we were since we believed that, obviously, we are tourists; however, we were reminded several times about the attack on the Taj Hotel (no relation to the Taj Mahal) in Mumbai in 2009 and the recent bombing in Brussels. At that point we relaxed and were much more appreciative of their vigilance.

 

The trip back from the airport through the city was quite different from the trip to the airport in the morning. It was now about 6:00 PM and the city was wide awake. Traffic of all types teemed even more than in the early morning. We also had an opportunity to see how the slum dwellers made life a job. It is hard to imagine even standing in some of these places, let alone walking, eating, sleeping, just living – or merely existing – amid such squalor. Mumbai “boasts” the largest slum in the word with over a million people crammed into less than about a square mile. If you have not seen the movie “Slumdog Millionaire,” you have missed something. If you have seen it,see it again. We saw the area where it was filmed from afar. Unbelievable!

As we drove to the airport in Mumbai, I took this shot of a small fishing village (slum-like) juxtaposed with Mumbai's burgeoning skyline. Most of the tall buildings in Mumbai are less than 15 years old. There is much more foreign investment in Mumbai today than the days of the British Raj. The official population of Mumbai is about eight million; however, the unofficial population has been pegged at close to 22 million.

So, we had a very full day. I have always wanted to visit India while Bonnie has been lukewarm about it. We both did enjoy Cochin and Mumbai/Agra – what we saw whetted our appetite for more. We have agreed that after this tiny taste, we want to come back.

We were leaving the hotel in Agra to return to the airport when Bonnie spied a hotel that I didn't even know we had made an investment with let alone bought the naming rights...

We are now at sea for three days. Our next port is Dubai, UAE. Stay tuned…