A royal road

Very early in the morning we were already on the road. Five of us huddled in a minivan had set off to battle the Delhi morning traffic. Destination ... Agra, the one-time capital of the Mugal Empire, and the first leg of our mini pilgrimage.

Now that the official parts of our Indian adventure are complete, delegates to the IMVC can finally begin to relax ... or can they. Before we even left the hotel, one of our number had to bid farewell to all the staff with whom he had become accustomed over these past days. He has managed to make some friends among them, and I'm sure they will miss his smiling face and contageous personality now that we are no longer there.

All our stops complete, we finally were en route, inching our way through the morning traffic. Actually, the traffic seems to be overwhelming no matter what time of day (in the Delhi area), so we anticipated some reprieve once we had left the city limits. This was not to be though. To be sure, the country roads are not AS congested as the city streets are, but it seems that there is no shortage of activity, even in the most 'rural' areas of the royal road that leads from Delhi to Agra.
Smog and traffic aside, we were entertained today by a variety of other sites, including the huts which lay somewhat inconspicuously along the road. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that these structures, which might very well serve as dwellings for some of the multitude were constructed out of dried cow dung patties and thatched roofs.

At one point on the road, our driver pulled over, stopped the vehicle and informed us (in barely understandable English) that he would have to leave us for a moment in order to pay taxes or tolls, and then promptly left us (in company of his co-captain) to face the ever-present barage of humanity who knock at the windows of vehicles which happen to stop for some reason on the road.

For the first time during this trip, we recognized monkeys (perhaps the famous family of Jaipur macacs) which were tethered and led to the side of the vehicle. One of our number automatically began filming the spectacle, and stopped only when the primate's keeper began an incessant knocking at the window, accompanied with the repeated phrase, 'Monkey picture money ... Monkey picture money ...'. Of course we will not let him forget this oversight, and I'm sure that we have all learned quickly to keep cameras at bay when surrounded with such crowds.

Our journey on the royal road finally brought us to the city of Agra, sometime around 3:00 pm local time. Then we had to navigate the streets of this city, looking for the hotel where we are currently spending the night. Along the way, there was the usual spectacle of life, this time accented not only with bovine and canine accompaniments, but elephants, camels and donkeys as well.

Checked in for the night, we had to feed and water (in order not to collapse) and then it was off for a very hastened visit to the famous Agra Fort. This is an impressive structure to be sure, much larger and more grandiose than its smaller cousin the Delhi Red Fort (spoken of in a previous post).

The sightseeing continues tomorrow. If all goes well, we will visit the famous Taj Mahal in the early morning and then move on toward Jaipur. There we are scheduled to spend two nights before returning to Delhi, just in time for our return flights.

To think that we must pay entrance fees to do official sightseeing while there are more than enough sights to see all around us, if we have the eyes to see the abundance of life, complete with its blessings and challenges, right in front of our own eyes. None of us knows if we will ever be back to this part of the world, so in the meanwhile, we're soaking it all in.