“Ok, 100 pesos each” she said.

I am pretty sure I still got screwed over, but thanks to the Pause  this amateur negotiator got screwed over just a little bit less.

We took the 6 am flight to Delhi. By about 9:30 am we had all gotten our bags (I actually got mine this time) and were packed in for our 4 hour journey south to Agra, the one time Capital of India and the home of the famed Taj Mahal. My original plan was to get some sleep in the car on the way down. I am not sure if it was because the insistent honking horns or because of the hot, sticky car but I didn’t get my nap in. It was an interesting drive though.

Once we (finally) got to Agra and stopped for directions twice we arrived at the AgraFort. As we piled out of the car we were immediately greeted by man named Rajiv. Rajiv was kind enough to offer us his tour guiding services. As no one in the group was at all familiar with the Agra Fort or even Agra for that matter, we took him up on his offer. It took us quite a while to get though the whole place. There is a lot to see, a lot of interesting architecture, including a running polyreligious theme. The attention to detail is amazing. We were shown one room (that for some reason cost everyone an additional 100 rupees to see) that was tiled with small mirrors. From another room you can see the The Taj Mahal from across the river.

After a lunch break at a restaurant that for some reason was called ‘Quality’ we were off to see the Taj. Its funny because when I said that we might go see the Taj Mahal to some of the guys at the office it was always pointed out that the Taj is one of the 7 wonders of the world. I believe it.

When we finally did get to the Taj Mahal it truly is an incredible sight (one that definitely deserves to be on the list of the seven wonders of the world). The building itself was constructed by Shah Jahans as a memorial to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their fourteenth child*. The building and everything surrounding the building is made of white marble, which has this really cool transparent quality to it when light shines though it. Another quality that this stone has is that it gets ridiculously hot in the sun. Shoes are not allowed in the building itself. Most people just walked barefoot through. But because we were perceived as huge wimps by Rajiv he made us wear these embarrassing accessories.

All in all, this was a good day, exhausting but good. The sun was begining to set as we headed off on a camel that evening and children were peddling miniature Taj Mahal keychains and men were getting a trim and a monkey watched the activity below. I know that it is pretty far out of the way, but if you get the chance, I highly recommend going to Agra.

* after fourteen kids in 16 years building this thing was the least he could do.

I’ve always thought it hilarious that Indian people chose the most boring, domesticated, compliant and stupid animal on earth to adore, but already I’m seeing cows in a while different light. These animals clearly know they rule and they like to mess with our heads. The humpbacked bovines step off median strips just as cars are approaching, they stare down drivers daring them to charge, they turn their noses up at passing elephant and camels, and hold Huddles at the busiest intersections where they seem to chat away like the bulls of Gary Larsons
cartoons. Its clear they are enjoying themselves.

- Sarah MacDonald, Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

For some reason a few of the people in the group wanted to go to Hard Rock Cafe in Mumbai. After a pretty full day, just about anything would have sounded like a good idea. We were at this shop and evidently the driver was told that we could get to the Hard Rock Cafe using this shortcut through this alley. This “alley” was actually a neighborhood. It kind of looked like mini-storage. The streets weren’t paved either, much less grated. Looking out the window, you see people walking hovered around open flame, people cooking, small children barely clothed not really even supervised. This road went on for probably two miles, it seemed like we were in the car for a lot longer that that though. Then a clearing, finally some pavement. We took a right and within about 20 feet we were at the entrance of the Hard Rock cafe.

For a weekend trip it was decided that we go to Mumbai, or before 1994 what was called Bombay. Mumbai is about a 4 hour drive from Pune. Hitesh, one of my coworkers has family living in Mumbai so the plan was to meet up with her and she would show us around. The problem was that as we were getting ready to leave, we found that Hitesh, wasn’t going to make it. Now by this time, Harith and I had already arranged hotel accommodations. After a brief discussion, we decided that the trip was still on, that we would rely on our drivers as tour guides. For the most part, this turned out to be a good idea. On our way there, I just happened to read an article in the local paper about the country; 80% of the population lives on $2 (88 Rupees) or less a day. This statistic stuck with me all day. The road to Mumbai from Pune was relatively uneventful. After six tunnels, two toll booths, and one bathroom break, we were there.

The first place we stopped was the Gateway of India. I refer to this as a tourist trap in both the figurative and the literal sense. The moment we stepped out of the car we were swarmed. The first was a man whose role in my estimation was to introduce people just like us to ‘A Holy Man’. The Holy Man was an older fellow who followed a few steps behind. Once introduced the Holy Man proceeded to tie a bracelet to my wrist. Overwhelmed and under prepared I went along. He painted something on my forehead, gave me some white pills* and assured me that I would now have good fortune. As bizarre as this sounds, this was an appropriate introduction.**

After having lunch at the The Taj Hotel we went onto a few other sites around town that were recommended. Our cabbie turned tour guide ended up lacking certain skills often desired for such a role namely, knowledge of the city and English. Needless to say we spent a good deal of time in the back seat of his car driving around. This did allow for some time to for us to observe more of the driving behavior. The street signs specifically I found amusing. One in particular I liked displayed: “Please don’t ignore traffic signs.”

* No, I didn’t take them
** Later on I learned Jerry was at least one other person in the group had “good fortunes” that day.

Everyone seems to drive with one finger on the horn and another shoved high up a nostril. The highway soundtrack is a chaotic symphony of deep blasts, staccato honks, high-pitched beeps, musical notes and a weird duck drone. Its as if Delhi is blind and driving by sound-except it seems many are deaf. Women are curled up on the pavement sound asleep, and a man is stretched out on the medium strip, dead to the danger. One the backs of bikes, on the laps of the motorcycle mums, babies are floppy with dreams.

- Sarah MacDonald, Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

The office is about a twenty minute cab ride from the Deccan Rendevous, the hotel we are staying at. The office buildingitself is pretty typical. That first morning we all enjoyed a nice breakfast and made it in to the office around 9. Its interesting because things get going here so much later, I mean people just don’t get moving until 9:30 or 10.

The Elevators
Whether you are going up or down, you can be guaranteed that the elevator will be full. Like the rest of the landscape in Pune real estate is a premium. People seem to be a lot more comfortable with being close. Sholder to sholder we ride to the fifth floor.

The Cafeteria
Lunch is also a pretty unique experience. The cafeteria on the first floor. The first day I was there I had to go with the easiest thing to order which ended up being a premade sandwich. After we sat down, I looked over and saw a man, a well dressed professional eating what looked to be a traditional Indian dish, rice with some type of curry, with his bare hands. I mean scooping up big globs of food and it into his mouth. I also noticed that he was only using his right hand, which is another custom. Luckily, I am right handed and discovered that I also eat with my right hand. Fitting in here will be a snap. You won’t see a knife anywhere is another thing I noticed.

4.)  Really good answer for when someone asks the otherwise uncomfortable question:  “Didn’t you wear that shirt yesterday?”

3.) The Jokes.

2.) Save tip money getting to the hotel.

1.) Lots more time in the mornings that would have normally been spent deciding what to wear.