Agra Day 2 - Taj Mahal - or a lesson in being hopeful...

15 October 2013


After an eventful first day in Agra, I woke up at 5:30 am for the sunrise view of the Taj Mahal. This in itself is quite incredible: after so many weeks of jetlag related sleep problems <<< caused by late working hours and the fact that to be able to sing over 3 hours 6 days a week i do need minimum 6-7hours of sleep so if no sleep arrives by 5am i have to stay in bed till at least midday>>> in Agra I had - twice in a row - a breakfast!  and a breakfast before 9am! And as no sleep on Monday 14/10 made me so knackered that I was fast asleep by 11pm, ergo able to work happily on Tuesday despite an early start.

I got ready in 5 minutes and took a cycle riksha to the gate - I could have walked as my hotel was barely an 800 metres away from the main entrance open for sunrise, but come on - Taj Mahal? I had to arrive in style :) I was welcomed by an already 100 strong queue (women & men in separate lines) but I was still at its relative beginning.. Problem was the sun rose (or it seemed so as night became day in moments) and the door kept on being locked & queue kept on growing.. I read in a guidebook that seeing Taj at sunrise is the best way to avoid crowds.. Well if hundreds and thousands of people who entered the gate is not crowds, i really do not want to imagine what crowds means..:)

We entered thru the metal detector gate and while passing thru it I met a lovely Australian lady who was there with her Indian husband & his family... It took barely seconds: we saw it and we stopped... Everyone did.. You do read that it is amazing and breathtaking and all & most incredible thing in the world, most beautiful monument etc, and you do expect something unbelieveable and yet when you
 actually do see it all you can do is just stop and stare in awe... It stares quietly back at you and smiles in its grandeur.. And you keep staring, shy and unable to move or say anything.. Pure awe..then you notice the sun peeping out in a red halo on the side of Taj and the whole sight becomes even more fantabulous...We all kept staring and clicking pictures with anything that was able to commemorate this sight a d slowly moved on the approach the monument from one of its sides and enter the main
mauzoleum.. In the melee of visitors I lost my Australian friend and also missed a chance to get a

Last night in India or the triumpf of the unexpected:)

My last night in Delhi, after four months of the unexpected last minute crazy adventure of singing in one of the world's best restaurants, was a night to remember. My incredible stay on the subcontinent sadly came to an end, but in what style! First, due to the visit of the emperor & empress of Japan (I know!), at my last performance we had an unprecedented large number of VIP-s & political celebrities, & show went on & on for much longer than usual. Finally after goodbye hugs with my pianist, I was planning to happily go to bed & get up early to have a cup of chai at dawn in one of old Delhi's cafés. My colleagues, however, had a different plan.  It turned out one of them celebrated his birthday a few days earlier & so it was time for a mini staff party, with me as a the guest of honour, as I never made it to any one before: always a trouble getting me back home because as adventurous as I would like to be, I was still a single white chick in India. Everything got absolutely maniac due to VIP presence & the restaurant was still packed way past 2 am so I waited packing my suitcase & struggling not to fall asleep. Finally around 3:25 am M. called me saying I should come outside & wait by the staff gate. The security folks were more surprised than if they'd seen an alien: a white female guest popping out, on her own, trying to explain it is ok, yes that time of the night, then jumping on a motorbike with one of the staff! And just to make it absolutely clear - I like adventure, but I am not foolish. Everything was arranged to make it safe for me. I knew  I was surrounded by people I could trust and taken well care of. (India is not as dangerous as it sadly seems). We arrived at M's place & I realised I am the only woman & of course, the only one not speaking Hindi. That did not stop the fun, because music & dancing is an international language. Soon enough, everyone was singing, dancing & laughing to some of the most famous Bollywood pop hits, including P, one of the oldest & most experienced waiters, whose famous dancing skills were mentioned to me a few times before. Everyone unanimously agreed I absolutely have to have a last dance with him, or rather a half an hour long bollywood dance off where I tried to, with all my desperate moves, defend the white race. In one of the mini breaks, the whole dancing party moved to another room  for a moment, only to, as I found out, wake up another colleague, R. with a bang & make his early shift a bit more miserable. Around 5:30 we wrapped it up & as promissed I was driven back to the hotel with a protection of three of the party revellers, who even though from Delhi, got lost a few times on the way back. We wandered around the streets waking up to a new day, with Hindi music blastic from the speakers. I arrived back knakcered and with a humongous headache from my colleagues' cigarette smoke but with heart full of incredible memories. I got to know a few people in the way I would never manage if I had not followed a crazy spontaneous plan & braved to do something unexpected. Yes i missed my chai, and some sleep, for sure, but I saw a different side of dawn in Delhi & experienced something I will never forget!