My blond weekend.

No, I didn’t dye my hair – although it would have been interesting to see what kind of looks I would have gotten if I had! And apologies to all my blond friends – who are extraordinarily intelligent, and defy the stereotype.

I consider myself to be pretty organized – in this case – not so much. A couple weekends ago, I organized a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal with my co-workers – who were then my friends (now, maybe not so much). To protect their privacy, as they play a role in my blog, they will be known only as C, L and S.

In any event, we all planned to go to Agra at the full moon so we could get tickets to see the Taj Mahal by moonlight. I was tasked with getting our train tickets, re-organizing our hotel and getting the tickets to view the Taj Mahal by moonlight. So, the week before, I did the needful (this is seriously a phrase used to indicate you are doing or have done a task – please, please do not start using this).

Booking train tickets has become more convenient than it used to be – you can now do this on-line rather than going to the station. Train travel in India is very common, inexpensive and very convenient. Far more common then flying to destinations – even if train travel would require 10-12 hours and a flight would be one or two hours. Trains are really how the masses travel – as would become all too obvious to me and my traveling companions.

My friends and I arrived at the train station at 6:45 Saturday morning for our train – only to learn that we had been waitlisted – something which was actually readily apparent from the print-out of our online tickets – which I had failed to notice. Trains in India commonly overbook because people will book themselves on several trains and cancel (at a very very nominal cost), so overbooking allows trains to fill up. If you are waitlisted, you need to check to see if you have gotten off the wait list about 4 hours in advance. We did not.

In my defense, when I booked the tickets, I checked the box that said that if all of us couldn’t be in the same compartment then I did not want to book. I would have thought that being waitlisted would mean that none of us were in the same (or any) compartment so that my booking would not have gotten through. Lesson learned – and a fair warning to any of you who might come to travel here.

In any event, after learning that we were waitlisted, we tried to find the ticketing officer for the train to see what could be done. Meanwhile, L and I ran to the ticket office to see if we could buy tickets for a different class. Tickets for trains are sold in a variety of classes – you can see the various classes and accommodations at the attached - http://www.indiamarks.com/guide/A-Guide-to-Traveling-by-Train-in-India/1144 - and no, it is not out of date.

Since my Hindi is poor and the guy at the ticket office spoke no English, I decided to just get tickets – any class – so we could get on the train before it left the station – and sort out any issues once we got going. This meant that we had general class tickets – with no assigned seats. In a train with a waitlist – this apparently means that you can travel on the train – but you will be standing for the duration of your trip, unless you can find an area to squeeze into a seat. We had no such luck. Luckily the trip was only for a few hours – unfortunately, it was very crowded. They say trains are a mirror into the real India – if that’s the case, India is dirty, smelly and crowded. I had seen this side of India and trains before, but C, L and S had not. It was not their most pleasant experience.

We were grateful to get off the train in Agra and made our way to the hotel. Where we were subject to an upgradation (yes, this is also really a word) – in other words, we were upgraded from two rooms to sharing the Presidential Suite – SWEET! Maybe my luck was changing. The room was great – spacious, with lots of windows, and for some strange reason about a dozen sets of glasses in the dining area.
After settling in, and washing off some of the trauma of the train ride, we set off for Fatepur Sikri – which is located about 20 kilometers (or 40 minutes) outside of Agra. It was the capital of the Mughal Empire for Emperor Akbar – built in joyous celebration of the birth of his son. Akbar, had about 300 wives, officially, 3 main wives and then a huge harem – I’m not sure how he found time to rule – but he was without an heir until he received the blessing of a Sufi fakir from the area. Fatepur Sikri is a beautifully preserved city from the 16th Century. Just outside is Jama Masjid – the largest mosque in India.

We returned back to the hotel and got ready to see the Taj at night. Security around the Taj is pretty tight – you are not supposed to take cell phones in and you are searched before you enter the monument grounds. As such, we decided we would take very little in with us. I thought it made sense to take almost nothing – and so, as I was walking out the door of our room, C asked me if I had my passport and the tickets. Seeing as I was having a blond weekend, I had forgotten both. I thanked C and remarked that if I had forgotten the tickets, that my name would be mud with all of them. I hurried back and grabbed them and we drove off to the Taj. As we were getting checked in, I realized that what I had grabbed was not the tickets, but the receipt for the tickets. Seriously! I couldn’t believe it. I ran out of the building and raced back to the hotel for the tickets. Luckily I arrived back in plenty of time WITH the tickets so we could see the Taj at night.

Despite all of my mishaps, the viewing was beautiful and I was actually able to get my camera’s night setting feature to work – so pictures will follow.

I have been to the Taj Mahal a few times previously – but it never ceases to take my breath away. It is a mausoleum built by Shah Jahan (also a Mughal Emperor and the grandson of Akbar) for his wife Mumtaz, who died giving birth to their 14th child. It is beautiful in its symmetry, the intricate work and structure. From a distance it is simply majestic. From close by you can appreciate the craftsmanship and intricate work that was required. It is easy to see why it is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Although you cannot see the details at night, and you cannot get very close, you are able to see the monument without all of the crowds and you can imagine how it must have appeared to the Emperor seeing it from Agra Fort (where is son imprisoned him for his last years).

It was decided on this trip, that I could never be in charge of any trip related organizing or hold any tickets. I can’t say I blame them.