My soul has always craved adventure. I was always the one to try new things (however stupid and risky), not afraid of challenges (however crazy and insurmountable), and thrived in an environment of uncertainty. As I have aged, this hasn't gone away; if anything, it has gotten stronger as I have gained the means to live a bigger life.
When my husband mentioned a little side trip after the wedding, without any hesitation, I jumped at the chance. The wedding events ended on the 7th and the relatives were all packing up and leaving the morning of the 8th. We had a noon flight scheduled that would have gotten us into Delhi in a few hours and then the plan was to spend the day exploring, including a 2 hr drive to a place I have always wanted to visit: Taj Mahal, which is located in Agra. We woke up to a flight cancellation and due to some Indian flight regulation changes, this was a common problem at the moment. Roy did find another flight for us, but on the way to the airport, it too was rescheduled to the following day, which would have not only changed our plans, but also resulted in us missing our international flight home.
In that moment, we took advantage of the next best available option, which was to drive the almost 12 hrs from Varanasi to Delhi.
A friend of the family who drives them places around Varanasi was the one who was taking us to the airport, so when he got the request to continue onto Delhi as a hired driver, he seemed happy to accept, but likely got a lot more than he bargained for! Shivali and I had a good time with him all week, as we misunderstood how this 'driver' kept showing up at the wedding events. Turns out he was a family friend who also served as a driver, who spoke zero English, yet seemed to enjoy the curiosity of Shivali and I laughing at him every time he showed up at an event.
I've had a few opportunities to drive extended distances across India, and as you can imagine, it does not disappoint. Lots of interesting sites and the people watching is world-class. It’s a mix of open fields (with the occasional field pooper) and small villages packed with the usual small shops and tons of people out walking.
Before long, we were all hungry and decided to pull off for some lunch. Roy determined this little roadside restaurant seemed like a good one, so we ventured out into the crowded streets. As usual, we draw a fair amount of attention from the curious onlookers, many of which have likely never saw a Caucasian person in their life. I walk confidently through the crowds trying not to make much eye contact, as my Midwest Wisconsin norm of smiling at strangers is easily misinterpreted here.
The cafe itself was clean and nice. I asked about a bathroom, only to discover it was located under the building in a decrepit walkway that most would assume you’d get murdered in, and sadly only one Indian style toilet. But we do what we have to do! Also, I’m here to tell you that the food was OUTSTANDING! I didn’t even take any photos because it was so good- we just scarfed it down. Never judge a book by its cover in India!
As we ventured on our journey packed in the backseat of this small car, periodically stopping for nature’s call and sleeping with my head in my lap, it seemed like not much fun at times, but then again there were many moments of laughter.
We stopped at this highly questionable roadside gas station in the middle of the night and regardless of conditions, it was pretty mission critical to use their bathroom. It wasn’t horrible, but the people standing around made it feel a bit unsafe for us. When we exited the bathroom, I didn’t immediately see the car and driver and panicked for a split second about what it would be like to be left there, not knowing where we were, having no money, and not speaking the language. 😵💫
Luckily, Roy and the driver had just pulled away from the gas pumps and were over by the road. Shivali and I had a good time ‘yelling’ at him through vibrant hand motions: NEXT TIME-YOU-PARK-NEAR-THE BATHROOM. 🤣🤣🤣
The original plan involved driving to Delhi and spending the night in the hotel I had pre-booked, but driving through Agra to get to Delhi made zero sense considering it was already near midnight when we got near Agra. I decided it was better to take it up with the charge card than drive the extra hours and told Roy to just book something nice for the night. The Raddison in Agra turned out to be the most perfect choice, with the most comfortable bed I’ve slept in outside my own, and a lovely breakfast. 
Roy surprised me with the most incredible view! What????!!!!
I knew this day was about to be EPIC, so dressing for the photos was absolutely critical. I saved this lovely kurti I had purchased in Chicago and fell in love with for just such an occasion.
I can only describe my time visiting the Taj Mahal as magical. Seeing it in person is so much different than photos. It is hard to believe it was built in the 1600’s! It is more majestic and grand than you can ever imagine and of course the pictures we captured were amazing!
As you may or may not know, the Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in 1632 as a mausoleum to his wife who died in childbirth. They are buried underneath it, which is why they don’t allow photos inside, although I managed to sneak a few.
The view of Yumana River and surrounding buildings are equally magnificent and the breeze was heavenly, although it was a nice cool day that made the visit even more wonderful.
I could have sat here all day and enjoyed the view, but we planned another unexpected stop I’ll tell you about next post. Just a few more fun and scenic photos from our visit:
I get a lot of random requests to pose with strangers, which will never not strike me as odd.
When she is done with photos.
I didn’t actually see a monkey here, which is unusual because they are always at these places.
The marble work here was incredible. This one looked like a face to me!
The cows leading the way out.
