Day 7

This morning we packed up all our bags and left the Colonel’s Retreat where we’ve been staying.  I think I’ll miss not having and Indian breakfast served to me every morning!  Tina and I especially have enjoyed the aloo parantha – a super yummy potato stuffed flat bread.  Another breakfast staple has been poha, which I learned is a flattened rice.  I’ll have to try to make these at home.

Our bedroom at the Colonel's Retreat

Our shared living room

Breakfast of champions - poha and aloo parantha

This morning we had a little time to shop at a shop called Fab India, it’s a fair trade store that promotes Indian-made products, like really cute “suits” that are worn with leggings.  I could get into wearing these comfortable, cute clothes!

Then we drove over to the Dili Haat market – a government sanctioned market that has stalls and stalls of hand made goods from all over India.  We first had a debrief with Abhishek and Angie about our trip and then were let loose in the market for 50 minutes to shop for all our souvenirs.  It was fun discovering all the beautiful things but a little frustrating to only have such limited time.  Still, I found some nice things to remind me of our trip.

Loved these paintings

Lori with her hand stitched cloth

Cyndee and me

Soon we were back on the bus and headed out of Delhi south to Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.  This 5 hour bus ride was a unique experience to see the countryside of India.  It blew my mind!  For about the first ½ hour outside of Delhi there were high rise after high rise of apartment buildings being constructed.  There were massive numbers of units being built but no one seemed to know why. 

Past the high rises, the land was nothing but a flat expanse of dirt and scrub trees.  I’ve said over and over how India is the land of diversity, but this added a new dimension.  The only way I can describe the countryside is primitive.  I saw circular houses made of reeds and thatch.  I saw people harvesting wheat by hand.  I saw bundles of wheat being transported on people’s heads.  I saw naked boys swimming in dirty water holes.  I saw camels walking down the road.  And in the background was the black smoke billowing from the smokestacks of brick factories.  Closer to the road were the pits where the dirt for the bricks was being scraped and molded by hand by entire families.  I was captivated by this side of India that was so different from anything I’d ever seen.

Brick making

Camels

Pulling into Agra about 7:30 at night, we checked into our very swanky hotel, the Wyndham, and were treated to luxurious rooms for the night.  We only got a few minutes to enjoy them before we headed back out the door and to a restaurant for dinner.  The owner of this restaurant was the epitome of Indian hospitality.  She took our picture, showed us her own pictures, made sure we had everything we needed and even gave us each a parting gift of an elephant key chain.  And on top of all that, the food was wonderful!

Hotel lobby

Being served a drink while waiting on check in

Our restaurant owner and us