Catch Up

I left Dharamsala on December 17th on an overnight bus to Delhi. And there the adventure pics right back up, as bus travel through the mountainous region was anything but tame. My travel party is now two- my good friend Dave who happens to be 6' 5" and doesn't fit in most buses, planes, doorways, etc. So the two of us had some good laughs bouncing along the curviest highway I've had the recent pleasure of careening down. We returned to the city to get Dave's bike shipment in order (my bike was stored at the 5 star in Delhi and safe for a few more weeks). After few days in backpacker district in Delhi for a few days, we escaped by train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and the multiple other sites in the area. Train travel went off without a hitch, though we did get scammed at the "government" prepaid taxi stand on our way to Taj Ganj upon our arrival. Nothing major, just a charge for a ride to our destination that ended with us getting dropped off at a gate far from our agreed stop. Other than that, the time spent in Agra was really pretty amazing. We found a great and super cheap family run restaurant that we decided to frequent almost exclusively. Many of the tourist places in the area have rooftops with amazing views of the Taj, so there's no missing out on the view no matter where you go. The list of sites is long, but among the highlights (aside from the Taj) were the Agra Fort, The "Baby" Taj, and Akbar's Mausoleum. The intricate marble inlays of semi precious stone in every imaginable geometric pattern were magnificent. The marble carvings differed based on tradition and age, but were mostly prayers written in Arabic and idyllic scenes- vases, flowers, etc. The southern veiw of the Taj from across the Yarmuna river from the Metab Bhag gardens was also a highlight. I will try to post pictures here, but for some reason that has been a challenge of late.

Back in Delhi, we opted to stay in Manju Ka Teela, a Tibetan enclave away from the city a bit. We had close access to the metro, which is amazingly clean and so much more enjoyable than weaving through city traffic (recent construction has made it particularly bad of late). I retrieved my bike on Christmas day- a big box to open and a bike to assemble spells a perfect way to celebrate! Dave's bike arrived intact a few days later, and after a long and jumbled bureaucratic process at the customs cargo office, he assemble his ride and we prepared to hit the road. His box was also stuffed full of holiday goodies (puffy painted stockings and all!), including two sets of stocking-stuffed battery operated Christmas lights (thank you John and Anne!), one set of which is currently wrapped around Dave's top tube (amazingly hilarious- a party on wheels). After storing our extra baggage in long-term storage (a Trench family connection), we set up a ride out of the clogged roads of Delhi and through the thick morning fog. We were dropped off- bikes, gear and all on the side of the road to Sohna in the state of Haryana to make our way on the eve of 2010.