Agra, Shimla, and Udaipur

I heard a story of blind men who were told to inspect an animal (it was an elephant) and describe it. The men circled around it and touched different areas: the tusks, snout, tail, side, and legs. They all described something vastly different – and that is what it is like to describe India as a whole by only visiting a handful of places.

I wanted to create a trip for us to give Lulu a good taste of India. We traveled to a big city (Delhi), the Taj Mahal (Agra), the Himalayas (Shimla), and then traditional India (Udaipur).

Agra – There is a reason that all tourists go to the Taj Mahal, it is spectacular, and I was pleased to go again. It is truly a romantic experience that is not to be missed. The entire city revolves around the Taj’s existence. You can see it from a variety of perspectives: from the backside across the river, at sunrise or sunset, and from terrace bars and restaurants. The mausoleum’s creator was overthrown by his son after its creation and got a good view of his own from a marble prison growing off the side of the far away Agra Fort, in clear view of his wife’s mausoleum.

I made sure to also expose Lulu to a Bollywood performance as well… by having dinner at the soon-to-be famous Pizza Hut!

Shimla – From Delhi, we headed north to the foot of the Himalayas where the British set up to govern during the oppressive summers.

The Toy Train – Getting There - The first half of the train journey from Delhi was long and unexciting. The second leg was still long but wound through 107 tunnels, up the mountains, on a cute toy train: colorful compartments pulled by a steam engine. The scenery got greener and cleaner the farther we traveled though trash disposal was the same as always – out the window. During a stop, I was searching for a trash bin to chuck my foiled lunch packaging. Going against the chiding of basically everyone on the train, I could not make myself do the same and brought the trash back on board until I could find a suitable bin.

Houses of all shapes and sizes cascaded down the hills. Indian and international tourists, alike, paraded down The Mall, a pedestrian town center. Our hotel was an amazing British construction that overlooked the mountains. We had to pry ourselves from the hotel to enjoy the gorgeous weather and nature walks.

We took a day trip to Chail, another hill station town. We broke for tea and hikes and play some pick up at the highest cricket ground in the world. On the way back, we stopped in Kufri and trotted horses up a stony hill for amusement and culture parks. This marks the last time that I ride a horse. Twice in my life was enough. At the top, we tested the world’s highest go-kart track.

Udaipur – The train home wasn’t as long because the boring half was overnight. We shopped around Delhi on our way to the airport. Udaipur is located in the state of Rajastan which is what most people think of when thinking of India – dry and hot and inhabited by turbaned men with mustaches with intermingled palaces. The city is set on picturesque Lake Pichola, part of an interesting 500 year old irrigation structure that allows a string of lakes to overflow into each other, stay full, and sustain life.