Taj Mahal

Popoldne sem se odpeljala z vlakom proti Agri in zvečer prispela, ko je bila že tema, tako da mi je preostalo le še, da si poiščem prenočišče in grem na ogled Taj Mahala naslednji dan. Tokratno prenočišče je bilo res obupno, sicer sem bila že navajena, da je v Indiji vse zelo umazano, ampak tokrat je bilo pa res preveč. Zato sem zjutraj najprej spakirala stvari in poiskala voznika rikše, da me je odpeljal do drugega prenočišča. Tam sem se sicer malo obotavljala, ker sem želela najprej videti, kako izgleda soba, preden bi se odločila zanjo, pa me je lastnik tako prepričeval, kako krasno da je njegovo prenočišče, celo z razgledom na Taj Mahal – in me je peljal na streho na teraso pogledat, da če se malo potrudiš, tam nekje v daljavi skozi krošnje dreves res vidiš vrh kupole – da sem potem res ostala tam. Nameravala sem najprej dopoldne se malo sprehoditi okoli, pogledati tržnico in rdečo trdnjavo, potem pa popoldne na ogled Taj Mahala. Ampak, kakor mi je bilo itak že jasno do takrat, nisem mogla nikamor peš. Vozniki rikš in v Agri tudi vozniki raznih taxijev in limuzin – konec koncev je Agra verjetno najbolj turistično mesto v Indiji – so me tako oblegali, da sem na koncu morala najeti enega voznika rikše za cel dan, da sem potem imela mir. Ta me je peljal naokrog na oglede, popoldne pa sem končno prišla do vhoda v Taj Mahal. Za popoldanski obisk sem se odločila, ker je popoldanska vstopnina cenejša, pa tudi zato, ker v turističnem vodniku piše, da je Taj Mahal najlepši ob sončnem zahodu. Na vhodu je bilo treba najprej skozi kontrolo, varnostniki so pregledali vsebino torbic in nahrbtnikov. Lepo, sem si mislila, da tako skrbijo za varnost, saj najbrž bi bilo kar nekaj škode, če bi kdo prišel tja z bombo. Pa se je izkazalo, da pravzaprav sploh niso iskali bombe. Kar so iskali v prtljagi in so tudi meni našli in vzeli, so bile pomaranče! Ja, seveda, lahko bi si mislila, v Indiji nimajo košev za smeti, zato ljudje vse odmetavajo kar po cesti. In takoj mi je bilo jasno, kaj bi bilo, če bi dovolili, da bi turisti okoli Taj Mahala metali olupke pomaranč! Varnostnica mi je pokazala, da lahko pomaranče odložim tam ob ograji, kjer je bila že kopica drugih pomaranč, ki so jih očitno pustili drugi turisti. Seveda pa so se okoli smukali otroci, in kadar varnostniki niso gledali, so pomaranče dobile noge. In tako sem pustila svoje pomaranče tam, naj jih otroci odnesejo. Končno, mimo vhoda in zagledala sem Taj Mahal pred seboj! Vedno sem si želela ga videti, že odkar sem kot otrok videla fotografije v knjigi Vsa čuda sveta in zdaj sem bila tam! Neverjetno, res je čudovit za pogledat. Celo popoldne sem se potikala tam okrog, si ogledala kamnite intarzije od blizu, občudovala natančnost kamnosekov, ki so tako lepo izdelali vzorce iz barvitih poldragih kamnov in jih vstavili v beli marmor osnovne stavbe. Resnično lepo, in vredno vsega truda, da sem prišla do tja. Varnostnik, ki se je sprehajal naokoli, je prišel do mene in mi nekako šepetaje ponudil, da me pelje nekam, kjer bom imela res lep razgled za fotografiranje. Ja, seveda, o tem sem brala v turističnem vodniku, pač tudi varnostniki iščejo način, kako kaj dodatno zaslužiti. In sem šla z njim, peljal me je na streho utice, kjer je bil razgled – no, ja, nič posebnega, ampak sem pač naredila nekaj fotografij in mu plačala nek drobiž. Pa se je razhudil, češ, tako malo plačila, jaz pa tvegam svojo službo zaradi tega, ker te takole vodim sem. Ja, seveda, sem mu povedala, da toliko plačam tudi vozniku rikše in se mi zdi kar primerno plačilo tudi zanj. In je videl, da od mene ne bo kaj dosti iztržil, saj sem do takrat že nekaj časa potovala po Indiji in sem vedela, koliko je smiselno plačilo. Verjetno je od raznih turistov, ki priletijo v Indijo gledat samo Taj Mahal in ne vedo, kolikšne so cene, iztržil desetkrat toliko. Med sprehajanjem sem naletela tudi na skupino vojakov, ki so me prosili, če jih fotografiram. Seveda, ni problema, potem pa so mi hoteli plačati, če bi jim poslala fotografijo po pošti. Tudi to je bilo zame prvič in novo, da bi nekdo meni plačal, ker jih fotografiram? Običajno so domačini hoteli, da jaz plačam njim, če sem jih fotografirala. Seveda nisem sprejela denarja, so mi pa v zvezek zapisali naslov, kam naj pošljem fotografijo. Naslednji dan sem imela kupljeno karto za nočni vlak za Varanasi, tako da sem imela še cel dan časa. Ker sprehajanje ni bilo mogoče (bi morala spet najeti celodnevno rikšo, da bi imela mir pred šoferji), sem dopoldne prebila v prenočišču in brala, popoldne pa si še enkrat privoščila ogled Taj Mahala. Tudi drugi dan se še nisem naveličala občudovati njegove lepote.

In the afternoon I caught the train to Agra and I arrived there in the evening after dark. All that was left to do that day was to find a place to sleep and visit the Taj Mahal the following day. This time my place to sleep was really awful. I was already used to everything being so filthy in India but this time it was too much. I packed up my bags first thing in the morning and hauled a rickshaw driver to find me another place to stay. I wanted to see the room first before I would take it but the owner was very convincing in how perfect his place was, it even boasted of a Taj Mahal view - and he took me up to the roof to show me that if you look really hard you can just make out the top of the Taj Mahal dome through the trees - that I had to believe him and I decided to stay at his place. I was going to walk around for a while in the morning, to see the bazaar and the red fort and head to the Taj Mahal in the afternoon. But as I already knew very well by then, one can't walk anywhere on their own. The pushy rickshaw drivers and also various taxi and limousine drivers - after all, Agra is probably the most touristy place in India - were so insistent that in the end I had to hire a rickshaw driver for the day, then they finally left me alone. The driver took me around the sights and I finally made it to the Taj Mahal entrance in the afternoon. I decided for the afternoon visit because the entrance fee is lower and also because according to the tourist guide the Taj Mahal is most beautiful at sunset. The entrance to the Taj Mahal consists of a security checkpoint where officials checked the contents of handbags and backpacks. Nice, I thought, they take security seriously, it would certainly be misfortunate if someone went in with a bomb. But it turned out that they weren't actually looking for bombs. What they were looking for - and they caught me as well - were oranges! Yes, of course, I should have known, they don't have waste baskets in India and everyone just drops their trash on the floor. They didn't want the tourists to litter with orange peels around the Taj Mahal. The security officer showed me that I may leave my oranges by the fence near the entrance where I saw heaps of oranges presumably confiscated from other tourists. Children sneaked around to take the oranges when the security staff weren't looking and so I left my oranges there as well for the children to have. At last, I made it inside and I saw the majestic Taj Mahal in front of me! I had always wanted to see it, even as a child when I first saw photograps in the book "All the Wonders of the World" and now I was there! Unbelievable, it really is beautiful. I spent the entire afternoon there, examined the stone intarsia from close up, admired the skill with which the stonemasons carved the patterns from semiprecious stones and set them in the white marble. So wonderful and so worth my effort to get there. A security guard who walked around approached me and conspiratorially whispered that he could take me somewhere with an excellent view to take photographs. Yes, of course, I read in the guidebook that the security guards are always on the lookout to make extra income. So I went with him on the upper floor of his security post where the view was - oh, well, nothing special, but I took a few photos and gave hime some change. But he became upset, that the payment isn't nearly enough for risking his job taking me there. Sure, I told him, the amount I gave him was what I would give a rickshaw driver for a local ride and it seemed sufficient to me. When he saw he wouldn't get more out of me he let go as I had been in India for a while by then and knew how much something should cost. He probably made ten times as much from the tourists who fly to India just to visit the Taj Mahal and who don't know the local prices as well. While I was walking around I ran into a group of soldiers who asked me to take their photo. Sure, no problem, I took the photo and then they wanted to pay me to mail it to them. This was new to me, someone wanted to pay me for taking a photo? Usually it was the other way around. I refused to take any money and I offered them my notebook where one of them wrote his address where I should send the photo. The next day I had a train ticket on the night train to Varanasi and so I had another day left in Agra. Because I couldn't walk around (I would have had to hire another rickshaw for the day) I spent the morning at my hotel just reading and went to see the Taj Mahal again in the afternoon. I couldn't get enough of its beauty so another day spent there wasn't too much.