Fatehpur Sikri - Side Trip to Remember

Cycle and Ox each heading somewhere.

A busy crossing
Got Milk?
Rollin' rollin' rollin'
Just peered in to say hi!
Moove it!

Hello ladies
Water buffalo
Coming through!
A good one to enlarge.(click on picture)
DON-KEY!

Bah!
The Hood
Another happy mule
Rickshaw
Inside the palace

Hard working fellows
Looking to see which palace she would like to live in, if they had indoor plumbing
One of the wives of Abkar
The King
I love Elephants

Details abound
The shoe minder
Inside the tomb
Music in the squareLots of activity Mother of Pearl
Sophia and Bobby showing respect
The red threads are individual prayers.


Paying my respect with an unfashionable plastic head covering

The tomb.
Hornets guard the Mosque entrance
Guarding the door
My new friend and protector

Yes, this is real
Rich or poor, city or country - the clothes are so colorful.
The girls from the orphanage.

Fatehpur Sikri (FS) about 45 Km from Agra. It was once the capital of India but a shortage of water caused the palace and the city to close down. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatehpur_Sikri The capital moved (several times) but the place still stands and the surrounding area is very vibrant. We had a very enjoyable ride to and from FS as well as a tour of the palace and adjoining mosque. I think it is a "must see" if you ever get to Agra.

The ride to and from FS alone would justify the trip there in my opinion. Starting in Agra, traversing through many neighborhoods, crossing the train tracks and heading into the countryside, passing a few small villages and ultimately pulling into the Fatehpur Sikri area was a sensory extravaganza. We started to count the different types of animals we saw on and off the roads. The list included cows, oxen, water buffalo, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, monkeys, horses, donkeys, chickens, sheep and camels. Some were working pulling carts and things while others were wandering around, sleeping, looking for food , others far off in fields and still others in peoples yards. We also saw vehicles of all shapes and sizes - cars, trucks, scooters, trishaws with motors, pedal rickshaws, tractors, these weird hybrid things that looked like old trucks but were powered by gas generators, motorcycles, buses, trains, horse, donkey and camel carts and more. People were working hauling things like animal feed, junk, tires and milk. The houses and shops varied from decent and solid to places that looked like they would fall to pieces if there was even a slight breeze. Little three sided roadside shanties where a barber was giving someone a shave or a haircut. Kids playing cricket in a dusty field. Other kids were poking a dog or running in the yard. Men were sitting in front of shops smoking, drinking tea and talking. Whenever we slowed or stopped we drew stares from the locals. Kids would come up to the window and smile and wave. It was a fun ride.

Once in FS (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/255) we again took a trishaw from the outskirts to the gate of the old walled city. Bobby again negotiated a nice 100 Rupee deal for us. The walled city contained a palace reminiscent of the Forbidden City in Beijing. There were lovely buildings with exquisite craftsmanship, pools, bridges, towers and various living areas. King Abkar had a palace their for each of his wives. One was Muslim, one Hindu and one Christian. Each was done in a different style. Amazingly beautiful stuff. There was a huge deep pool on one side with what looked like a few feet of gross, brackish water and some local guys where trying to get tourists to give them money to jump in a la Acapulco cliff diving. As interested as I was in seeing this, I decided not to encourage their behaviour (OK, Sophia wouldn't let me). They could get hurt or worse yet get a mouth full of the nasty water.

There was also a famous mosque nearby and we paid a visit. The entrance to the monumentally large building was guarded by some huge hornet's nests. We checked our shoes with a shoe minder (we were getting to be old hat at that by then). Another great historic site to see.

Sophia and I had decided that rather then try to help every beggar who approached us in the car or on the street (there were so many), we wanted to give something to the community. We asked Bobby if there were any oprhanages or other good causes. He said we could stop at the home, run by the nuns of Mother Theresa's order. http://www.soulfultributes.org/spiritual_figures/mother_teresa/biographyOn the way back to Agra we stopped and picked up a few bags of candy. We pulled into the orphanage and while it was clean and well kept up it was still a heartbreaking site. Dorm rooms housed kids of different ages. The first room had 2-4 year olds. It was mid afternoon and most of the kids were lounging in their beds, bundled up against the cold. Some were happy to see us and happy to get some candy. Others were pretty quiet and disinterested. In the room housing the very young infants we again saw about 30 plus little kids in cribs. The head nun told us that some lost their parents, some where put there by a single parent unable to give proper care and others were just dropped off at the front gate in the night. A few babies were sick with TB or meningitis. It was a sad scene.

The young kids were cared for by older kids, mostly girls, who had grown up at the home.

We made a cash contribution. Hopefully it will make a small difference.

The ride home was another visual spectacle. We had a very average late lunch at a touristy place but I did manage to see real snake charmer and was happy to pay a few Rupees to have him put his big python around my neck.

A special salute to our man Bobby. It was New Year's Eve and we did not want to go to a hotel party or a restaurant. We just wanted to lay low and have some champagne. After a futile search turned up only Indian Champagne (maybe it was good, but I highly doubt it), Bobby made a few calls. He turned up at the hotel with a nice bottle of Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc. He tracked it down from a teetotaler friend who had received it as a gift. While it was hard to believe a decent wine, let alone a good California wine, could be found in Agra, Bobby made it happen and as much as we insisted on paying for it he insisted on making it his New Year gift to us. We watched TV, drank the wine and had a nice New Years Eve.

We hope to get back to Agra again someday, maybe even for Bobby's wedding which may occur sometime next year.