Disembarked at Port Cochin's Ernakulam Wharf

Latitude 9.97 Degrees North and
Longitude 76.27 Degrees East

April 4th thru 7th, 2018

Cochin Weather: Hazy Sun, High of 85 Degrees With High Humidity
New Delhi Weather on Arrival Day: Very Smoggy Sun, High of 95 Degrees With Little Humidity
Agra Weather: Hazy Sun, High of 94 Degrees With Moderate Humidity
New Delhi Weather on Day 3: Daytime Sun With Heavy Smog, Followed By High Winds, Blowing Dust and Thunderstorm in Evening, High of 90 Degrees With Little Humidity

Author: Don

The travel advertisements say, “India is Incredible”!  It is also rather incomprehensible and full of apparent contradictions.  Many Indians live in dirty, crowded cities with astoundingly bad traffic, aggressive drivers and marginal sanitary conditions that most Westerners wouldn't tolerate.  But it was an amazing place to visit.  Don had traveled to other parts of India several times for work from 2003 to 2014, but never had been to Delhi or Agra with its Taj Mahal.

The port city of Cochin (also known locally as Kochi) in the state of Kerala in southwest India was our point of departure for a 4-day overland side trip to New Delhi and Agra.  The primary objective of this excursion was to visit the famous Taj Mahal in Agra. 

Cochin harbor has been used by Arab, Chinese and Portuguese traders since 1341, which is reflected in the varied colonial building styles and diverse houses of worship found in the older parts of Kochi city.  Uniquely-styled, cantilevered Chinese fishing nets on the shores of Kochi's waterways have been used for centuries.

From Cochin on the southwest coast of India, it takes an all day to fly to New Delhi.  Our trip to Delhi had two legs, with a brief stop in Hyderabad.  We spent the night in a big hotel in the government section of New Delhi, which is nicer than most of the city, because only elected officials, high level government employees, foreign diplomats and wealthy people live there.  This area has well-maintained, wide wooded streets with few street merchants and less foot traffic. 

We rode as bus from Delhi to Agra the next day and first visited Agra Fort, which was the main residence of Mughal Dynasty emperors until 1638.  It was rebuilt by Emperor Akbar the Great using red sandstone in 1558.  His grandson, Emperor Shah Jahan, built the beautiful Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.  The marble buildings inside Agra Fort were added under Shah Jahan's rule.  Later, after being deposed by his son, Shah Jahan was imprisoned within the fort, but with a view of the Taj Mahal.  He died in Agra Fort and is now entombed next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.

We had high hopes and expectations for the Taj Mahal, and it did not disappoint us.  One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal is a showpiece of Mughal craftsmanship and architecture.  When seen in person, it makes a dramatic impression and far exceeds the beauty of mere photographs.  It is spectacularly designed to impress both upon first sight from the distant entrance gateway as well as up close.  It is big!  The exterior and interior inlaid decorations are equally impressive, but precious and semi-precious gemstones are used inside the tomb.  The interior is dimly lit, so docents use flashlights to demonstrate the beauty of the marble and inlaid gemstones (for a gratuity).  In accordance with Islamic doctrine prohibition, there are no anthropomorphic forms anywhere in the design.  Multiple verses from the Qur'an appear inside the complex.

On our second day in Agra, we visited Fatehpur Sikri, the Mughal Empire capital during Akbar the Great's reign after abandoning Agra Fort in the mid-1500s.  It is made of almost entirely red sandstone.  In the emperor's bed chamber, his bed is elevated and made of stone so he cannot be attacked while sleeping.

Back in New Delhi, we visited Qutab Minar, another historical site mostly constructed during the 13^th century.  The site contains numerous ancient tombs and royal living structures in various states of repair.  The highlight is a 240-feet tall tower made of red sandstone and marble.  Inside, it was climbed via a 379-step spiral stairwell (but this has been closed to the public since 1981).  It was built by the regional Muslim rulers of the time.

To rejoin the Viking Sun, we flew from Delhi to Mumbai on a commercial airline flight, arriving after dark.  Our bus ride through Mumbai back to the ship was narrated by a guide.   Since Don's last visit here for work 15 years ago, the city has grown, of course, and there were several new skyscrapers downtown.   We drove across the new Bandra-Worli Sea Link Bridge across Mahim Bay, which was built in 2009.  Unfortunately, this was all we were able to see of India's second largest city.  We probably won't be back to India again.