Angra

Arriving in Delhi, my ears would not pop. I had a stuffy nose that I think ended up stuffing my right ear. The unequal levels of hearing were annoying.

We met our bus driver who would take us on a 5 hour bus ride to Angra. At this point, I was really tired of buses. This bus was air conditioned, so it wasn’t too bad. We then arrived in the city of Angra. The purpose of this visit was to see the Taj Mahal. All the volunteers decided that if we went all the way to India, we might as well see one of its most well known landmarks.

The hotel was much better than what we were use to. Also eating northern Indian and Mughal food was a nice change, although most of the volunteers opted out for comfort food such as spaghetti. I also did eat some chicken at a restaurant, which was the first meat I ate in India. India is mostly a vegetarian society, since Hindus don’t eat meat and also for hygienic safety it is best to avoid it. But I really wanted to eat Tandoori Chicken at least once while I was in India.

The Taj Mahal was spectacular, the story even more so. And since we arrived very early, the crowds were at a minimum. The surprising thing is how majestic the grounds and the Taj Mahal looked, compared to the rest of India. India seemed to mostly resemble something post-apocalyptic with crumbling brick buildings, dirt and disorder everywhere. But when you walked into the tourist areas, such as the Taj Mahal or Angra Fort it was something completely different, although still very Indian.

Early morning at the Taj Mahal


Volunteers

Even when brought to shopping areas with our guide, they weren’t street markets, but stores that were certified by some sort of Indian Tourist Association. Granted everything seemed very expensive (for Indian standards), since it would only be tourists making purchases there. I bought a small Ganesha statue and a couple other things so I could give them to some people in my town and send some out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t purchase a lot though, and it was hard to find anything truly unique. I also bought some Dry Petha to bring back to the other teachers. I honestly don’t think it was very delicious; however it will probably be a memorable gift just for its strange and overly sweet flavor.

After one full day in Angra, it was time to head back to Delhi to catch our flight. Another long flight home and my ears still would not pop. A week later and they seem a bit better, but still not 100%.