As part of my 3 week trip in India, my family planned a quick 4 day visit to Agra and Amritsar. It was my sister’s dream to see the Taj Mahal and my dad’s dream to see the Golden Temple. It was my dream to shut down my brain for 3 weeks and not worry about anything except wedding stuff!
Day 1:
Our flight to New Delhi was at 7AM out of Bangalore Airport. Luckily, jet lag had the entire family up by 3AM, so getting ready and heading to the airport was a breeze. By 9:30AM, we had landed and were on our way to Agra, which is about a 3 hour drive from New Delhi. My dad hired a driver, who stayed with us for the entire Agra trip.
A few highlights of the day:
- Yamuna Expressway: This is the main road to Agra. And let me tell you, it is an adventure by itself. We saw hitch-hikers, construction workers, farmers, broken down trucks with tomatoes strewn across the freeway, and of course, cars driving in the wrong direction right towards us! My sister entertained us with “Santa Baby” on repeat. Ugh.
- Random Restaurant: As we drove along Yamuna Expressway, we saw signs pointing to restaurants/rest-stops. They looked pretty janky, but we were super hungry, so we stopped at one anyway. We ordered aloo (potato) poori, aloo and onion parathas, dal makhni, paneer tikka (Akshay’s note: just as cheesy as regular Tika), and naan. We devoured everything because it smelled and tasted so good! And our stomachs ended up being just fine. Also, I just want to point out that this restaurant served their food in the cutest bright yellow ceramic plates! I know, I am easily pleased.
- Taj Mahal Day Time: The Taj is about a 1km walk from where the vehicle drop-off point is. However, horse carriage rides are available for 200 rupees round trip. Apparently, there are camel carriage rides as well, but I didn’t see any that day. As anyone can probably imagine, the Taj structure is absolutely stunning in person. We spent about 2 hours taking a million photos and making our dad be the designated photographer.
- Taj Mahal Night Time: Every month during the 5 day full moon period, the Taj Mahal opens from 8:30PM-12:30AM. It only allows 50 people in at a time for 30 minute increments. I’m not sure how most purchase these tickets, but I can guess that it takes months to retrieve since there’s only a limited amount per month. Because my uncle had a connection, he was able to get us tickets. I have to say it was surreal being there in the pitch black dark with 49 other people. It’s definitely a night and day experience :-p. Security is insane: They allow you to only stay in the front, and mobile phones are not allowed. Unfortunately, we weren’t aware of this, so all we have is our memory to remember this special night!
In Agra, we stayed at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel, a 5 minute journey to the Taj Mahal. This hotel was clean, convenient, and had delicious food. Also, from the pool on a clear day, there is a perfect view of the Taj Mahal. I believe it’s about $150 a night. Definitely recommended.
Cute yellow cutlery and tea!
First glimpse of the Taj
Day 2: Mainly, a very hectic travel day! We spent entire day traveling back to New Delhi, so we could catch our 5 pm flight to Amritsar. Luckily, it’s only a 45 minute trip. Here, we also hired a driver who remained with us the entire Amritsar trip.
A couple highlights of the day:
- I got to meet my grandma-in-law! I wish I could have spent more time, but I was really happy to meet Akshay’s side of the family!
- Kesar Da Dhaba: When we landed in Amritsar, we were taken to this “hole in the wall” type restaurant, known for serving the best lachha parathas. It’s similar to a Mexican tortilla, except it’s made of wheat flour and has multiple layers of crispy goodness. To get to this place, we had to walk through tiny streets shared with motorists, cows, and dogs. I was questioning the entire experience until we ordered the gobi and aloo parathas (Akshay’s note: cauliflower and potato)…SOOO DELICIOUS!! They stick a huge lump of butter on top and then crush the parathas, allowing the butter to ooze everywhere. The chole (garbanzo beans with indian spices) that went with it was also AMAZINGG!
In Amritsar, we stayed at the Hyatt Hotel. The rooms are pretty cramped and wifi is weak. Since we barely spent time in the hotel, it was manageable, but I would not recommend.
gobi and aloo parathas…more butter please!
Fresh gulab jamun
Day 3: Very long day, starting at 8 AM and ending at 10PM.
A few highlights of the day:
- Golden Temple: Many describe this as the “Vatican for the Sikhs.” So in my head, I was envisioning this to be a tourist attraction, similar to how Rome’s Vatican is. However, after observing the atmosphere and people, I realize that majority of visitors are devoted Sikhs who have similar dreams like my dad. They let about 50 people into the actual Temple, so the line can be pretty long. We spent about 2 hours total here. Either way, the temple is beautiful and if you’re not a Sikh, I still think it’s worth a visit if you’re in the city! Women, bring a scarf to cover your hair and dress super conservative.
- Kulcha Parathas: Again, we were taken to a pretty questionable looking dhaba, in which we ordered aloo and masala kulchas. Very similar to lachha parathas, except these are baked in a tandoor oven instead of fried on a pan. They are also covered in butter and served with chole. I didn’t take the name of the restaurant down because this is a dish that is served everywhere.
- Shopping: The markets here are so colorful. Every store is selling Indian style shoes, fabrics, dried fruits, or jewelry. Since Amritsar is known for their patiala salwars (Akshay’s note: women’s clothing), my mom was on a mission to pick out fabric, so we could get it stitched later in Bangalore. We found a random shop, in which they ushered us to the top floor and had us sit on their cushioned floor. For a full hour, the man spread hundreds of fabrics for our viewing. If we made even the slightest frown, he would have his minion run and get us another style. We purchased 7 different types. Everything was just so pretty!
- Wagah Border: Every morning and evening the Pakistani and Indian military perform a changing of the guards ceremony. We viewed the evening ceremony in the VIP section. To be honest, not much difference between VIP and general ticket, except we got actual chairs to sit on. It was pretty cool to watch…especially seeing the soldiers kick their legs all the way to their heads! Also, it’s kind of like a competition…which crowd can overpower the other!
Golden Temple views
Fabrics on fabrics
Don’t drink the juice, just take candid photos with it (Disclaimer: probably not a good idea to drink juice off the streets of India)
Wagah Border: Changing of the Guards Ceremony
Pakistan in the background
Day 4: Our last and final day, before we made our way back home. Unfortunately, there is no direct flight to Bangalore, so we had to connect in New Delhi.
Before heading to the airport, we visited the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre occurred in 1919, in which non-violent protestors were brutally killed by British troops under the command of Reginald Dyer. It’s pretty chilling walking around the memorial since they never removed the original bullet holes. It’s right next to the Golden Temple too.
All in all, this trip was amazing! I am soaking in every minute now with my family, since this is most likely my last journey with my family as a “single” lady. Spending time with my grandparents has also been precious to me. They spoil and love us so much, and as I grow older, I feel so grateful to have been able to grow up with them.
Quick words of advice:
Trust your driver. Trust the other drivers. In the madness, everyone seems to know what they’re doing.
For domestic flights, strongly recommend arriving at the airport within 2-3 hours of the flight. The airports are pretty inefficient in general, but also, there are a lot of security checkpoints, so it takes time.
Hire a driver! Relying on Uber or taxis can get cumbersome, especially when there are multiple areas to see. Double check to make sure the drivers speak English. None of ours did, but my parents speak Hindi, so it was fine.
