After exiting the double doors from Terminal 1 at Delhi International Airport, I headed towards the parking lot. I stood right outside of Terminal 1 on the curbside next to a huge column with the number 7 on it. A pharmacy shop was near-by. Instantly, I scanned for a mini-van and noticed Happy's private van waiting to pick me up. It was a warm Sunday night in October 2018 and a little after 2300 (after 11pm local standard time). My group consisted of 5 travel companions. We had a total of 10 luggages which Happy (my Main Tour Guide) and Mr. Singh (my own private driver) loaded them into my air-conditioned van. Happy and Mr. Singh made a quick introduction of themselves as they drove us to the Le Meridien New Delhi Hotel so I could check-in. My goal was to visit India's most popular cities: Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur...known as India's Golden Triangle. By informing Happy of my exact hotel stay at each city, he made sure I experienced 'The Grand Tour of Delhi', 'The Grand Tour of Agra', and 'The Grand Tour of Jaipur'. Needless to say, a pleasant surprise was in store for me as Happy and his team bids us 'Goodnight' on my first night in India. What a relief!!! Finally, I made it to my hotel. After a long 21 hours flight, I was looking for some good night's rest.
The next day at 10am, Happy, Mr. Singh, and Mr. Charmen were at my hotel. They were going to take us Site-Seeing which included Old&New Delhi, Jama Masjid(India's largest mosque), Gandhi's Memorial, the War Memorial(India Gate), Parliament, Lotus Temple, and then shopping at Delhi Haat. My local New Delhi guide, Mr. Charmen, pointed out the important facts of each various tourist spots. He was never tired of my endless questions of India...especially when I inquired about their educational system for the children of India. As a family man, he kindly answered all my inquisitive questions about the Indian culture.Then finally, we ended up at my favorite activity of the day...Shopping!!! Happy and his team stayed with my sister and I, the entire time we shopped at Delhi Haat, which was 5 hours straight! We had so much fun!!! Shopping in India is so inexpensive compared to the States. They enjoyed seeing us giggling and bargaining for the cheapest price we can get. They had a 'Sale'...buy 5 scarfs and get the 6th one Free! Who doesn't love a 'Sale'?! Already, we were having a great vacation away from our stressful California work life back home. Around 8:30pm, they drove us back to our hotel for a late dinner. While I was at the hotel restaurant, I get a text from Happy that my free alterations of my 2 newly purchased Saris were ready for pick-up at the lobby. After dinner, my sister and I raced to our room and tried on everything we bought. So my second day in India was filled with fun-loving shopping and jam-packed with site-seeing. What girl doesn't like a 'Shop Til You Drop'...kinda day?! It was Pure Fun!!!
On my third day after my hotel breakfast, Happy and Mr. Singh gathered all of us together at 10am sharp. They loaded my van with all our 10 luggages. As we piled into our mini-van, there was excitement in the air as we awaited to see the Taj Mahal in Agra. It would be a 3 hours drive from Delhi to Agra along the Yamuna Expressway...a newly built freeway. During this 3 hours stretch, we made 2 or 3 restroom stops. Our first stop, we noticed a peacock on the left side of the freeway. So Mr. Singh pulls over for us to take a picture with the peacock. The 2nd stop was at a Starbucks and a Food Court. There were a few people at the Food Court. I must say...the ladies restroom was very clean and there was enough toilet paper provided in each of the stalls. It was beginning to feel like traveling in the USA. As we exited off the freeway, we drove pass small pockets of communities filled with people in various small neighborhoods of Agra. Even a car passing by my van, had their Bass blasting on high volume. Mr. Singh makes a couple of turns before we arrive to the front entrance of a huge park area; right before the Taj Mahal's main entrance. Once we get out of our van, Happy flags down 2 TukTuks (Autorickshaw) to drive us closer to the main entrance of the Taj. There's a 2-3 minutes walk to the Taj ticket booths area after being dropped off by the TukTuks. Happy collects our entrance fee of $15usd per person and makes the ticket purchase for us. We zip through the lines as if we were VIPs. There was no waiting in line. Finally, we stroll onto the Taj's Grand Fountain Garden. Already, from this distance, you will admire the beauty of the Taj Mahal. There are 2 beautiful images of the Taj. One Splendid, Magnificent, Huge, Pearl White Palace right before your eyes. And the second one...is reflected in the water fountain. At this viewpoint, you'll see 2 Taj Mahals in front of you. Very Spectacular!!! It is breathtaking!!! With each step closer to the Taj, you'll become in Awe of the sheer size and workmanship in engineering an Impressive Structure like the Taj Mahal. Remember to take some professional photos of you and your love ones. We chose a guy with a Nikon camera around his neck. He took fantastic Taj photos for us. He told us exactly where to stand for each picture. I am so glad we took these professional photos. They remind me that I was at One of the Seven Wonders of the World...the Amazing Taj Mahal! As you step onto the White Palace, it is enormous. The art work is astonishing! For those of you who love your kitchen granite counter tops, this entire palace is made out of All White Marble!!! The delicate designs seem to have been absorbed into the white natural stone. All the different shapes and sizes of imagery are evenly well-balanced. They are like Eye-Candy...very pleasing to the eyes. I can spend one whole day at the Taj; just admiring the whole, entire white palace and still be amazed! It's like a Kaleidoscope...a series of changing designs as you look up at the dome of the Taj...very captivating! Happy, my Main Tour Guide, answered all our questions about the Taj Mahal. Believe me, we had tons of questions for him! Because of the beauty and grandeur of the Taj, we were one of the last to exit off the premises. We experienced the fullness of the Taj during sunset which gives off another sensation by ending our day at one of the Most Greatest, Grandest, and Beautiful Place on Earth. As we make our way out, Happy flags 2 TukTuks that takes us through the huge park area back to the main road. Then he guides us back to where our mini-van is parked. Mr. Singh was waiting for us; to drive us back to our hotel in Agra. So my third day started in Delhi and ended in Agra with my 'Grand Tour of the Taj Mahal'...Absolutely Stunning!!! I was definitely having a Wonderful and Relaxing Tour with Happy. It became a routine that Happy would meet us at our hotel at 10am after our breakfast.
On my fourth day, we started out by visiting a Precision Cutting Natural Stone shop in Agra. Here, I am educated on how the tiny, delicate small flower shape designs are melt into the white marble stone. I am impressed on how detailed the work is. And how dedicated the master crafts men are in precision cutting each tiny stones and then piecing them together. So that a beautiful and delicate design is left in the midst of the large white marble stone for everyone to admire. I regret that I did not purchase a small beautiful inlaid coin collection marble box nor any semi-precious stone glass coasters. It would surely remind me of my unbelievable Taj trip by bringing home a precious, sparkly, and beautifully designed container piece like a memento...a souvenir...that represents only a tiny faction of the Amazing Taj Mahal. As we wrapped up our time in Agra, it would be a 3-4 hours drive from Agra to Jaipur. This fourth day was comprised with various stops. I had an opportunity to see another side of India. We were given an invitation by Mr. Singh to visit his brother's cow stable because it was on the way. The cow stable was very similar to any horse stables in the US except that I didn't see any hay. We posed with Mr. Singh's cows by taking random pictures. Typical tourist!!! Finally, we were off to Jaipur. Again, we made several restroom stops. But this time it felt like we stepped into an ancient, old Indian antique shop that had a decent Indian restaurant. Trying the food there was A Must, so we ordered Indian-Style, deep-fried, triangle shaped vegetarian dumplings. They were delicious...not too spicy. I think they were called 'Samosas'. As we rode onto Jaipur, we had to make a stop at a local pharmacy because one of my travel companion fell extremely ill. Happy was nice enough to purchase some antibiotic medicine for us. Because we pulled over by a main street like Broadway in the downtown area, some of us got out to sample the street food vendors. I had the chance to try some of Jaipur's sweet homemade candy. It reminded me of my grandmother's Chinese RockHard Sugar Candy that she had in her kitchen. Being in the heart of downtown, we made a visit to Emerald House where expensive jewelry were custom made and sold. Jaipur is known for their fine diamonds and precious stones. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford anything there. But my travel buddies had made some purchases there. Next, our stop was at the beautiful palace in the middle of a lake called Jal Mahal(Water Palace). The lake is called Lake Man Sagar. The water had a tranquil, calmness to it as if Jal Mahal was magically floating on Lake Man Sagar. Before taking pictures of Jal Mahal as our backdrop, we took candid pictures with a huge decorated camel across the street where our van was parked. Locals knew we were tourists because we would take so many photos with their animals every time we encountered them on the streets of India. Here, at Lake Man Sagar, people are taking a break from their daily routines and are enjoying a pleasant, leisure walk around the peaceful lake. As we stroll around, we locate an outdoor photo stand with gorgeous Jaipurian outfits. Us, girls, couldn't help ourselves. So in no time...we were dressed up as local native Jaipurian girls. Water jugs were used as our photo props. We posed in front of the Jal Mahal with heavy water jugs on top of our heads like any typical 19th century Jaipurian girls would have done. We took several beautiful pictures of ourselves during sunset. Because we were adorned in such elegant Jaipurian dresses, we drew the attention from a group of young kids who wanted to take selfies with us. So we complied. That was fun! As we returned back into our everyday normal outfits, Mr. Singh has arrived on the curbside and is ready to drive us off to our next destination. Our last stop of the day was at a huge textile shop. I am educated on how large oriental area rugs are produced. It is meticulous work. It is all handmade from raw material of wool and of silk to the end product of a finished, silky, and plush carpet. This mega textile shop was enormous. It had marble mantels, garden statues, garden fountains, rugs, inlaid marbles, tables, chairs, furnitures, clothing, scarfs, purses, saris, paintings, home furnishings, and countless more things made ready to be bought, packaged, and delivered to your front door. It was like shopping at Macy's or Dillard's but instead with an Indian flare. Two of my travel buddies each bought a large exquisite wool and silk area rug. Delivery, I believe, was free of charge. I guess the delivery cost was already built into the purchase price. So on this fourth day of mine, I was definitely traveling 'Off The Beaten Path'...from visiting a cow stable in Agra; to buying medicine at a local Indian pharmacy shop in downtown Jaipur; to having my picture taken via selfies on cellphones by young Indian kids hanging out during sunset at Lake Man Sagar.
The next day (my fifth day) and same as usual...bright and early, Happy, Mr. Singh, and Mr. Sunjay(my local Jaipur tour guide) met us at our hotel at 10am. Today, we were heading out to see Amber Fort. This dazzling palace and fort complex is phenomenal. It's divided into 4 sections; each with its own courtyard. It's a big fort campus and very pleasing to the eye; because of its complexion which consist of yellow and pink sandstone and white marble. It is a very Pretty Fort. Even the old main road of Amber is made out of whitish and yellowish cobblestones that are laid along the path of this ancient, former old capital city of Rajasthan state. We traveled by Jeep(4WD) to get to Amber Fort; a 10-15 minutes drive. This drive along the steep, rugged, yellowish cobblestone road reminded me of the different European towns that I've traveled to before like Portugal, Spain, Italy, and France. But this main road is the prettiest cobblestone road I've ever seen. Traveling in India is actually quite unique. Even though I am immersed in Indian culture all around me, there were many times I felt as though I am traveling in a Western-Style atmosphere; almost with an European flare. A very laid back and relaxed environment surrounded me wherever I went in India. As if I had no care in the world. May be because I was well taken care of by Happy's Travel Team. I was traveling with Happy's Dream Team =)!!! At Amber Fort, you must take pictures at the Ganesh Pol gateway. It is right before you enter into the 3 private palaces and private apartments of the maharajahs which is built around an enclosed Mughal-style garden(Aram Bagh). The Ganesh Pol is marvelously painted with Mughal motifs. Of the 3 incredible palaces, my favorite one is the shimmering Sheesh Mahal(Mirror Palace). This elegant room is made out of small pieces of mirrors forming gorgeous mosaics. It is very pretty to look at and to admire the thousands of sparkling mirror art designs. Happy took some amazing pictures for us with my iPhone. Because of the sunlight and the angle of Happy's aim, my pictures reveal the wonderful, elegant arches and mesmerizing mirror mosaic patterns on my phone. The Sheesh Mahal is strikingly beautiful. It is very hard to believe I was actually there to absorb in all the beauty that surrounded me. As we ventured to the last courtyard, it is the oldest section of the fort. It is called the Zenana. These apartments were the women's quarters where the king, Man Singh I, housed 12 wives and mistresses. This section of the fort made my sister and I giggle. The king had installed a very large permanent outdoor jacuzzi similar to today's hot tub...pretty much in his backyard! The king, here at Amber Fort, lived very well indeed! After seeing this exceptional fort, we spiral down another beautiful cobblestoned road by foot to meet up with Mr. Singh. All along this pathway, there are vendors asking you to browse at their merchandise. Since I was wearing my baseball cap, I was able to avoid a lot of these vendors. My travel companions did enjoy some fresh coconut drinks right from an organic coconut. It was refreshing to drink. It helped cool us down especially after being in the afternoon heat. The Unique Amber Fort is absolutely worth seeing. It is a wonderful and dazzling old ancient fort. Our next stop was to The City Palace Museum. Unfortunately, we did not enter into the City Palace. It is definitely a palace I want to visit the next time I'm in Jaipur; especially, the Chandra Mahal(Moon Palace) also known as Satkhana Mahal(Seven Storied Palace) is a very luxurious private apartments enjoyed by the titular maharajah and his family even to this day. From the pictures I've seen, the walls and ceilings are gracefully decorated with ruby and emerald stones in beautiful shapes and stunning designs; similar to having several elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. It is utterly divine. Most definitely, the Chandra Mahal is fit for a king. But before making your way to the Chandra Mahal, you'll pass through the Pritam Niwas Chowk(Court of the Beloved) with 4 magnificent gates. The Peacock Gate is the most loveliest one. Taking pictures is a must there because it depicts 5 peacocks spreading their tails in beautiful shimmering paint. The peacock is India's national bird which adorns the gate's arches in an amazingly intricate design. Since we did not make it into The City Palace Museum, we unilaterally decided to stroll along Johari Bazaar north of Badi Chaupar; the same street that runs along the Hawa Mahal(Palace of Winds). We broke up into 3 separate groups while shopping along the local stores. It was like shopping in San Francisco Chinatown but instead I was shopping in IndiaTown in Jaipur and getting far better deals. Each time I surfaced back onto street level, I would see Hawa Mahal in front of me. The Hawa Mahal is an iconic landmark because of its extraordinary pink-colored honeycombed bee-hive shape structure. And again, we made some fantastic bargains here at the Johari Bazaar. Definitely, the Pink City in Jaipur is a special place to visit. I was hopping from one magnificent palace to another magnificent palace on this fifth day of mine. Happy knew exactly where to take us. He showed us the most beautiful places in Delhi, in Agra, and in Jaipur. He was like our 'Inside Man' into the Golden Triangle of India.
As my travel comes to an end, Happy and Mr. Singh picks us up at our hotel at 7:30am sharp on my sixth day. Happy advises us to start out early. He wanted to make sure we had ample of time to catch our flight out of Jaipur Airport to avoid any morning traffic. After being on such a fantastic trip together, we are sadden that we have to part our separate ways. I think I was more sad the I had to return back to reality which is heading back to work shortly after touch down on US soil. Wouldn't it be nice if I could re-start my whole entire Golden Triangle India Trip all over again?! That surely will be your dilemma after you have experienced a remarkable trip with Happy's Dream Team!!!