Redefined Timeline

For month in early 2024, I had been dealing with a vindictive supervisor that was making life miserable. On a whim (again), I booked two G Adventures tours to India that ran back-to-back just to escape and get a mental reset. I would start in Delhi, weave through the country towards the western coast of Goa, before moving south to Kerala and the backwaters. I would be gone just over three weeks on my longest solo trip since I studied abroad in England in 2006. This was also my last hoorah before hitting another huge age milestone… the dreaded 40. My 40th birthday fell six days after the second “18 to Thirty-Something’s” tours with G Adventures. I would be barred from these tours come April Fool’s Day, and for G, it’s a hard “no” even if you hit 40 mid-tour.

The travel perils began even before the trip started. During the frenzied, stressful week prior, I completely forgot that I needed to secure a tourist visa for India ten days prior to departure. Unlike many other countries, one cannot be obtained upon arrival, nor is it possible to get one quickly online. It takes at least seventy-two hours. Obviously, immediate panic ensued since by the time I realized I needed the aforementioned visa, my flight was to depart the following morning. Almost in tears, the husband and I started a deep dive into ways to get the visa using Uncle Google.

Hubs located the number for, and called, the Embassy of India. I got on the line with G Adventures. While G was giving me Hail Mary advice to try obtaining an expedited E-visa, the husband was able to get an actual human to answer at the embassy. She gave us one simple piece of advice… DRIVE FAST, the India Office of Consular Services closes at 18:00, and I may be able to get a rushed visa there. By the time this information was discovered it was around 4 o’clock on a Friday evening, and rush hour in northern Virginia and DC has been rated the worst in the country in recent years.

We loaded the dogs into the husband’s truck and sped as quickly as traffic would allow us into the District. It was no easy feat, but we skidded to a stop on the street just before closing time. I jumped from the truck and ran into the building, ascending the elevator, I rushed into the office. My harried appearance got the attention of the single person occupying the room. He told me my request was impossible, but through sheer stubbornness and begging, I managed to convince him to try. A supervisor was pulled from a back office, and he got on the phone with the Indian Embassy. Some good news must have been received because he then scurried to the computer across the room, and told me to complete my online application. That application was spectacularly expedited. After taking a hasty photograph of me, he handed me a UPS package with all of my documents, and told me get to the actual Indian Embassy at a rate faster than Google said was physically possible. I sprinted down the stairs to the street, hailing my husband and told him to drive like a bat out of hell to the embassy.

The consular gentleman had told me to look for a door at the bottom of some stairs to the right of the embassy’s main entrance. With less than ten minutes to spare, my frantic brain did not immediately locate said door, but once I finally did I almost fell down said stairs. There was hope after all! And then I discovered the door was locked, and there wasn’t a soul inside. All the air escaped my lungs, and my head slumped in defeat. I was seconds from giving up when I saw movement inside. I started waving my hands neurotically summoning the woman to me. The door was opened, and I triumphantly entered the Indian Embassy’s basement. Another woman behind a glass partition was waiting for me, accepted my UPS package and passport, applied the full page visa to a remaining page in my passport, and I smiled broadly at her with the most ecstatic thank you. I GOT IT!!!!! I walked out of there $302 poorer, but damn if I didn’t get that visa in a single afternoon. If I didn’t live in close proximity to DC, I would never have made it to India.

The next day I was finally at the airport to depart my thirteen hour Air India direct flight from Dulles to Delhi. I was one of maybe five non-Indian passengers. I found it unusual that not a soul slept the entire way over, and a majority of the children were running up and down the aisles causing a raucous. All of the meals were Indian, to be expected, and mainly vegetarian.

I arrived exhausted, and began the long trek to customs. Figuring out which line to get in with my physical visa was a challenge, as I was not permitted entry through the e-visa line. After finally locating the much shorter line, since almost everyone got the cheaper visa, I hopped in and awaited my turn. I handed off my treasured passport, and the first question from the customs agent was, “How did you get this YESTERDAY?!?!” Magic? I sheepishly admitted that I may have forgotten to get one initially, and I paid a visit to the Embassy of India in Washington, DC begging to get my visa. Oops. Admittance granted!

We did not spent much time in Delhi, or New Delhi for that matter. It was really just a jumping off point. I can’t say I was too disappointed since the hotel we stayed in was absolutely revolting. The shower smelled of mold, the floors were dirty, and the bathroom had a large glass window overlooking the entire sleeping area that I shared with a random stranger. After departing Delhi, we headed for Agra.

Agra is the closest city to both the Red Fort and Taj Mahal, and it lies along the Yamuna River. Under Mughal Rule, which was when the Red Fort was built, Agra was thriving and a leader in all things cultural, industrial and religious. Post-Mughal rule, the city fell into disrepair. The city has since been cleaned up dramatically in the past ten years in order to keep up withe the tourist trade.

The Mughal fort, aptly named the Red Fort, is located just outside Old Delhi. This red and white fort was constructed of red sandstone in 1639 by the same architect as the Taj Mahal, but they appearance is starkly different. A century later, an invasion plundered all of the fort’s treasures and artwork. A bit more than a century after that, a rebellion left the fort’s marble bits destroyed. After that, it was proclaimed a military installation before finally being deemed an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. While not as well known as the Taj Mahal, it’s facades are just as intricate and detailed.

Our group trained to Agra from Delhi, and it was off to a promising start. My assigned seat was next to another person in my group. We got along famously with many shared interests. If only I knew what the terror she would become.

Since the Taj Mahal is so iconic to India, I decided the white-marbled structure deserved its own post and photos (mainly because I have so many). Included will be a little hilarity in India’s public transport. Oh, and be prepared for droves of people at both locations.

March 2024