Our afternoon on the Masterpiece tour offered by Uniworld was an extra excursion. We had onboard credits that we needed to use and so we opted to book it. It was a little drive to the Qutab Minar so we enjoyed the AC on the bus for as long as we could. Have I mentioned the buses are wonderful? Lots of room, AC works well and seats are comfortable. The driver (his name is "Honey") is amazing. The way he gets through traffic and backs into and out of tight places. Just amazing.
The Qutab Minar is the highest brick minaret in the world. It is part of a much larger complex shared by surrounding mosques, tombs and other towers. The Qutab Minar dates back to the 13th century and is among the earliest examples of Islamic architecture in India. Verses from the Quran are etched into the red sandstone.
The tower is 72.5 meters high. It is 14.32 meters at the base and tapers to 2.75 meters at the top.
Just as amazing is the pillared area where you first enter the complex. Each pillar is a work of art. Some pillars were changed to reflect the other religious groups that took over so they are kind of a mixture from the changes that occurred so often in India.
While the afternoon ( it was a little after 3) was cooling down a bit as the sun was beginning to dip to the horizon, it was still very hot. I found a bench and sent Bob off to wander again. Soon I was joined by another lady in our group. I shared one of my Water Wipes with her and we both patted the sweat from our faces. She had a cool cloth, one of those you can wet down and wrap around a head or neck especially when exercising. I should have packed mine, I thought. Note to self for the future.
As we sat there, the guide from bus 2 who was leading us this afternoon joined us. Our conversation turned to India's history. There were five dynasties who ruled India before the Mughals came. They ruled the longest and then the British until 1947 when they became independent. I'm as old as your independent country, I told him. He smiled at me and said, "Yes, we are a young country." Bless his heart.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped shortly, staying on the bus, to see the Jagannath Hindu Temple said to be home to three deities including Lord Jagannath who is considered to be the "Lord of the Universe." (Lovely, I thought, but I'm glad my God isn't contained in a building.)
Our side of the bus saw the temple first. All white and intricately designed. Next, the amazing bus driver backed into a tight space, sort of a side alley and turned the bus around to let the other side passengers have a good view. With that, we were off to the hotel with just enough time to shower and dress for dinner.
That night was a group dinner beginning at 7:30, already a bit late for us to eat. Appetizers were circulated by staff. We got hold of a couple that sent everyone at the table reaching for the water. We passed next time around. At 8:30 the buffet was opened. Now it was really late. I should have stopped with the appetizers but I soldiered on but became very particular about what I chose according to its description.
The breads were very good and I found something called butter chicken which had a mild sauce that was tasty. I was amazed to find ice cream at a buffet and even though dairy and I don't agree, I plunged in. I hoped it would cut some of the spice that was still tinging my mouth.
All said, sleeping was a bit rough with all of that being eaten so late. The morning start was at 8 am with having our bags out and then meeting the bus at 9. The ride to Agra took about 4 hours. I kept watching along the way. Would there be any glimpse of a blue sky? Or would it continue to be a gray haze?
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