A Day(+) in Agra

On Monday we got an early start and headed to Agra, a 3 hour trip on a brand new superhighway. We passed brick making sites and signs for wild cattle crossings, and as we got into Agra, many wedding bands and processions. We dropped our stuff at the hotel and met our guide for the afternoon, Neeraj. After a paneer-filled lunch at Priya restaurant, we headed off to the main attraction - the Taj Mahal! They keep most cars away from the building (white marble gets dirty!), so you can take an electric golf-cart type thing up to it, or a camel-drawn cart! (Watch out, they spit!)

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum and memorial for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It was built between 1632 and 1653.
Pictures are going to be better than anything I have to say about it!

First glimpse!

The Taj!!

Gorgeous flowers everywhere!

We are sitting on what is known as the Princess Diana Bench - 

and you had to fight for your 3 seconds to take the photograph,

because everyone wants to get their poses in!

To keep the place clean, you can either take off your shoes

or wear shoe covers.

Reliefs carved into the marble decorate the outside, along with inlays or flowers.

There is tremendous inlays of semi-precious stones like
jade, jasper, onyx, and carnelian. The work on the outside
of the building is amazing, but on the inside where the actual
tomb is, the inlay work is even more intricate.

This is not my picture, as photos are not allowed inside the tomb area. But this gives you an idea of the
impossibly intricate inlay work, and well as all the marble carvings. The scenes of flowers show the cycle of life, from budding to blooming to wilting. 

View from the back patio of the the Taj.
You know, they should really put
a Weber grill out here!

On one side of the Taj Mahal is Mosque - and, for the sake of symmetry,
there is an identical building on the other side, which was used as a sort
of guesthouse for visiting dignitaries.

View looking back from the Taj. I didn't get a picture of this, but at the base of a tree on the far left side of this picture, we found a Geocache! We explained Geocaching to Neeraj, who got really excited about it and helped us search.

Cool. (Even if I can't hold a camera straight.)

After our visit, we went to a craft shop where they still create marble inlay by hand. After seeing how the marble is hollowed out and each tiny stone in the design is shaped, I had an even greater appreciation for the craftsmanship and the sheer scale of the Taj.

A small design like this has something like 50-70 pieces!

So you can imagine how long it took to create this table!! Of course, everything was for sale! Though 'sale' is not a word I would associate with those prices! If only...

After the craft shop, we went on to the Red Fort. This was built before the Taj Mahal, and was a fortress and the main residence of the Shah's harem. 

You go through three gates to enter the main living area,
and the approaches are zig-zagged so you can't charge right in.

 

Again, I'm not normally a flower person, but all the gardens here just blew me away!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of these ladies in their saris.
I hadn't realized that saris were still so commonly worn.
I just loved all the beautiful fabrics, and how colorful all the crowds were.

Looking out at the Taj Mahal

More ridiculous marble work!

Archways!

After we left the Red Fort, Neeraj was determined to help us find the other Geocache located in Agra. That brought us to a big park across the river from the back of the Taj Mahal - a place we probably wouldn't have come to if not for Geocaching!

Something in there!

Found it!

When we realized we didn't have a pen to sign the log book,
Neeraj took off and managed to borrow one from another tourist.

At sunset.

We checked out one more craft store, featuring embroidery and gemstones, but by this time we were pretty tired and not interested in another sales pitch, so after a cursory look - and being frightened by a giant embroidery of a tiger eating a peacock - we headed back to the hotel.

Blue steel!

We ate more delicious Indian food at the hotel restaurant, Peshawri. Never seen bibs at such a classy place before - but then, you were encouraged to eat with your hands, so they were practical.

A very, very good day.

We rose early to go see sunrise at the Taj Mahal. Though clouds meant that there were no spectacular pinks and reds in the sky, seeing it in the misty morning was beautiful - and quiet!

Taj Monkey!

One of the guards outside the Taj Mahal, looking out on the river.
Yep, her gun is propped up on the sandbags!

View across the river. I can see out Geocache tree!

The people show you how big it really is!

WAZOO TANK!

Reflections.

After spending a pensive hour or two walking around the grounds, we headed back to the hotel for a dynamite buffet breakfast. We then packed and headed back to New Delhi, There, after lunch, we were dropped at the airport where we said our goodbyes, my parents departing for Goa, India, and I for Singapore. Definitely a weekend we'll never forget!!

Ahhhh...

A Day(+) in New Delhi

I'm finally blogging again!
My four month absence was mostly due to too much to do, rather than too little to report!

When my parents planned a trip to Delhi for a coworker's wedding, we decided that they were coming just too close to Singapore for me to pass up the chance to see them - and a new country! Since traveling to the States generally takes about 24 hours, the 6 hour flight to India was comparatively brief! So while Jacob flew to NYC to brave wind, snow, and auditions, I spent a long weekend in New Delhi and Agra with my folks. (Jacob is getting to spend time with his sister, and eat as much NY pizza and Chipotle as he wants / is physically able, so that evens things out a bit!)

I had to jump through a few hoops to get my visa, which needed to be secured ahead of time, but that worked out fine. Arriving at Indira Ghandi Airport was a breeze, made even easier by the fact that Harish, our driver for the trip, was right there too pick me up when I came through customs. It was a great reunion with my parents at the LaLit hotel, and after a a tasty lunch at the hotel restaurant, we headed out for the afternoon.

We went first to the Baha'i House of Worship, one of just 7 such continental Houses of Worship in the world (interestingly, the oldest in existence is in Wilmette, Illinois!). I don't know much about the Baha'i faith, which was founded in Persia in the 19th century. However, many of its main elements are incredibly appealing, and speak directly to crucial issues today. A summary, offered by Shogi Effendi (copied from Wikipedia, emphasis mine):

 "The independent search after truth, unfettered by superstition or tradition; the oneness of the entire human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of all religions; the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, whether religious, racial, class or national; the harmony which must exist between religion and science; the equality of men and women, the two wings on which the bird of human kind is able to soar; the introduction of compulsory education; the adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations; the exaltation of work, performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling principle in human society, and of religion as a bulwark for the protection of all peoples and nations; and the establishment of a permanent and universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind—these stand out as the essential elements [which Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed]" 

So good to see these two!!!

Beautiful Dahlias

The Temple itself is intended as a space for prayer, meditation, and reflection for people of all faiths. It was free and open to the public, and lots of people were there enjoying the gorgeous weather!

Carpets for sale

We then made our way back through Delhi traffic (or, Harish did) to Delhi Haat, a crafts market. We met up with my dad's coworker, Vanita, who walked us through, introduced us to her 'Pashmina guy' and helped us with the bargaining! Lots a lovely art, and even though it usually takes Jacob and I ages to deliberate and pick something out, I bought TWO things in the space of 20 minutes!

All kinds of brass figurines

Garlands

Once we were all shopped out, we got dinner at a most delicious restaurant called Gulati. We enjoyed chicken and lamb kebabs, biryani, dal makhani, murgh makhani, and naan makhani. (Er, makhani basically means butter or ghee! Technically, it means 'rich sauce.') YUM! I've already professed my love of Indian food, and this trip only deepened that love. We were too stuffed to even look at the dessert menu.

I promise we did more than eat, though our Sunday morning started with a great buffet breakfast. We were met by Harish and Aditay (Adite?), who acted as our tour guide for the day. We embarked on a pretty ambitious day of touring, starting at Jami Masjid, the largest mosque in India. We left our shoes by the entrance and Mom and I donned really flattering robes - I appreciate that they are willing to let tourist explore, balancing our interests with their beliefs and helping us to be respectful.

Pulling. It. Off!

Pool for washing. I must say, the water was a bit gnarly!

  

Flying a quite! Couldn't help but think of the book Kite Runner.

Next, we hopped in pedicabs for a ride through an older part of the city, including the spice market and many back alleys, which were canopied in tangles of electrical wire, lined with fruit vendors, and brimming with life. 

Pedi-cam!

We stopped at a spice store for a demonstration, smelling and tasting a variety of familiar and unfamiliar spices. We chewed cinnamon, ground cumin, and watched as the salesman proved that the saffron was actually real saffron. And we purchased a few packets. 

Marigolds!

We drove to Gandhi's memorial, where his ashes were placed after his assassination. Many aspects of India reminded me of South Africa, especially the many reminders of old imperial rule under Britain as well as modern westernization in the form of McD's, KFC, etc. Gandhi spent time in South Africa, witnessing the systematic racism that would become Apartheid and formulating ideas that he took back to India and used during its struggle for independence. Lots of parallels.

Next, we went to a Cottage Industry carpet store, where we received a demonstration of carpet making, tea and biscuits, and a sales pitch. It was fun looking at all the carpets and feeling just how incredibly soft they were to walk on.

On the way to our next destination, my dad realized we were quite near a Geocache. If you unfamiliar with Geocaching, it is using location coordinates to hunt for caches which have been hidden by other Geocachers. It is a huge community, with over a million geocaches hidden worldwide. Last year, we found geocaches with my parents in Singapore and Indonesia. This one in New Delhi brought us to a Step Well, which was really neat all by itself! Unfortunately, this geocache eluded us (there were several 'did not finds' listed online, so it may have been removed!) 

A pigeon in every hole!

We then stopped for lunch at the Cultural Centre of the Ethiopian Embassy - but don't be deceived, it was still Indian food. Really good. Refueled, we headed to the President's residence (Rashtrapati Bhavan) and then down to India Gate, a monument to soldiers who fought in World War II and other wars.

A bunch of ice cream vendors. OH NO! MOM! We forgot to get ice cream! Not one scoop for the entire trip! How could this have happened?!






We then headed to Humayan's tomb, which was huge and quite impressive. I'll let the pictures do the talking.


We finished off the day at Qutub Minar, a tall tower built by the Moghul when they came to power. The late evening sun shown beautifully on the red sandstone, and we reveled in the perfect weather - cool for me, warm for my parents! Exhausted from the day, we tested the hotel pool (too cold!) before eating dinner at the hotel and falling asleep.

And we're gonna leave it there - quite a full 36 hours!

It's a bird...and a plane...and - wait! - it's Qutub Minar!!

The iron post is 1/10 the height of the Minar, but it hundreds of years older.

Talkin' to myself, runnin' in the heat...

(Points if you can name that tune!)

Less than three weeks until the Singapore Marathon - which means I'm into the 'taper' period, and actually have time to finish a blog about my training. It's been fun and challenging, and I thought I'd share a few things I've learned about running and training in Singapore.


I put together my own training plan and have done my best to stick to it, while also listening to my body. And occasionally taking a break for fun and travel.


Yes of course I have a color-coded Excel file detailing my endeavors!
 It's been 3 years since I last ran a marathon, and the training this time has been a lot different for several reasons:
- Weather. I've never trained in such heat and humidity! This means:

(And this was after a relatively short run!)

A) Long runs have to start hellishly early so I can finish before the sun is fully up, or I have to run at night. This generally involves at least one 4:30am wake-up per weekend, or running from 7:30-11pm on a Friday or Saturday night - woo, I know how to party.
B) I'm having to mentally adjust my expectations for what I can accomplish in terms of race time. My PR (personal record) is 4:11:59 at the Twin Cities Marathon - but that PR was on a perfect 60 degree day. The Singapore marathon starts at 5am, when the temperature will likely be 75-80 degrees and it will only get hotter from there. Factor in 70-75% humidity and you have some difficult running conditions!
- Training. This is the first time I've trained alone, even on long runs. My training schedule, while based on a lot that I've learned from past coaches and running gurus (and some online searches), is still very much an experiment. I'm enjoying it though! It has been a good challenge to make a plan and then follow it through. Equally challenging is allowing myself to change plans when my schedule or body demands it - without succumbing to guilt, that is! Running alone can be really nice - plenty of time to think, no pressure to change my pace (this can be a drawback) and ease of scheduling. I also catch up on all my favorite podcasts, but it can get lonely with only Ira Glass, Dan Savage, Diane Rehm or Terry Gross for company! I miss the motivation of a team.
- Schedule. I've never trained this much while holding a full time job. Yowza. There is no time! Work and commuting take up about 11 hours of my day, so when I get home at 6:40, I gotta get changed and get running or it just won't happen. Some days it feels like all I have time for is running and throwing together a quick 9pm dinner, and then poof, it's bedtime. Fortunately, Jacob and I have always traded off cooking and dishes and he's been especially supportive in picking up the slack while I've been training. I've also had to say 'no' to fun activities, or leave events early so that I can get up and run the next morning. But it feels good - and affirming - to be able to back up your commitments. (That said, I'm also looking forward to less running after the marathon!!)

I've got the logistics of a good run down, including what to bring along and how to plan my route.
I lay everything out the night before if I'm running in the morning - clothes, hair ties, GPS watch, phone/headphones (preferably containing new podcasts), body glide (crucial), ziploc containing cash, credit card, public transit card, fruity mentos/starbursts, and a rehydrate tablet, a handkerchief and shoes.
I also try to leave Jacob an idea of where I'll be running by using MapMyRun.com to plot my course and leaving it up on my computer.

Having access to water at least a few times on a long run is, of course, preferable. Fortunately, most of Singapore is city and I have my pick of Cheers and 7/11s at which to stop and purchase a bottle of water. While I typically hate the idea of spending $1.50 for something I could get for free from my tap, it is a great plan for this occasion. I'm always astonished at just how quickly I sweat through everything I'm wearing and have had to retire a couple pairs of loose shorts because they get soaked and heavy and start to fall off! Another benefit of living in the city is that I can plan my pre-dawn runs on well-lit roads. I also tend to stick to routes near bus lines or MRT stops so that I could always hop a ride home if I had a problem. Finally, it is rather fortunate that MRT stations have public toilets that are usually fairly clean and stocked with TP. No running into the bushes for me!! (Yet)

Overall, this is a new experiment for me, and I'm trying get my mind right for the race. Before races, people often ask if you have a goal time. Like a lot of runners, I usually have a few goals - some that I share and some that I don't. Well, of course I want a PR. Actually, in my heart of hearts, I want to run it in less than 4 hours. But realistically, that's just not on when I look at my training times. The next best thing would be a PR. But I also want to prepare myself so that if I run a slower race, I can still feel successful. Even if I run a slower time, it may be a 'better' race, a better effort in tougher conditions. (But...I still want to PR...) And bottom line is, if I get to the day and the 'wheels fall off' (as my friend Neil would say), I'm just hoping to finish!