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loire Pictures 2nd Golden Gate Bridge

Fleeting Visit to Taj Mahal

In my capacity as the UK Director ofbe somewhere at a certain time (apart from us
Operations for One World Tours Limited, I amof course!) so many people tolerating one
often asked about the destinations I haveanother  it  was  incredible.
been to and how it all began in the first
place. 10 years ago I embarked on my secondI had recovered a little after having
trip around the world and I suppose you couldsomething to drink and was as excited to see
say that this is where it truly all began.eagles flying around in the sky. I watched as
Here  is  my  first  experience  of  India.people threw bananas to the wild monkeys in
the  same way as we feed the ducks back home.
I thought that visiting the Seven Wonders of
the world in eight days would be a fun andEverywhere you looked people were making good
challenging thing to do. Having decided withuse of all the resources around them. Once we
my sponsors the airlines and a chain ofhad broken free from the towns I had a chance
leading world-wide hotels it was decided thatto take notice of the countryside. It was
the Seven Wonders of the World were the Tajfascinating to see the Indian ladies with
Mahal, the Great Wall of China, the Leaninghuge loads balanced on their heads whilst
Tower of Pisa, the Golden Gate Bridge, Thecarrying their babies in their arms. It was a
Empire State Building, Sydney Opera House andwonderful thing to experience and would have
the Pyramids of Egypt. This would notch up abeen perfect if only it wasn't so difficult
staggering  42,000  miles  in  8  just  days.to breathe. Seeing the way that life was
lived in India made me realise what a bunch
The first of my many flights was on scheduleof  whingers  we  are  in  the  west!
and I left Heathrow at around 10.25pm on the
17th of February. I was handed my overnightWe were only 11 kilometres from reaching the
package by the stewardess and given a meal.Taj Mahal when we experienced a huge traffic
It didn't take long before I drifted off tojam that even the psychopathic driver could
sleep; I had deliberately got myself up earlynot get me through! He had a few frantic
that morning to ensure that I would be ablewords with one of the locals and informed me
to sleep on the first flight. I awoke halfthat the road was blocked due to the fact
way through the flight feeling incrediblythat  two  ministers  were visiting the area.
nauseous but that was down to the anti-
malaria  tablets  more  than  anything  else.Ashok did a sharp U- turn and tried to find
an alternative route. Unfortunately there
It wasn't long before I arrived at Delhiwasn't one and we had to wait patiently in
airport and in order to continue on to thethe queue like everyone else. The driver had
next stage of the journey I had to find outdriven his socks off to get me to within an
how much a taxi would cost to take me to11-kilometre radius of the Taj with time to
Agra and back. There were plenty of transportspare, and for one horrible moment it looked
kiosks whose occupants frantically beckonedas if I was not going to get any closer. It
to me in order to persuade me to use theirwas an awful shame because he had risked our
services. The first one that caught mylives along with those of the others we
attention offered me his "top of the rangepassed along the way, including the animals!
car", which included air- conditioning. IHe must have felt the same but wasn't that
gladly accepted this as it worked out at halfeasily defeated. Not long after I finally
the price I had expected to pay. I was thenarrived at the first major landmark of the
told apologetically that this car was nottrip! Ashok dropped me off and said that he
available and was offered the next best thingwould find somewhere to park and allowed just
at a cheaper rate, still with air15 minutes to take photos etc. I paid the
conditioning. Apparently this car was notentrance fee; the equivalent of 75 pence,
available either and this went on until I wasreceived a free key ring and made my way to
finally offered their cheapest car of all,the Taj, ande had my bags searched by the
which by this time I would have agreed toguards.
anything. The driver of this particular
vehicle was summoned and flatly refused toI was very impressed by the stunning creation
take me saying that it would not be possibleof love that stood before me, definitely the
to get to Agra and back in time to get me tostuff that fairytales are made of! I was
my next flight. It was beginning to look likeaware that I did not have too much time so
I was not going to get to visit the veryquickly set about taking photographs of the
first Wonder on the list! The taxi drivers ofbeauty before me in order to satisfy the
this particular kiosk told me that I shouldpublicity  requirements  for  my  sponsors.
try a different kiosk, which is exactly what
ended up doing. I was told that there was aI had designed a banner, which was to be
driver willing to attempt to take me the 300photographed at each of the locations. When I
miles in about 8 ½ hours for the price ofunfolded it in the grounds of the Taj Mahal I
£130 (GBP). I did not really have choicewas told very abruptly that banners were not
and was still £70 better off than Iacceptable and that the guards at the front
thought. We were whisked off to meet ourgate should have taken it away from me.
driver for the day and the man that wouldSomeone did show me somewhere that I could
hopefully make it possible for us to reachhold the banner up in order to take a quick
our  first  Wonder  of  the  trip.photograph but I declined agreeing that I
should respect their wishes, as I was a
It soon became very apparent that if anyonevisitor of their country. The banner gave a
was going to get me there and back in time itbrief outline of the trip and advertised the
would most certainly be Ashok, the driver. Isponsor's names but they weren't to know that
was barely three minutes from the airportit could have been a political statement for
when he started honking his horn like crazy.all they knew. I also couldn't risk getting
At first I thought this was a sign ofinto  trouble  so  early  on  in  the  trip!
aggression as is customary in our native
country. I truly believed at one point that II took enough photographs to prove that we
was going to die in this foreign country duehad been there, along with a duplicate set in
to manic way that Ashok handled the car.case the first ones did not come out and then
Where ever possible he drove like a manone more lot for luck! The sun was beginning
possessed reaching speeds of up to 120mph into set and it gave everything around that
some cases. This of course made me verywonderful orange glow, a fitting end to a
apprehensive for the first hour or so of thebrief  but  memorable  experience.
journey, my underpants taking the full impact
of  my  lack  of  faith!As promised Ashok was waiting for me and
guided me back to the cab. A throng of brown
There did not appear to be any rules and-faced children begged me to purchase their
regulations where driving in India waswares. They surrounded me, I found it a
concerned, Ashok seemed to make up his ownlittle overwhelming to say the least. I was
rules as he went along. Hitting bumps in thenot sure if we had enough money to complete
road at speed saw me bashing my head on thethe trip at this moment in time so I couldn't
roof on more than one occasion. I rememberafford to give away one penny of what I did
commenting aloud on the effects this washave so I kept having to refuse them. Their
having on my backside and Ashok laughedprices dropped with every step that took me
saying  that  it  was  good  exercise.closer to the car until I was being offered
beautifully printed T-shirts for around 70p
Well it soon became apparent that honking oneach. They flocked around the car hoping for
the horn was a way of life and a way ofa few pence that I really didn't have, until
getting people to pull out of your way. ItAshok  drove  off.  It  was  very  humbling.
didn't seem to matter if a road similar to
our own dual carriageways were full we merelyDid I mention that the journey to Agra was an
pulled over to drive at speed toward theexperience never to be forgotten? Well it was
oncoming traffic, cars, bicycles camels etc,nothing compared to the journey back! We did
it was awesome and will always be the mostthe whole thing over but in the dark. It
memorable car drive that I have everappears that you then use your headlights to
experienced. Most of the lorries had "hornget people out of the way instead of the car
please" painted on the back of them. Ashokhorn! So we were driving at speed in the dark
weaved in and out of the traffic, his handwith no headlights for 150 miles. Pedestrians
never far from the hooter. It was like havingand animals still littered the roads and I
a  police  escort  only  without  the police.didn't see them until we had passed them, so
I  can't  imagine  how  Ashok  avoided  them!
After the initial excitement of the taxi ride
of a lifetime had subsided, I took time toIt was wonderful to see the culture by night.
absorb the scenery from the window of theLittle street fires lit the faces of their
cab. There was poverty in abundance whereverowners with a yellow hue. The moon which was
you looked. Hundreds of people lined thealso  yellow  was  lit  from  underneath.
streets. Cattle wandered about like
jaywalkers and now and again you would comeOn a few occasions I saw hundreds of white
across a dead, half- eaten dog, infested withlights adorning trees and buildings, pulsing
flies lying in the road. Victims of Ashok'smusic accompanied these scenes; Ashok told me
previous drives one assumes! I have neverthat this represented "better off," people
seen so many people crammed into windowlessgetting married. Fireworks announced the
buses, lorries or trailers being pulled bysuccess of the weddings. About half a dozen
tractors. Donkeys pulled or carried loadsceremonies were happening that I had
that took up one entire side of the road,witnessed that evening so goodness knows how
while camels took even bigger ones.many more were going on! We also saw a less
Everywhere that you looked there weregrand wedding happening on the roadside; the
hundreds of people not doing anything ingrandest thing about this one was the flower
particular.garland around the young bride's head! It was
truly breath taking to observe the way of
The fume filled air was brutal on your lungs.life  for  these  people  by  night.
Diesel fumes choked out of vehicles in big
black puffs. The humidity and the fumes madeAshok got me back to Delhi in good time. We
your eyes, throat and nose sting. I ameven had a chance to stop at the roadside
surprised that I managed to remain conscious!cafe for a cup of tea on the way. Well it
I was not fairing very well at all. Apartwasn't a café, as we know it back home; it
from suffering from the effects mentionedwas more like a large marquee at a craft
above I was also dehydrating, sweating outfair. I was more than a little dubious about
more liquid than I could replace. I am suredrinking anything that I hadn't prepared
there are people out there who would find themyself.
whole thing rather amusing as I being an
intrepid professional world traveller (I hadI had grown quite used to Ashok during the
actually visited 108 countries on my previouscourse of the day and was sorry to have to
trip!) who was feeling sick. I asked Ashok tosay goodbye to him. He had looked after me
pull over so that I could get a drink ofincredibly well and I tipped him accordingly.
water, he agreed but it was a good 30 or 40
miles before he actually did. The reason heIt was 10.10pm (Indian time) when we arrived
had waited so long was so that we couldat Delhi. The flight to Bombay was delayed
purchase sealed water from a reputable sourcefor an hour. I have to say that of all the
rather than risk drinking something thatplanes that we used throughout the trip, air
might  make  me  suffer  later.India was the only one I felt really nervous
about. There was quite a lot of turbulence
I was surprised to see raw meat beingduring the whole flight. I remember forcing
displayed on the roadside, uncovered, soakingmyself to try and sleep, reckoning that if I
up  the  dirt  and fumes of the surroundings.was going to die I would rather be asleep
when it happened! I forgot to look and see if
What I noticed more than anything else wasAshok was the pilot when we departed from the
the overall calmness of everyone around us.plane. Thank you Ashok for making it happen.
There were no signs of stress or urgency to



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