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Inspiration from India

Spot the Zebra poses on a mountaintop during a PGAV GO India trip

Inspiration from India

 

 – By Teague Peak, architectural designer

 

India (adj.) mystic, exotic, colorful, warm, vibrant, aromatic, enchanting, festive, Bollywood, street food, tuk tuk, kingfisher, etc.

 

The trip was a rather spontaneous decision; we had kept busy with domestic travel, visiting destinations within the Midwest region. Thanks to the PGAV GO program, we had covered hundreds of miles and seen the finest destinations our neck of the woods has to offer; but we were ready for something bigger, something more exotic. And so, as we flew down the interstate of rural America, it hit us like a bug on a roller coaster:

let’s do India.

 

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We all had our preconceived ideas of what it would be like; even Ankit, who was born and raised in India, was soon to be surprised despite his twenty years of living there. We had decided to travel “The Golden Triangle,” a common route through New Delhi, Agra, and Rajasthan. This path provided us a broad swath of cultural experience; every hundred miles would seem like an entirely different country. We would live like locals: sleeping on friend’s sofas, eating local foods, and traveling on roads that seemed to ignore any sense of order.

Good friends, great food, and a new destination around every corner. Despite travelling for more than twenty-four hours, we showed no sign of fatigue as we landed in Delhi and headed for a friend’s home. The greetings were timid at first; but within an hour of knowing this group of young guys, we realized something: even though we grew up on opposite sides of the world, in completely different cultures and completely different up-bringings, we were all just a bunch of guys. Our first night was spent celebrating, playing party games, and enjoying a roof-top bonfire and sunrise.

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Neemrana: A much needed reprieve. Our first full day was spent at the Neemrana Fort Palace. We filled the day hiking the labyrinth that is this 15th Century fort, zip-lining over the marvelous terrain, catching the sunset from the Surya Mahal (our suite translates to ‘Sun Palace’), and most of all, dining like the Maharaja. To this day, I really couldn’t tell you what exactly we ate that evening, but I can assure you we ate like royalty.

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Around Jaipur: As the capital of the largest state in India, land of kings, and a few short hours from Neemrana, Jaipur was the next stop on our journey. We ventured through enormous forts, winding our way through chambers and courtyards where stair-risers were a foot tall. Eventually we emerged at the crest of the mountain on which the fort was situated. For all you stair-climbers out there, we found your heaven. Jaigarh Fort, standing at the summit, housed my personal favorite artifact: the world’s largest wheeled cannon. It was so big that it required elephants on each side to swivel and turn.

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The city hosts a multitude of architectural destination experiences including the Jal Mahal (‘Water Palace’), Hawa Mahal (‘Air Palace’), Jantar Mantar (‘Astronomical Center’), Panna Meena ka kund (‘Step Well’), Jawahar Kala Kendra (‘Multi- Art Center’), Galtaji Mandir (‘Monkey Temple’), and more, and no visit to India is complete without trying the local cuisine at LMB (a restaurant of sorts) with plenty of Kingfisher, our favorite Indian beer.

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Agra: Of course we had to visit the Taj Mahal. The moment you step into the main axis, framed by an enormous geometric arch, you begin to understand why the Taj is a Wonder of the World. An enthusiastic guide offered his insights and ensured we had the best possible photos for social media: he definitely nailed it.

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Delhi: At our final destination, we lived like locals, visiting street markets, running errands, and finally visiting the Lotus temple of the Baha’i faith, which emphasizes the harmony and unity of all people and beliefs. This was an interesting motif that seemed to reoccur for the duration of our trip.

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Long story short: we traveled half way around the world to find it was both bigger and smaller than we could have anticipated. We had a desire to travel, the opportunity to do so, and a supporting PGAV family to help us get there.

Namaste.

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