Day 10/11 – Delhi Belly moves south

It’s been a long couple of days. Where I left off feels like a week ago. I’ll catch up on everything that’s gone on since, and the bits before that that I missed.

I am so sick. I knew I’d probably get hit with something at some point, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad. I’ve got the shits like you wouldn’t believe and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been to the bathroom since we got here at 4pm. I’ve slept most of the last 24 hours and I’m still exhausted. This is definitely too much information, but this last round just now was full of blood. Don’t worry, it was bright red, not dark red, which means it’s a cut in my lower intestines, rather than internal bleeding higher up in my system, and shouldn’t be too big of an issue. If it’s no better in the morning I’ll head to a doctor… should there be one around here. Crossing my fingers that I don’t need one.

It’s 10:40pm and I’m in a lovely tent. From the outside they’re pretty nothing-special, but on the inside they’re sooo pretty. The inner layer of the tent is fabric covered with a black and purple Indian print, and despite being a tent it’s still equipped with power, lights, and running water. There’s even a heater, which is so good as I’ve been freezing cold all day.

***

It’s morning now, nearly 8:30, and I slept right through the night, which is impressive considering I’ve mostly been sleeping since 5pm yesterday, and I slept a good chunk of the 6 hour bus ride here too. Guess I need it. Diarrhoea hasn’t subsided at all, and how I still have anything left in me is beyond me, as I haven’t eaten anything substantial since breakfast yesterday, and that was just toast. Despite this, I don’t feel completely terrible, and I’m less achey than yesterday.

I started my antibiotics last night so hopefully they kick in soon. We’re on a sleeper train tonight for like 11 hours, and I was already not looking forward to it. Having the shits definitely won’t improve it any. I’m going to ask Dinesh to put me in a bottom bunk near the bathroom since I’m going to need it. I can’t stand the oil of oregano that I’ve brought with me, but I’ll see if I can manage to get some down today. Can’t hurt any.

So two days ago, on Tuesday, after spending the morning on the train, we got into Agra, best known for being the home of the Taj Mahal. It is every bit as amazing as you could possibly imagine, and so much more. It was built as a tomb for emperor Shah Jahan’s favourite wife Mumtaz-i Mahal (you were allowed up to four in those days), after she died giving birth to his 14th child. It’s a shame that the woman it was built for never saw it, as it’s beyond amazing. It took 12 years to build, beginning in 1632, with over 20,000 men working on it annually. The emperor actually ruined India’s entire economy building it, which is why he was later imprisoned by his son after he was overthrown from the throne. He was imprisoned at Red Fort, where he could see the Taj Mahal. When he died eight years later, his casket was added to the Taj Mahal, which is the only place in the entire thing that you see asymmetry: her casket is exactly centered, and his is to the left and raised up higher. Legend has it that he planned to build an exact replica of the Taj Mahal as his own tomb, but in black marble. I think the getting-thrown-in-prison-by-his-son deal thwarted his plans a bit.

The Taj Mahal is ridiculous. It sits on the bank of a leg of the Ganges, surrounded by walls and four massive red gates that are spectacular in their own right. Made out of white marble, the entire thing is covered in the most intricate marble inlays, depicting flowers and (I think) Islam scripts. The handiwork is amazing, and it’s easy to see how it took so many men to build it. It’s a true testament of love, and Dinesh said it’s ruined romance in India, as now all the girls will say “Will you build me a Taj Mahal?” Dinesh’s reply is “Yes, but first you have to die.” Fair enough.

After the Taj Mahal, we headed to the Red Fort. If you had to be imprisoned anywhere, this is the place. It’s a palace in itself, and is a work of red clay and marble inset with precious and semi-precious stones (although many of the precious stones have been looted from it now). It was built for military purposes, but instead of for battle, it was to protect the emperor and family. It’s got two walls, with a wet moat on the outside and a dry moat in between, and you can see the Taj Mahal from its windows. Unfortunately for us, we’ve been plagued by fog most days, so we didn’t get to see the Taj Mahal from afar.

When the Red Fort was built, the emperor’s intention was to create something that encompassed all religions and all styles of architecture. He wanted to create a new religion, the Religion of God, and throughout the palace you can see many different religious symbols: the star of David, the swastika, gothic symbols of Christianity, and some other ones that I’ve forgotten already even though it was only yesterday that I was there. Tres awesome!

After the Red Fort, we headed back to the hotel and then later out to dinner. Towards the end of my meal I began to feel unwell, so I headed back. By the time I got to my room I felt light-headed and had a bit of a stomach ache. Shauna’s been sick for several days now, and several others have had bouts of illness.

Yesterday morning we left to catch the train to Orchha, which is cancelled or late about 80% of the time. When we met in the hotel lobby, it was scheduled to leave on time, but our luck ran out shortly after and it was cancelled completely due to fog. Our two our train trip in comfy second class chairs turned into six hours on a coach bus driving down a dirt highway. Dinesh claimed it was a proper road; we disagreed.

When we finally got into Orchha, we headed to our hotel. The reason we’re staying in tents is that you can’t build permanent structures within 100m of ruins, and we’re well within that 100m. The ruins are a gorgeous backdrop to our little tents, and they’re complete with monkeys and vultures.

As I still wasn’t feeling well last night, I skipped out on the evening’s activities and dinner as well, and opted just to hit the sack instead.