We caught an early Saturday morning Shatabdi Express train from New Delhi station to Chandigarh, rolling into town at about 11am or so. We didn't know it before we bought train tickets, but there was a big cricket tournament being played that weekend, and so most of the hotels were sold out. We made reservations at a small local hotel, but the locals that we talked to were dubious at best about its quality. So, mission no. 1, upon arrival, was to charm our way into the Taj.
Chandigarh is a planned community and was laid out on a grid, so they actually have traffic lights and a semblance of order on the streets. Thus, our autorickshaw ride into town from the station was less hair-raising than usual. We had the driver drop us across the street from the Taj, so as not to mess up our entrance into the hallowed halls. Upon inquiring about a room, we were informed that there were none. However, once we clarified that our spot on the waitlist was for 1 room, not two, oh and yes we work for Google, oh and yes there's a hotel full of cricket players that might not be opposed to two women checking in....and suddenly we found ourselves with a very nice room, and semi-VIP status. Let's just say that Megan loves living the Taj style in India, for reasons that will become manifest throughout this short history.
Well-settled and well-heeled, we headed into town for lunch. The lunch special was simple, but good, and we had nothing less than a wait staff of 10 serving just Heather and I. After lunch, we wandered through downtown Chandigarh a bit and did some shopping. Heather had forgotten her sunglasses, so we bought some very stylin' RayBans as back-ups --- tres chic. Chandigarh's street are almost eerily quiet, if you're used to India's usual, only slightly controlled chaos. It really wierded me out, I have to say. I've adopted the herd mentality enough to feel slightly bereft when I'm not hemmed in by bodies - this is probably pure survival instinct, but still, it's weird to notice the change in oneself. We were done with downtown Chandigarh pretty quickly and decided to head out to Nek Chand's famous rock garden.
The rock garden is a found-art-lover's paradise. Nek Chand was a public works employee who began collecting found objects and recycled building materials. With these, he built a labyrinthine garden, full of sculptures, mosaics, and water features. The closest thing I've ever seen to this is Parc Guell in Barcelona, but even that doesn't quite capture it. Nek Chand's work doesn't have the bold colors or polish of Gaudi's work, but it does have a very lovable, lived-in quality. When we were there, tons of Indian families were wandering through the maze of paths, tunnels, and buildings. Around each corner, something different surprises you. There
are beautiful waterfalls and whimsical statues. Of course, being India, nothing is in perfect condition, but still it's quite a lot of fun. We wended our way through the various sections until we reached a center concourse that was filled with carnival games and music. There was a long arcade, hung with adult-sized swings, and a white camel providing gamboling rides through the courtyard. We availed ourselves of both. And can I just say - riding a camel is great! It's awkward, more than a little uncomfortable, slightly smelly, and just a whole hell of a lot of fun. For 80 INR, we trotted in a lazy loop, with one guy leading the camel and another one chasing us with my camera. We were giggling hard throughout, as we thumped along on the camel's back. It was one of those moments where we were just like, "screw it - we're going to be a spectacle anyway, so why not make it worth everyone's while to stare?" I should pause to note here that the single-most photographed object in the rock garden that day was Heather. She was stopped no less than 6 times for various enthusiastic Indians to take pictures with her. This is not the first time that it's happened, but it was certainly the most it's happened in any one place. I was thankful for being not-so-blond, and maybe not as cute, because I didn't get bugged in the slightest, and other than hanging around to make sure Heather didn't get molested, was able to truly enjoy the rock garden independently.Hot, tired, and our sightseeing obligations met for the day, we decided to head back to the Taj to go for a swim in their lovely pool and get cleaned up for dinner. However, Heather decided that she hadn't had enough adventure for the day and elected to round out our Indian transportation portfolio with a bicycle rickshaw ride, her argument being that if you're going to ride in India's flimsiest form of transportation, Chandigarh, with at least some traffic rules being obeyed, is the place to do it. Oh yeah. The poor guy taking us weighed less than Heather, I think, but he was up to the task and in little or no time, we found ourselves back at the Taj. Not sure I'll repeat that experience, but it was fun and a pretty peaceful way to coast through Chandigarh.
We ended our day with a swim in the Taj's lovely pool. Luckily, I had the foresight (and the faith) to remind Heather to bring her swimsuit, so when the opportunity presented itself, we were ready. After a short swim, we got cleaned up and had a very nice dinner at the hotel's Indian restaurant. Murgh Malai is mmm, mmm, good. Our intention was to progress to a couple of drinks at the hotel bar, but we ended up being too pooped to pop, and headed to bed rather early.
On Sunday, we weighed our options - had we missed something eventful in Chandigarh? Did we have a moral responsibility to get out and sightsee some more? In the end, the draw of a nice cold pool and a complimentary bottle of wine won the day. We checked out of our room, set up shop poolside and had the place to ourselves. The day was going pretty well, with a chilled sauvignon blanc from Sula Vineyards to compliment our naan and tandoori chicken, a nice breeze and a wide open pool. But it was about to get so much better....
The cricket players came down for their workout, mid-afternoon. We were very shortly introduced to the majority of the Ahmedabad Rockets and a smattering of the Chandigarh Lions. Both teams are part of the recently-inaugurated Indian Cricket League (ICL), a professional cricket league that's drawing players from all over the world. It was great fun and they were all quite nice, and mostly serious about their workout, though not immune to some flirtatious networking, which was good. Who knows, maybe we'll get to see a match sometime? Heather and I were enjoying ourselves so much that we stayed a leeetle bit too long at the pool and nearly missed our train back to Delhi. We literally stepped off of the platform right as the train began to move, and tucked into our seats just in time. Whew! Our trip to Chandigarh was short and sweet, but oh so much fun.
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