Lucknow continued after interruption…

As I was saying, we left Varanasi on Friday. We bribed someone at the train station Rs 40 to get tickets for us from beyond the counter so that we would not have to wait in line. Nandan gave the guy Rs 200 and said that he would be back. Even though he looked like everyone else, Nandan somehow knew that he was connected and would not just run with the money. Nandan seems to think that most such people who would promise to do such things are honest, and in this case he was that and quick.

I rode the train from the door like I used to see on tv. It is actually the coolest and most fun place to be. One is guaranteed a seat; the view is great; and it becomes easy to get out of the train. The only downside is that I have to move at every stop, but really most people move at every stop anyway.

We arrived at night and found some hotel. I already said some things about that. The next morning Nandan took his test and then we went to the Bara Imambara, or “Big Muslim Leader’s House.” This was the seat of Mughul power in Lucknow way back… I do not know the history.

One of the buildings of the complex was this labyrinth. Every choice of passage in this five story building is a four way split. Three of the ways lead to useless areas and eventually dead ends; the path way to useful areas is unique. That is what the guide said, anyway. It certainly was easy to get lost, but I did not wander for hours. Nandan and I kept the guide on a leash and when we were tired of wandering he had us out quickly. Had I more time I would have liked to wander more.

The water palace was on the same grounds. As promised, it was quite cool there because of a massive well. There were shallow pools in certain places which cast reflections showing who was in key locations. It was in process of restoration. It was more priceless ancient gorgeous ruins.

We left that complex and went to the Chota Imambara just a short tide away. Again it was beautiful. I smelled Muslim incense there for the first time. Just like in Phugwara I saw the Muslim preference for fluorescent fake flowers. It was worth the twenty minute visit.

Near that was a British built clock tower. I laughed while looking at it thinking about all the clocks that the British brought and how late Indians are in all respects. Near that was an “art museum” which turned out to be a portrait gallery. Portrait galleries are light on art and big on history, and it was just one room. I would recommend that others just look at the clock tower while going between the two Imambaras.

On day three, Monday, we tried to go to the zoo only to find that most things are closed on Monday. There was a haunted house near the zoo, though. It was at a crossroads near a Gandhi memorial and prominent on the second floor of a shopping complex. It was short but it delivered. They had a timed lighting system, sound effects, and an unseen guide controlling aspects of the experience. The animatronics were cheesy as ever but they were there, whereas the same is rare within the American haunted house system. The place is open year round, I think, and was a welcome surprise for me! I love haunted houses. It was Nandan’s first. He was really scared to go in but talked a lot about it afterwards.

We went to the British Residency. It was in the news that week on account of the 150 year anniversary of the Mutiny. The complex was not ruins but nothing had ceiling. It was a make out park and we found couples hiding everywhere – the first time I have seen such a place anywhere. I liked that the Indians preserved monuments dedicated to Indians and British who bravely fought those filthy, dirty mutineers who wanted Indian Independence. There was a graveyard there also. I love those and there I regretted not having my camera.

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On the morning of day four I had a newspaper article which showed a man giving an IV to a giraffe. The giraffe at the Lucknow zoo was sick! Nandan said it was the effect of summer. Upon arriving at the zoo – second time – I was pleased to see that the space alloted to animals exceeded the standards of the Seattle zoo. Some pens were gloomy – for example, all snakes had large but boring and identical dirt and stone homes.

If the zoo was funded properly the big change which I would recommend would be granting all the animals some live plants in their pens. The big animals all had this, but some monkeys, birds, and the snakes did not. I think this would be an inexpensive and worthwhile addition, and I am sure that a lot of foreigners at least would love to fund such a venture.

Within the zoo was a history museum. Just like the one at BHU, it consisted of a lot of priceless artifacts just bandied about. Here though, most everything had a write-up, whereas in Benares things were lying around. It had a Jain gallery that I liked, and it had a war gallery with a revolving-barrel rifle and pistol. It was worth a look, but I often leave museums unhappy that I did not have energy to look at everything to the extent I would have liked.

The zoo had a white tiger and some white peacocks. It had a mugger that I got to see upclose. Nandan asked me if it was real, and I told him no. We were lucky to see it open its eyes and start breathing. The giraffe baby was sitting down but he did not look sick, and later we saw him walking fine. We did not see the hippo or rhino and I regret that, but we had a schedule and anyway I may well go back.

We took the train to Benares and again I rode hanging out the door. It really is fun but I got sleepy. Nandan told me to stay up or I would fall out. Somehow I have lost a lot of fear about survival being threatened with death so often here.