Don Curry and the Great Love

Don Curry knows: today marks a turning point in the journey. Until now, he had been traveling alone with Mr. Sanjay, his honking horn, and changing guides. Today, a large travel group from his old home in Agra would arrive, and he would join them for the following days.

But before that, the main goal of all travelers to India was on the agenda: the Taj Mahal. Mr. Khan had advised against being at the Taj at sunrise, as there would be a lot of fog at this early hour. He was right. Instead, they had arranged to meet at 8:00 am. By that time, the sun had just broken through the fog and was shining brightly on the Taj Mahal, but the grounds were still relatively empty of tourists. They went to the ticket counter without much waiting and then through the security checks.

Mr. Khan explained a lot about the history and construction background. But above all, he talked about Shah Jahan and his Mumtaz, whose immortal love found its visible expression in the Taj Mahal. He also pointed out good positions for taking photos. After visiting the actual tomb, Mr. Khan allowed for an hour of free time, which allowed Don Curry to photograph in peace and also appreciate the mosque with its magnificent interior design. An eager Indian man made money by showing individual tourists particularly good photo motifs around the Taj, which Don Curry rewarded with 100 rupees.

Shortly after 10:00 am, Don Curry left the increasingly crowded Taj Mahal grounds. Mr. Khan then took him to a marble factory where the classical flower patterns of the Taj are used in modern cutting boards or table tops. Don Curry gladly took in the related information while enjoying a masala tea, but remained immune to any purchase motivation. After leaving the factory, Mr. Khan said goodbye to Don Curry, who was then taken back to the hotel by Mr. Sanjay. Even Mr. Sanjay, the wonderful horn virtuoso, now parted ways with Don Curry, indicating that the group would probably arrive around noon.

So Don Curry waited... Noon came and went, but still no sign of the group. When the reception called him around 2:00 pm, he finally expected the group to arrive. But they were still nowhere to be seen. Don Curry only checked out temporarily to immediately check back into the same room. Don Curry wondered and waited...

Around 3:00 pm, he ordered a chicken burger with fries to his room to strengthen himself for the ongoing wait. After that, he just continued to wait.

It was already almost 5:30 pm when he wanted to inquire at the reception again. As he opened the elevator door, he suddenly saw familiar faces: the group had just arrived. Instead of following the original itinerary to check into the hotel at noon and then visit the Taj Mahal and Red Fort, they had visited the sights first - convenient for the group, but unfortunate for Don Curry. Not only had he wasted over 6 hours waiting, but he had also completely missed the famous Red Fort of Agra.

But there was another item on the agenda for today: a visit to a musical about the history of the Taj Mahal and the great love story behind it. In an extensive theater filled with various tourist groups, dozens of performers showed a stage production in the style of Bollywood: colorful, full of music and dance, and dripping with emotion. Sweet love dialogues alternated with sweeping gestures of grief and pain. And when the Hindi sobbing of the main actor was translated into German sobbing through the headphones, Don Curry's nausea became almost unbearable.

The subsequent dinner in a cozy round at least somewhat reconciled him with this otherwise rather unfortunate day. It became clear to Don Curry that things would be different from now on when the group's guide announced fixed times for breakfast and departure the next day...