The Taj...

Taj Majal: immense…awe-inspiring…surreal. It’s really no wonder why this magnificent structure is known as one of the seven man-made wonders of the world. And to be there and see it in person was simply awesome. In fact, I loved it so much, that I tried to pick it up and take it home with me...



The city Agra is really known for one thing, and that is the Taj Majal. There are other forts, temples and mausoleums, but all pale in comparison. So, we were there for just one night and two days and the majority of the time spent outside of our hotel’s neighborhood was spent viewing the Taj. On the first day, we went to a beautiful garden at the suggestion of our tour guide, in which you can view the Taj from across the river. We decided we would see it at sunset from this view and would go to the actual site for sunrise, when there would be far fewer tourists there.

The garden, called Matar Bagh, was a nice, quiet escape from the city on its own, but the spectacular view of the Taj made the 100 rupee (or $2) entry fee really worthwhile. We camped out at the river and as we waited for the sun to set we had fun taking entertaining pictures holding it in our hands, lifting it, and even taking a bite out of the Taj. Although the sun didn’t set near the Taj, so the colors weren’t as spectacular as we’d been hoping, it was still a perfect way to spend our first eveing in Agra.







The next morning we woke up at 5:00 am (the third early morning in the past four days!) and hired rickshaws to take us to the actual site. We had all made it a point to be on time and scrambled to get there well before sunrise, so we were extremely disappointed when the guards didn’t open the ticket counter or the main entrance until at least 15 minutes after the start of sunrise. After a half hour of waiting anxiously (and being entertained by the monkeys all around), we were still the first group to get a glimpse of the stunning Taj Majal. We spent several hours walking around and exploring the different magnificent views and areas of the grounds. Like I said, it was simply awesome. I don’t know what else I can say, I think my pictures are the only things that come close to doing it justice. So, I’ll think I’ll just leave it at that.

We had another overnight train that evening, and arrived early this morning to Varanassi. It is the most holy city in India, where Buddha gave his first sermon, and where thousands of Hindus go every year to die. It is also cool because it is the longest continually inhabited city in the world. People have been living here for over 5,000 years. Anyway, that’s all I know for now, so I’ll right more on my way back to Delhi.