Taj Mahal

Yesterday, we visited the Taj Mahal. It was absolutely amazing….one of the most memorable sights I have ever seen. We got up early to beat the crowds….around 6:30 am. We wanted to get up early enough to watch the sunrise, but that just was not going to happen. But we arrived at the Taj around 7:30, well before it was crowded. We walked out to see the Taj, and both Ashley and I were taken aback by the beauty of it. It really is an imposing figure, and what a testament to love. For more details on the story behind the Taj, check out the wiki page. But basically the Taj was built by an ruler of India as a testament to his wife that died giving birth to their 14th child.

Some other thoughts….
– Its intriguing that the national symbol of India (or at least what we perceive it as) was built by Islamic leader and has a mosque. Since India is majority Hindu, this just seems odd.
– Because its built on this marble base, it appears to float in the sky. It is just there.
– Agra is really hot, like absurdly hot. Plus, there are intermittent power outages. We wish we had day tripped it here, as opposed to staying two nights. Plus its really grungy.
– We had a great train ride to Agra, we sat with two lovely young people. One worked for a NGO and gave some insight into Indian life and what their challenges are in development. We also discussed American Politics, and its good to get outside perspective….but are not surprised at their comments – they dislike Bush and think he is an idiot.
– Both Ashley and I are having sinus troubles. Congested with sore throats…..Ugh!
– Our hotel in Agra had English speaking channels, so we watched a lot of TV since Agra sucks and we are sick. Even “Home Alone” is good in a pinch.
– Two sets of people have asked to take photos with us. The first time it was a little boy who dad asked us. Then it was a group of male teenagers. Strange, I guess we are a freak show.
– Finally…..photos are posted!!!! Not a lot due to our limited connection time in India, but we got some up. We had to upload them from an internet cafe.