The Taj Mahal etc.

7/28/10 5pm

A disjointed description of our trip to Agra follows:

First and foremost, the Taj Mahal. It's going to sound like a cliché to say this, but there really aren't words to describe how beautiful and magnificent it is. And pictures don't capture it, at all. But I took lots of them anyway because when I look at them, I'll be able to remember in my mind's eye what I saw. I don't remember feeling in such awe of it when I saw it in 2000, so I suppose I'm now older and wiser!

The full moon viewing was really neat. Security was quite tight- a couple sets of metal detectors and full-body patdowns, and we weren't able to take ANYTHING in except our cameras- and the tickets were issued specially in our names only. We could only go inside the gate- about 200 yards from the Taj itself. There were armed guards everywhere and they only allow 30 to a group, for 30 minutes at a time. So it is a privilege to get tickets, and I am thankful we could! Unfortunately… I didn't get to see moonlight glistening off the marble domes- it was a bit cloudy- but what a rare treat to be there when it was completely empty and quiet! The Taj Mahal itself loomed off in the distance, lit only by the moon, almost a ghostly presence. As I gazed at it, I pictured what it might have looked like if it had been a clear sky. I pictured the full moon gleaming off the clouds, the stars above, and glistening marble. Very breathtaking!

Then we went back to the Taj in the morning. We left the hotel at 5:30 so we could be there at 6 when the Taj opens. This served three great purposes: the heat wasn't so bad, it wasn't crowded, and best of all, the light was wonderful. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the color of the Taj Mahal changes. It went from a cool gray, to a buttery yellow, to a gleaming white. I was so lucky to be able to witness this! Again, words don't really describe it. Anyway, we walked around the grounds, took a lot of pictures, made comments about the wardrobes of all the tourists there. Apparently MC Hammer pants are a big trend amongst the European backpackers. Should I try to score a pair?

The other sightseeing component of the trip was an excursion to Fatehpur Sikri. It's basically an abandoned palace and mosque complex that was built and inhabited a couple hundred years ago by one of the Mughals. It was distinctly different from the other monuments I've seen so far- it reminded me a lot of the Forbidden City in Beijing (which I also visited in 2000) and there were lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the purposes of the various areas we went through. Additionally, we went to the mosque area which also has Chittri's tomb. The inside of the tomb was quite spectacularly painted with flowers and the marble had gorgeous inlay- if it looks this beautiful in 2010 I can't even imagine how it must have looked when it was first built. Anyway- there's a tradition at the tomb to tie a thread around the marble lattice that serves as a window into the tomb, and make a wish. I am a sucker for things like this so naturally, I got some thread from the guy there and made my wish very earnestly. (If you want to learn more about Fatehpur Sikri just check out this Wikipedia page as a starting point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatehpur_Sikri).

Also, the hotel was really nice, and instead of doing some more sightseeing I opted to stay back and get a spa treatment. My treatment was called a Spice Rub. It consisted of about 30 minutes of me being vigorously scrubbed with warm oil mixed with spices, followed by about 15 minutes wrapped in warm towels soaking it all in. The spices used were things like cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, things like that. It was relaxing and invigorating at the same time, and afterwards I felt wonderful! What am I going to do when I get back to the US and can't afford these frequent luxurious beauty treatments? Well, maybe I can get enough of them while I'm here that I get sick of them? Think that will work?

But perhaps the most interesting part of the trip was the drive there and back. It was about 6 hours each way, in a very luxurious and spacious mini-bus that had great air conditioning. Like I said in my earlier entry, it was totally different than taking a road trip in the US in that it was all on what you would consider back roads or rural/state/county highways. We passed by numerous Dhabas- outdoor restaurants with attached inns- and through many small towns. We also saw a bit of rural life: cows, pigs, goats, and people in the fields. Every stretch of road had something new and exciting to see, and in between little catnaps I just looked out the window trying to take it all in. I saw and elephant and a camel, even.

You know how there is that stereotype about cows being everywhere in India? Well, outside the cities it's basically true. Families keep cows for a certain number of years (until they can no longer produce milk) and then let them go, at which point they essentially become stray animals because it is illegal in India to kill a cow. Fortunately, within the Circle of Life that is India, the cows still serve a purpose: since there's no formal organized garbage collection in most of India, the cows (and pigs, and other stray animals) take care of consuming things like food scraps, and their dung is a great fuel. Not the system we are used to in the US- but a system nonetheless!

Anyway, now I am back to my normal routine of school in the morning followed by miscellaneous stuff in the afternoon and an early bedtime. Today I actually had to do errands: take laundry to the cleaners, pick up my new Salwar Kameez, and go to the ATM. I also went to the gym. So I am maintaining a pretty busy schedule I guess- and the time is flying by. In just over two weeks I'll be on my way home- hard to believe! There are still a couple places I would like to visit, but, now that I have seen the Taj Mahal (again) it seems like everything else would just pale in comparison. I plan to visit Jantar Mantar (an observatory, which is supposed to be really cool) and hoping to make it to Akshardham Temple. Both of these places have been highly recommended to me by guidebooks, people, and the students at my host school, so I know they are well worth the time and effort! The other place I plan to check out is a crafts bazaar called Dilli Haat. You know, for gifts.

Well I've just spent over an hour writing this blog entry and still have so much to say- but I will have to leave that for another time, as my internet time is almost up.