After so very little sleep, the day we were traveling to see the Taj Mahal had arrived. I easily awoke at 5 am, giddy with excitement. We had ordered boxed breakfasts that were delivered at 5:30. I was ready to go by 6 am. I was the only one! I had to wake Mike up (luckily his room was across the hall and I didn't have to go far). I had to text Schick several times. And once the three of us were in the lobby with no sign of Kevin, Schick went up to wake him up. Apparently, Kevin had a really good time at the bar after we left. I believe he was still drunk when he made it down to the lobby.
We began our 4-5 hour journey. It felt like Delhi went on forever - it never felt like we actually left the city. The boys slept most of the way. I did not. I was in the back seat of the mini-van and felt every single bump in the road - and there are a lot of bumps in Indian roads.
About half way through our journey to Agra, we had to stop so our driver could pay taxes. While he was away, many locals with monkeys on leashes came up to our car. One of the monkey's leaped at our car, attaching itself to our window. Shortly after that, one of the owners tried to open the Kevin's car door, screaming 'Pictures. Money. Pictures. Money'. He was extremely aggressive and continued to try to get into the car. Kevin fought him off but it was a scary experience. Apparently, this happens to everyone at this spot. Our friend Nick had a similar experience when he and his father made the journey. I found out later, it's likely that I was the instigator. As you can see, when the monkey was latched onto my window, I took a picture. I guess the guy wanted me to pay for that picture. Oh well. No harm, no foul.
During the trip, we passed a lot of interesting sites, including several temples, an ashram with a giant physical representation of the Guru and many truck stops and bogodas.
Finally, we arrived in Agra and shortly after we got our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal in the distance. We met up with our guide Ishard Ali, where we left the comfort of our private car with driver and were thrust into chaos. Fortunately, being a white blonde continued to have its benefits. As we made our way through the crowds, it was as if I had put a spell on all of the Indians - they would stare and part letting us through rather easily (at least that was the case as we made our way onto the grounds of the Taj Mahal).
We entered through 1 of 4 gates onto the grounds. Everything at the Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical (all but one thing which I'll comment about later). At this point, we all were dripping with sweat and I was shaking with excitement.
As you look at this picture, notice the small domes above the arch. There are 11 on this side and 11 on the other side, representing the 22 years it took to build the Taj Mahal.
As we stepped through the gate, I couldn't believe my eyes. There it was. I had dreamed of this moment for years and here I was - gazing upon one of the Wonders of the World. I had to pinch myself to make sure it wasn't a dream.
I am so thankful we had a guide. He told us the entire story of the building of the Taj Mahal, which I'm going to try to summarize here for you. As we sat gazing at this glorious monument of love, I found myself crying with joy and heartache. It was such a moving moment - one I will never forget.
The Taj Mahal was built by one of the Mughal Emperors after the death of his favorite wife. He was married three times, but only one of his wives was his most favorite. She became pregnant 14 times, birthing only 6 live babies. During her 14th and last pregnancy, she became gravely ill. She sent for her husband, at which time she asked him to promise her three things.
1) Build a the most beautiful monument in her memory and the memory of their love
2) Never marry again
3) Take good care of their children
After a long time in mourning, the Emperor began to design and then build the Taj Mahal. It took 22 years, 212 artisans, 20,000 people and $14M in 1632 (imagine how much that converts to in modern currency).
During the building of the white Taj Mahal for his wife, he broke ground across the river on the black Taj Mahal for himself. He chose to make it black to reflect his incredible grief in losing his wife. Unfortunately, the black Taj Mahal wasn't built - only the foundation can be seen across the river.
Why, you ask? Because the Emperor's third child was an evil man. First, he killed his two older brothers so he could be Emperor. Then he imprisoned his father because he didn't want to spend money on the black Taj Mahal. Fortunately for the senior Emperor, from his place in the Red Fort where he was imprisoned for 7 years, he could see the Taj Mahal, the final resting place of his love. He gazed upon it everyday waiting for the day when he would rejoin his wife and be buried next to her in the magnificent monument.
I had mentioned that everything on the grounds of the Taj Mahal is symmetrical - everything but one thing. Since the Taj Mahal was built as the mausoleum for his wife, she is buried in the center of the dome. Because the black Taj Mahal was never finished, the Emperor was buried slightly to the side of his wife in the Taj Mahal.
Here are a few more pictures of this magnificent monument to love.
We left the Taj Mahal and ventured to a marble factory where the descendants of the original Taj Mahal artisans continue to create works of marble using the same techniques. It was amazing to see how they used simple tools to make the most beautiful work. I almost bought a marble table with flowers made of 'fire sapphires'. Unfortunately, the price was too steep for me and I will be leaving India without it. :(
We then went to a jewelry store to see examples of the Star of India. It just happens that the Star of India is my lucky gem (that and Blue Sapphire). After a lot of bardering, I purchased a gorgeous pendant with a Star of India - the designer threw in a chain for it (wink, wink). It is now my 'go to' necklace - I love it!
Our last stop before lunch/dinner was our guide's shop where Mike and I purchased a few more souvenirs. Our guide was a lovely man and really improved the quality of our tour of Agra. We then headed to a restaurant called Quality Restaurant. It wasn't that high quality. One thing on their menu was Chicken Wrists. Yuck! Turns out that's just what they call chicken wings.
As the day progressed, Kevin became less drunk and more hungover. By the time we reached the restaurant, he was so far gone that he fell asleep while the three of us ate. It was humorous because all the other patrons were staring at him and laughing, all while we sat there eating.
Finally, we began our journey home. All each of us wanted was a shower, meal and bed. Schick, Mike and I went had dinner in one of the hotel restaurants, blue ginger. We had wine, starters and dessert. It was a perfect ending to an amazing day! Thank you and a big hug for Schick, Mike and Kevin for sharing this memory with me. I will NEVER forget it!
Namaste
We began our 4-5 hour journey. It felt like Delhi went on forever - it never felt like we actually left the city. The boys slept most of the way. I did not. I was in the back seat of the mini-van and felt every single bump in the road - and there are a lot of bumps in Indian roads.
About half way through our journey to Agra, we had to stop so our driver could pay taxes. While he was away, many locals with monkeys on leashes came up to our car. One of the monkey's leaped at our car, attaching itself to our window. Shortly after that, one of the owners tried to open the Kevin's car door, screaming 'Pictures. Money. Pictures. Money'. He was extremely aggressive and continued to try to get into the car. Kevin fought him off but it was a scary experience. Apparently, this happens to everyone at this spot. Our friend Nick had a similar experience when he and his father made the journey. I found out later, it's likely that I was the instigator. As you can see, when the monkey was latched onto my window, I took a picture. I guess the guy wanted me to pay for that picture. Oh well. No harm, no foul.
During the trip, we passed a lot of interesting sites, including several temples, an ashram with a giant physical representation of the Guru and many truck stops and bogodas.
Finally, we arrived in Agra and shortly after we got our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal in the distance. We met up with our guide Ishard Ali, where we left the comfort of our private car with driver and were thrust into chaos. Fortunately, being a white blonde continued to have its benefits. As we made our way through the crowds, it was as if I had put a spell on all of the Indians - they would stare and part letting us through rather easily (at least that was the case as we made our way onto the grounds of the Taj Mahal).
We entered through 1 of 4 gates onto the grounds. Everything at the Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical (all but one thing which I'll comment about later). At this point, we all were dripping with sweat and I was shaking with excitement.
As you look at this picture, notice the small domes above the arch. There are 11 on this side and 11 on the other side, representing the 22 years it took to build the Taj Mahal.
As we stepped through the gate, I couldn't believe my eyes. There it was. I had dreamed of this moment for years and here I was - gazing upon one of the Wonders of the World. I had to pinch myself to make sure it wasn't a dream.
I am so thankful we had a guide. He told us the entire story of the building of the Taj Mahal, which I'm going to try to summarize here for you. As we sat gazing at this glorious monument of love, I found myself crying with joy and heartache. It was such a moving moment - one I will never forget.
The Taj Mahal was built by one of the Mughal Emperors after the death of his favorite wife. He was married three times, but only one of his wives was his most favorite. She became pregnant 14 times, birthing only 6 live babies. During her 14th and last pregnancy, she became gravely ill. She sent for her husband, at which time she asked him to promise her three things.
1) Build a the most beautiful monument in her memory and the memory of their love
2) Never marry again
3) Take good care of their children
After a long time in mourning, the Emperor began to design and then build the Taj Mahal. It took 22 years, 212 artisans, 20,000 people and $14M in 1632 (imagine how much that converts to in modern currency).
During the building of the white Taj Mahal for his wife, he broke ground across the river on the black Taj Mahal for himself. He chose to make it black to reflect his incredible grief in losing his wife. Unfortunately, the black Taj Mahal wasn't built - only the foundation can be seen across the river.
Why, you ask? Because the Emperor's third child was an evil man. First, he killed his two older brothers so he could be Emperor. Then he imprisoned his father because he didn't want to spend money on the black Taj Mahal. Fortunately for the senior Emperor, from his place in the Red Fort where he was imprisoned for 7 years, he could see the Taj Mahal, the final resting place of his love. He gazed upon it everyday waiting for the day when he would rejoin his wife and be buried next to her in the magnificent monument.
I had mentioned that everything on the grounds of the Taj Mahal is symmetrical - everything but one thing. Since the Taj Mahal was built as the mausoleum for his wife, she is buried in the center of the dome. Because the black Taj Mahal was never finished, the Emperor was buried slightly to the side of his wife in the Taj Mahal.
Here are a few more pictures of this magnificent monument to love.
We left the Taj Mahal and ventured to a marble factory where the descendants of the original Taj Mahal artisans continue to create works of marble using the same techniques. It was amazing to see how they used simple tools to make the most beautiful work. I almost bought a marble table with flowers made of 'fire sapphires'. Unfortunately, the price was too steep for me and I will be leaving India without it. :(
We then went to a jewelry store to see examples of the Star of India. It just happens that the Star of India is my lucky gem (that and Blue Sapphire). After a lot of bardering, I purchased a gorgeous pendant with a Star of India - the designer threw in a chain for it (wink, wink). It is now my 'go to' necklace - I love it!
Our last stop before lunch/dinner was our guide's shop where Mike and I purchased a few more souvenirs. Our guide was a lovely man and really improved the quality of our tour of Agra. We then headed to a restaurant called Quality Restaurant. It wasn't that high quality. One thing on their menu was Chicken Wrists. Yuck! Turns out that's just what they call chicken wings.
As the day progressed, Kevin became less drunk and more hungover. By the time we reached the restaurant, he was so far gone that he fell asleep while the three of us ate. It was humorous because all the other patrons were staring at him and laughing, all while we sat there eating.
Finally, we began our journey home. All each of us wanted was a shower, meal and bed. Schick, Mike and I went had dinner in one of the hotel restaurants, blue ginger. We had wine, starters and dessert. It was a perfect ending to an amazing day! Thank you and a big hug for Schick, Mike and Kevin for sharing this memory with me. I will NEVER forget it!
Namaste
Your photos are amazing!! I am so incredibly jealous. One of my best friends is moving to India next summer after she gets married so Im hoping to make it there one day.
ReplyDeleteSara V~