Mood: Good.
The Peanut Countdown: 56 days.
POD:
Kids waving to me on the bus
Entering the gate to the Taj Mahal
Inside the gate
Picture perfect
Up close
Masjid next to the Taj
Day 5: India - Agra
This was one of the best and worst days of our India trip. Worst because it was the height of Shehrzad's illness. He was hurtin' bad. All he could do was moan, sleep, and listen to his iPod. It was one of the best days since it was the day we saw the Taj Mahal. We left bright and early from Delhi to drive about 4 hours to Agra. I don't remember much about the bus ride other than asking Shehrzad a million times if he needed anything and if he was going to be alright. About 4 hours later, we were in Agra and stopped for lunch before visiting the Taj. Shehrzad was feeling miserable and didn't want to eat anything, so I stayed in the bus with him for about 45 minutes while the rest of the group had lunch. My stomach was starting to feel a little funny, so I had no problem skipping a meal [or ten, as it would soon become]. Lunch that day for me consisted of one biscotti and a handful of Pringles. While Shehrzad slept, I people-watched from the bus window. Right next to where the bus parked was a dwelling where it seemed about 20 kids lived. As soon as a tour bus parked close by, they would creep around the corner to gawk at the local celebrities. They did the same with our bus to all our tour members and they got really interested when they saw there were two passengers that didn't get off the bus. The girls and boys looked to be in the 1-12yr age range and they all wore ripped, ratty clothes, but had the hugest smiles for me I've ever seen. I waved to them, they waved back and smiled. I waved again, they waved and waved and kept waving. They were so cute. So I started taking pictures of them. They got all excited when they saw my camera through the bus window and called all their brothers and sisters over for a group photo. Above are some of the photos I took of them.
Once the group returned from lunch, we were off to see the Taj! So exciting!! The Taj Mahal had actually been closed to visitors for a few years prior due to extreme pollution and a desire to renovate and clean the monument. Because of this new interest in keeping the area around the Taj pollution-free, all vehicles are required to park in a parking lot about 2 miles away from the Taj and take battery operated buses to the entrance. Before we got off the bus, our tour guide warned us to especially be careful of pick-pocketers and people trying to sell you random things. Indians love taking advantage of foreign tourists. The perfect example was the fact that admission to Taj for an Indian national is 25 rupees (the equivalent of about USD$0.50 cents), but 750 rupees (about USD$15) for a foreigner! My friend Priya said she was going to try to get admission as an Indian national, but was warned that if the entrance officials had any doubts, they would quiz her about where she's from, who holds various government positions in that town, etc. Somehow, she made it in! My dad was thinking about trying the same thing, but there was a huge fine if you were found to be lying, so we were able to convince him not to risk it. After a short 5 minute ride on the battery-operated bus, we were let out at the entrance, but still couldn't see anything resembling the Taj. Then we all had to go through rigorous security screens. We weren't allowed to take any food, candy, drinks, and any other non-essential items inside the Taj area, so my granola bar was confiscated. Seriously, the security screening at the Taj was way more hardcore than at any of the airports I've ever been to. They found EVERYTHING! Even my dad's mini tape recorder was confiscated. He lost a granola bar or two as well. But muahahaha, they didn't find my other biscotti.
Once we passed security, we walked through one of the huge gates that leads to the Taj. The amazing Taj Mahal is so hard to put into words, so I'm including some pictures. Still, no amount of pictures of the Taj can do it justice. This place was unbelievable. I felt like I was watching a movie on a big screen and it wasn't really happening right in front of me. We were snapping pictures from the instant we saw a glimpse of the gigantic monument. One thing I really didn't understand was… in most every picture I've seen of the Taj, there are no people anywhere. How in the world does that happen? Every single picture we took had at least a few hundred heads in it. That's some serious Photoshop work…
It was just beautiful. Nothing like I imagined it would be. Just amazing. We took a ton of pictures at the entrance where we got perfect full-body-Taj shots, took a bunch of family pictures with the Taj in the background, and then started walking towards the Taj. I remember I just couldn't take my eyes away from it. The sheer size of it was breathtaking. As we walked towards it, we walked past beautiful pools and gardens. Somewhere along the way, we were given white cotton coverings for our shoes since you're not allowed to walk on the marble around the Taj in your shoes. We took the stairs up, all the while taking picture after picture after picture. And then joined a line that took you inside the Taj. We were actually going to go inside!!! This was a huge surprise for me. We stood in line for about 10 minutes and then made it inside. Since the sun was going down fast, there wasn't much to see, but I don't think there's much to see otherwise. In the first room, there were replicas of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan's tombs (Shah Jahan built the Taj for his wife Mumtaz as a testimony of his love for her) and in the other rooms, there was intricate inlaid work in the marble walls. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so that description will have to suffice. :)
Once outside again, we just wandered around the perimeter of the Taj taking it all in. There are Arabic verses inlaid in the marble on the outside, beautiful designs, and it's all perfectly symmetrical. There was serious genious that went into the construction of the Taj. My dad noticed that on each corner of the Taj, if you looked at the pillar from a distance, it looked like each pillar had 6 sides. But as you approached the pillar, you realize it's an optical illusion and each pillar is really made up of 3 sides. Such detail. Rumor has it that Shah Jahan had the architects' hands cut off after the construction so that they would never be able to replicate anything like it. Everything about it was just amazingly beautiful. Hopefully the pictures give you a glimpse of that.
Met back up with the tour group, took more pictures, and then made our way back to the bus. On the way, my mom and I stopped to buy some mini replicas of the Taj and I got a small one for our home. When the tour guide found out, he rolled his eyes and said that we shouldn't be surprised if it's broken by the time we get back to the hotel. Um, I guess he knew what he was talking about… by the time Shehrzad and I made it to Pakistan, my mini Taj was a not-so-mini pile of rubble. Ah well.
Back at the hotel, Shehrzad was still feeling crummy and I was starting to feel pretty bad, so we called it a night and prepared for our next day's bus ride to Jaipur!
Daily Dose of Lubna: Shehrzad and I are going to start househunting soon!
The Peanut Countdown: 56 days.
POD:
Kids waving to me on the bus
Entering the gate to the Taj Mahal
Inside the gate
Picture perfect
Up close
Masjid next to the Taj
Day 5: India - Agra
This was one of the best and worst days of our India trip. Worst because it was the height of Shehrzad's illness. He was hurtin' bad. All he could do was moan, sleep, and listen to his iPod. It was one of the best days since it was the day we saw the Taj Mahal. We left bright and early from Delhi to drive about 4 hours to Agra. I don't remember much about the bus ride other than asking Shehrzad a million times if he needed anything and if he was going to be alright. About 4 hours later, we were in Agra and stopped for lunch before visiting the Taj. Shehrzad was feeling miserable and didn't want to eat anything, so I stayed in the bus with him for about 45 minutes while the rest of the group had lunch. My stomach was starting to feel a little funny, so I had no problem skipping a meal [or ten, as it would soon become]. Lunch that day for me consisted of one biscotti and a handful of Pringles. While Shehrzad slept, I people-watched from the bus window. Right next to where the bus parked was a dwelling where it seemed about 20 kids lived. As soon as a tour bus parked close by, they would creep around the corner to gawk at the local celebrities. They did the same with our bus to all our tour members and they got really interested when they saw there were two passengers that didn't get off the bus. The girls and boys looked to be in the 1-12yr age range and they all wore ripped, ratty clothes, but had the hugest smiles for me I've ever seen. I waved to them, they waved back and smiled. I waved again, they waved and waved and kept waving. They were so cute. So I started taking pictures of them. They got all excited when they saw my camera through the bus window and called all their brothers and sisters over for a group photo. Above are some of the photos I took of them.
Once the group returned from lunch, we were off to see the Taj! So exciting!! The Taj Mahal had actually been closed to visitors for a few years prior due to extreme pollution and a desire to renovate and clean the monument. Because of this new interest in keeping the area around the Taj pollution-free, all vehicles are required to park in a parking lot about 2 miles away from the Taj and take battery operated buses to the entrance. Before we got off the bus, our tour guide warned us to especially be careful of pick-pocketers and people trying to sell you random things. Indians love taking advantage of foreign tourists. The perfect example was the fact that admission to Taj for an Indian national is 25 rupees (the equivalent of about USD$0.50 cents), but 750 rupees (about USD$15) for a foreigner! My friend Priya said she was going to try to get admission as an Indian national, but was warned that if the entrance officials had any doubts, they would quiz her about where she's from, who holds various government positions in that town, etc. Somehow, she made it in! My dad was thinking about trying the same thing, but there was a huge fine if you were found to be lying, so we were able to convince him not to risk it. After a short 5 minute ride on the battery-operated bus, we were let out at the entrance, but still couldn't see anything resembling the Taj. Then we all had to go through rigorous security screens. We weren't allowed to take any food, candy, drinks, and any other non-essential items inside the Taj area, so my granola bar was confiscated. Seriously, the security screening at the Taj was way more hardcore than at any of the airports I've ever been to. They found EVERYTHING! Even my dad's mini tape recorder was confiscated. He lost a granola bar or two as well. But muahahaha, they didn't find my other biscotti.
Once we passed security, we walked through one of the huge gates that leads to the Taj. The amazing Taj Mahal is so hard to put into words, so I'm including some pictures. Still, no amount of pictures of the Taj can do it justice. This place was unbelievable. I felt like I was watching a movie on a big screen and it wasn't really happening right in front of me. We were snapping pictures from the instant we saw a glimpse of the gigantic monument. One thing I really didn't understand was… in most every picture I've seen of the Taj, there are no people anywhere. How in the world does that happen? Every single picture we took had at least a few hundred heads in it. That's some serious Photoshop work…
It was just beautiful. Nothing like I imagined it would be. Just amazing. We took a ton of pictures at the entrance where we got perfect full-body-Taj shots, took a bunch of family pictures with the Taj in the background, and then started walking towards the Taj. I remember I just couldn't take my eyes away from it. The sheer size of it was breathtaking. As we walked towards it, we walked past beautiful pools and gardens. Somewhere along the way, we were given white cotton coverings for our shoes since you're not allowed to walk on the marble around the Taj in your shoes. We took the stairs up, all the while taking picture after picture after picture. And then joined a line that took you inside the Taj. We were actually going to go inside!!! This was a huge surprise for me. We stood in line for about 10 minutes and then made it inside. Since the sun was going down fast, there wasn't much to see, but I don't think there's much to see otherwise. In the first room, there were replicas of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan's tombs (Shah Jahan built the Taj for his wife Mumtaz as a testimony of his love for her) and in the other rooms, there was intricate inlaid work in the marble walls. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so that description will have to suffice. :)
Once outside again, we just wandered around the perimeter of the Taj taking it all in. There are Arabic verses inlaid in the marble on the outside, beautiful designs, and it's all perfectly symmetrical. There was serious genious that went into the construction of the Taj. My dad noticed that on each corner of the Taj, if you looked at the pillar from a distance, it looked like each pillar had 6 sides. But as you approached the pillar, you realize it's an optical illusion and each pillar is really made up of 3 sides. Such detail. Rumor has it that Shah Jahan had the architects' hands cut off after the construction so that they would never be able to replicate anything like it. Everything about it was just amazingly beautiful. Hopefully the pictures give you a glimpse of that.
Met back up with the tour group, took more pictures, and then made our way back to the bus. On the way, my mom and I stopped to buy some mini replicas of the Taj and I got a small one for our home. When the tour guide found out, he rolled his eyes and said that we shouldn't be surprised if it's broken by the time we get back to the hotel. Um, I guess he knew what he was talking about… by the time Shehrzad and I made it to Pakistan, my mini Taj was a not-so-mini pile of rubble. Ah well.
Back at the hotel, Shehrzad was still feeling crummy and I was starting to feel pretty bad, so we called it a night and prepared for our next day's bus ride to Jaipur!
Daily Dose of Lubna: Shehrzad and I are going to start househunting soon!
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