Well, the sixth of seven Wonders of the World are solidly under my belt... we did the Taj Mahal today! It is as magnificent (possibly more) than I imagined... We took a sneak peak from the back side of it at sunset last night, which was stunning, but tempered a bit by all the Indians chasing us around, trying to get us to buy something, or maybe have a little look-see inside of our bags? Let's just say there were some firm words.
This morning, we got into the grounds of the Taj as the sun was coming up. There was a very dense fog coming up from the river that lent a mystique to the whole experience. It is amazing that so much love was put into building this colossal tomb (built by emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his wife in the 1600s), and so much time... it took 20,000 people 22 years to build. The detail in the marble carving is beyond descrption.
For the balance of these two days in Agra, we checked out a huge old military fort, and today we are venturing out of town to an Fatehpur Sikri, a fortified ghost city which was the capital of the Mughal empire in the 1500s, but since abandoned (yet another World Heritage site on our journey!). We maintain an exceptionally hypervigilant state to avoid death or other bodily injury, which we remain at high risk of at all times from any or all of the following: cows blocking traffic; pollution blocking alveoli; mosquitos carrying dengue and/or malaria; cow poo threatening to cause banana-peel like incident (doubly bad if incident causes deviation into traffic inches to the right); flea bitten, hungry (?rabid) dogs; heat stroke and/or extreme dehydration; water bottles being refilled with sesspool tap water and resold as 'new' in fridges (check those caps for sealage!) sunburn (less likely given #2 above); any food product not accepted for processing by our intestines (so far, cross your fingers!); angry monkey who clearly does not enjoy flash photography; unmarked cliffs/sharp edges at monuments, guaranteeing ankle fracture (or worse); and the list goes on. However, our forays into the urban (is there any rural around here??) wilderness is always rewarded by an incredible, unforgettable experience, and soothed by the joy of a first world hotel that have taken on the stature of Oasis in our minds. :()
This morning, we got into the grounds of the Taj as the sun was coming up. There was a very dense fog coming up from the river that lent a mystique to the whole experience. It is amazing that so much love was put into building this colossal tomb (built by emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his wife in the 1600s), and so much time... it took 20,000 people 22 years to build. The detail in the marble carving is beyond descrption.
For the balance of these two days in Agra, we checked out a huge old military fort, and today we are venturing out of town to an Fatehpur Sikri, a fortified ghost city which was the capital of the Mughal empire in the 1500s, but since abandoned (yet another World Heritage site on our journey!). We maintain an exceptionally hypervigilant state to avoid death or other bodily injury, which we remain at high risk of at all times from any or all of the following: cows blocking traffic; pollution blocking alveoli; mosquitos carrying dengue and/or malaria; cow poo threatening to cause banana-peel like incident (doubly bad if incident causes deviation into traffic inches to the right); flea bitten, hungry (?rabid) dogs; heat stroke and/or extreme dehydration; water bottles being refilled with sesspool tap water and resold as 'new' in fridges (check those caps for sealage!) sunburn (less likely given #2 above); any food product not accepted for processing by our intestines (so far, cross your fingers!); angry monkey who clearly does not enjoy flash photography; unmarked cliffs/sharp edges at monuments, guaranteeing ankle fracture (or worse); and the list goes on. However, our forays into the urban (is there any rural around here??) wilderness is always rewarded by an incredible, unforgettable experience, and soothed by the joy of a first world hotel that have taken on the stature of Oasis in our minds. :()
1 comment:
Awesome stories, and pictures Sue! I just decided to become a blog member, that's why this is my first post. I am so jealous. Maybe one day, though without kids in tow, as they would surely slip on that manure and become traffic pancakes:)
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