The Taj - 01/13/2013

The Taj Mahal

BEN - We woke up this morning and were able to catch our first ever tuk-tuk to meet up with the rest of the group.  The ride was actually pretty fun, zipping in between traffic and following no rules whatsoever.  We arrived early at Le Meridien and decided to have a cup of Masala Tea (fast becoming a favorite with its spicy mix) at the restaurant as the rest of the group ate breakfast.  The place was very fancy.  As we left I asked for our bill  and my jaw dropped.  For two cups of tea, it cost R700 or about $13.  That’s expensive in the states!  Absurd, we would definitely not be eating any meals here.  We loaded onto the bus and set off for the city of Agra, about 3 hours away.  The drive used to take anywhere from 3-6 hours, but luckily a new highway called the Yamuna Expressway had just been finished and meant skipping all kinds of traffic.  It was a beautiful road, and we cruised, and were quickly asleep.  I woke up just as we were crossing the Yamuna River, one of the three branches that make up the sacred Ganges.  The river cut a huge path, but due to the dry season, there was only a small channel with numerous people washing clothes in it.

We crossed to river and entered the city of Agra, a bustling hub full of monkeys, garbage, and people.  We stopped and picked up our tour guide for the day, Gary.  

Gary was a tall, friendly Sikh who spoke perfect English.  I learned that to be a Sikh you must adhere to these 5 tenants: 1. Never cut your hair (Gary’s beard was tactfully glued up under his chin; I never would have noticed) 2. Cover your head with a turban as a sign of respect to God 3. Sikhs are warriors, so they must always be prepared for battle 4. Wear a small bracelet, put on when you are born, said to ward off evil 5. Carry a dagger.  Very interesting culture.  Gary was knowledgeable and good with people.  Our first stop for the day was the pride of India, the Taj Mahal.  We walked through the huge red entrance gates, impressive in their own rite, and into a large courtyard realizing that there were 3 other gates in each cardinal direction.  The gate to the actual Taj Mahal was adorned with 22 spherical shapes representing the 22 years it took to complete the construction of the Taj.  Gary made us look down at the ground and walked us through the main gate.  He positioned us for a good view, drew it out, and finally had us all look up as one.

The building took my breath away.  It is immaculate.  Gleaming white marble, not like anything I’ve every experienced before.  Gary lead us all around, telling us of its history, architecture, etc.  All the while I found that I couldn’t take my eyes off the building, it was perfect.  We took all kinds of pictures, along with the swarms of other tourists there.  I was amazed to learn there are two mosques on either side of the Taj, but in actuality only one was truly a mosque.  If faced the proper direction (towards Mecca), the other was built simply to maintain the symmetry of the entire place.  Everything about the Taj is perfect symmetry, except for one thing.  The man who built it was obsessed with symmetry and the only thing he broke it with was his own tomb.  His wife is buried perfectly in the center inside, and he in a smaller tomb to her left.  The building is quite a tribute to a lost love.  The marble work is unbelievable, inlaid semi-precious stones meticulously carved and set.  Very impressive stuff. 

From a different angle

Next Gary took us to a marble shop.  Here we saw a small demonstration of how the inlaid marble masterpieces are crafted, an art only learned by son from father.  One part of the team of two etches a design into the marble with a sharp stylus  while the other uses a hand spun wheel to shave down the semi precious stones to certain shapes, sometimes holding the stones on their fingertips.  Tiring and meticulous work that makes for absolutely, astoundingly beautiful masterpieces.  The small tables they were selling were a fair price, only $250 for the simplest designs, including shipping to your doorstep.  I was tempted, and had my Dad been there, I guarantee he would have bought something.  I was able to restrain myself and just marvel at the artwork.

After the marble factory, Gary took us to lunch at a place that obviously catered to tourists and their non-adventurous eating habits.  Here we had the worst Indian food I’ve ever eaten, dumbed down to please the masses.  The chicken tikka masala was like eating tomato sauce.  Of coarse, our group loved it and were so pleased to “experience Indian food.”  Ugh.  After eating we made a brief stop at a tea shop where we got a lesson on the teas of India; great gifts.  Gabby and I each bought a bunch of different flavors. 

Our final stop for the day was Agra’s Red Fort, a giant fortress where the maharajah who built the Taj Mahal lived while it was under construction.  Complete with rooms for his 100 person harem, fishing lake, more ornate granite work, and other displays of ridiculous opulence.  The place was impressive, and we were only allowed in a quarter of it, the other 3 quarters are used by the Indian military as a base.  After the fort, we said goodbye to Gary and headed back to Delhi on our comfy bus (more napping was in order).  When we reached Le Meridien we said goodbye to our American friends.  They are all good people and it was certainly nice to travel with a large, itinerary based group for awhile, but to be honest I was ready to part ways.  I was a bit frustrated by their unwillingness to be uncomfortable and try something new.   I was ready to get back to adventuring with Gabby.  After exchanging contact details, we caught a tuk tuk back to our hotel, ate a quick dinner, and fell asleep.