Taj Mahal

Early Saturday my dad and I left Anaikatti for North India - Delhi, Agra and Ranthambhore - mostly for the purpose of seeing another part of India (and because if I hang out with those kids another day I might adopt one). As I should well know by now, traveling in India is no walk in the park, and my pops is no spring chicken. Neglecting those details, I planned a full on week of traveling with little time for rest. We arrived in Delhi and were met by a car to take us straight to Agra. We were informed by the driver that the supposed four hour drive would definitely take at least five hours, what with the terrible traffic and bridge construction.

About six hours into this drive, I was thinking I had made a big mistake. We were worn out and the drive got progressively worse. Imagine the drive on I-65 from Nashville to Birmingham; now add 432 tractors, driving in the wrong direction at a whopping 5 mph; grab a few dozen camels, ox and horses and put every argricultural product in India on their backs; next find 336 bicycle rickshaws with living room furniture sets, piles of bricks, or propane tanks strapped to the back; include 12 million or so tiny puttering auto rickshaws with upwards of seventeen people in them and finally, put the 500,000 people who live in "small town India" on the road. THAT WAS THE DRIVE TO AGRA. It took seven hours, we almost lost our lives nine times, and we didn't have a thing to eat. Way to go Katherine, you planned like a pro. My dad was very sweet about the whole thing, as stressful as it was and when we did arrive at our hotel, they liked us so much we got upgraded to their best suite. It is amazing what a fancy bathroom can do for your psyche after all your hair has fallen out.

All this in the pursuit of the Taj Mahal, solid in its standing as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is said that you visit the Taj at sunset or sunrise because of the way the light hits the white marble and its millions of inlaid mother of pearl stones. We chose the sunrise, since we watched the sunset in a fit of anxiety on the highway. With the the sun rising at around 6:15, traffic on the way (yes, 6am traffic), and the lines at the gate, we had to wake up at 5am to get there on time. My dad dutifully dragged me out of bed - I am not a morning person - Ghandi could not have gotten me up any faster. I even went without coffee, a first for me.

In the end, it was all worth it. All jokes aside, stepping through the gate of the Taj Mahal and viewing that famous image firsthand was breathtaking. The sunrise made it all the more beautiful, and despite the hundreds of people inside the gates, it was really very quiet and peaceful. We explored the side nooks of the surrounding gardens, got some fabulous photos through the trees, and took about an hour and a half to enjoy the whole experience. It is amazing to think how one man missed his dead wife so desperately that he would honor her this way. Kipling described the memorial monument perfectly in my mind: "the embodiment of all things pure, all things holy, and all things unhappy." The Taj Mahal is indeed pure, holy and oddly, unhappy - we felt a very sobering effect in its presence.

I have not included any pictures, though I took about a hundred. Another famous writer Edward Lear said, "Let the inhabitants of the world be divided into two classes - them as has seen the Taj Mahal and them as hasn't." You should definitely see it for yourself. Or for 5 rupees I'll let you take a peek at my photos.