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"Saw things clearer
Once you, were in my...rearview mirror...
I gather speed from you fucking with me
Once and for all I'm far away
I hardly believe, finally the shades...are raised..."
Pearl Jam
This was taken in Chinatown (DC). The reflection in the rearview mirror of this scotter is the colorful buildings in this area.
With Rajasthan in the proverbial rearview mirror, we made a quick pit stop (literally) in Agra. Agra is pretty much on everyone’s “to do” list when it comes to India, as it’s where the Taj Mahal is located. Also, it’s not terribly far from Delhi as the crow flies.
However, there isn’t much else to see or do in Agra besides visit the Taj, so there isn’t much of a reason to stay in the city for more than a few hours unless you intend to try to catch it in morning or evening light. Since we were on a reasonably tight schedule, with Varanasi yet to come in Uttar Pradesh, this was less than a five hour stop. That’s not much time given that it was a long (twelve plus hour) train ride to get here, and a similar train ride out of here to get to Varanasi.
So is the Taj Mahal worth the fuss? Sure. It’s a gorgeous structure and, once you get accustomed to the throngs of people, it’s actually even a bit relaxing. Getting in to see it isn’t terribly expensive. The price comes out to about $15 USD (75 RMB, 750 INR), which is fine. The line in wasn’t terribly long. They’re very strict, though. You can’t bring in tripods, backpacks, or…well…pretty much anything except a camera around your neck. (Five months later, I’m not 100% sure I didn’t have my tripod with me, but pretty close; I think it’s a rule.)
I was wandering around the Taj on my own (or, in and out of various groups, is more precise). Now, naturally, a building this old has to undergo restoration from time to time, and I suppose I should be glad that the main building wasn’t under restoration, but it was still a slight letdown that one of the four minarets (northeast) was undergoing repairs. The only other thing I found slightly disappointing is that the reflecting pool in front of the Taj was bone dry. I spent my time reflecting on how unfortunate that was.
Getting to the structure itself, I won’t write any tedious details. (Look it up on Wikipedia or some other site if you’d like.) I’ll just say that it’s an impressive structure in 3-D and absolutely jaw-dropping if you can vividly imagine it with the fourth dimension of time and picture this during the various centuries. The only other details I’ll mention now is that the Taj Mahal is simply a mausoleum – albeit spectacular one – built by Shah Jahan in memorial to his third wife, Mumtaz, in 1631. When Shah Jahan died in 1666 (he was actually imprisoned off in the nearby Red Fort by his son, who overthrew him, and spent his last years having to look at the Taj from a jail cell), he, too, was buried here.
Alright…that’s about all I’ll say regarding the Taj Mahal, with the final note that I was certainly glad to have stopped here to see it. By 8:00 Sunday night, I was sitting in the train station and already looking forward to getting to the holy city of Varanasi near the eastern border of the state.
West on HWY 12 with the foot on the gas and a finger on the shutter.
H-NTWKCK9-10A with EMD 9038-9025.
Universal audio input for audio devices, such as iPod, MP3, MP4 to enjoy wirelessstereo listening
Phone book for max.200 address list
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