Condor Kristen: August 2011

When figuring out our itinerary and amount of time we would spend in each city of India, the most common piece of advice we received was to spend as little time as possible in Agra as the only thing to see there is the Taj Mahal. Thank you for the advice, duly noted.

And now having seen the massive, gorgeous structure, I would suggest one more piece of advice (especially for those like me that are fascinated with the economical and hierarchal structure of foreign grounds) is to spend time wandering the area surrounding the Taj Mahal. It is quite remarkable to see the small, oppressed and poverty-stricken city juxtaposed next to a great wonder of the world with glimpses of a thriving tourist economy. The money that comes into Agra is solely based on the crowd the Taj Mahal attracts. Some may argue that marble and other textiles provide some economical support, however, all those textiles come from Jaipur so if someone really wants it from the source, they go to the final city we visited in the “Golden Triangle.”

After eating a quintessential Indian meal (which was served in plastic bags) and wandering about the slums behind the Taj Mahal where young children were trying to charge us to take pictures and play with their pet goat and camel, we headed to a marble and stone warehouse to get a sneak preview of what we were in store for in Jaipur. At the warehouse we were shown how the beautiful marble works are made with the use of precious and semi-precious stones. We even received two specially made semi-precious stone bindis.

Although the Taj Mahal is the main attraction in Agra, it isn’t the only life-changing structure to see. We also visited the Agra Fort where you can actually view the Taj Mahal in the distance. The site is indescribable and gave me butterflies in my stomach. I literally had to pinch myself several times to convince myself the moment was real. Our last stop before Jaipur was the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fatehpur Sikri. There was so much to see at the site including: the highest gateway in the world, Buland Darwaza “Gate of Magnificence,” the Tomb of Salim Chishti, and one of the largest mosques in India Jama Masjid.

Visiting Agra was such a remarkable experience. I reflect daily on my time spent there and loose myself in daydreams of the hand-carved marble architecture and the culturally sound ways.

On our way to Agra, our driver hit a motorcyclist so we had an extra pit-stop to the hospital! haha soo crazy! Wound up being the first of two that day! Oh, India.