A Great Revelation in Agra

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.


Agra Fort






Love the monkeys in the windows! They were everywhere. I kind of felt like I was in the movie Congo, it was a little intense.






View of the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort




Gorgeous gardens


:) - mommy monkey with baby monkey


Grounds


More monkeys!






Outside the Fort


Our walk to view the Taj Mahal from afar and experience the life those live on the outskirts.






Other side




Homes/Slums




Making the bindis


Getting my Bindi




Amazing dinner!


Entrance to the Taj Mahal


Other side of the entrance


Breathtaking




Is this real life?


No words






View


What's your Taj Mahal Dance?


My Taj Mahal Dance




Walk from the Taj Mahal back to our car


Taking a bus to Fatehpur Sikri






Nice family that followed us around taking photos of us!


View




Back entrance of the "Gate of Magnificence"


Jama Masjid


Tombs


Sacrifices










Incredible View

Delhi Du-da Day

After re-reading my first post on India, I noticed that even though I reiterated how much I appreciated the country and culture and it was probably my favorite part of my trip, I think it still came off that I had mixed feelings regarding my time there.

I have traveled a bunch, but I have never been to a country that has more culturally and historically to see and experience. Even the Great Wall of China doesn’t compare to the countless forts, castles, art, textiles, temples, holy grounds, government buildings, workshops, gardens, markets, etc. that India has to offer. The beautiful history radiates throughout the landscapes of each and every city. Even in Goa, a popular beach destination, there are forts, temples and even Catholic churches.

Our first stop in India was Delhi. Dehli is an enormous city; it is the capital of India after all! It is actually the third largest city in the world (exceeded by two other Indian cities, one of which we visited as well – Mumbai). We were only there two days so we had to jam-pack everything in.

My friend Missy, who I often travel with, met me in Delhi. We both like to pack as much into our itineraries as possible so we can try and see all a country or city has to offer. And then we have a method of after 5 or so days of going and going, we head to the beach in whatever country we are in to relax and enjoy the ocean scenery. It is a win-win way of traveling and that’s why we are trying to see as much as possible while youth is on our side and we have the energy to do so!

That being said, while in Delhi we visited: Jama Masjid (largest mosque in India), Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Lodhi Gardens, India Gate, Presidential Palace, Raj Ghat (Ghandi’s Memorial where he was assassinated and then cremated), Qutb Minar, and Lal Qila, to name a few. I’m sure I left some out – there was SO much!

Also, it wasn't until India that I the great interest in foreigners emerged, especially American foreigners. I mentioned in earlier posts that unlike my time in China, most of Southeast Asia didn't seem to think twice that "white folk" were roaming about. That all changed in India! Everywhere we went we were asked to take photos, hold babies and take photos with them, switch off with every family member to have a photo with two American gals. We started to get a little annoyed and at times frustrated because here we were seeing the Taj Mahal and all these great wonders of the world and most were more concerned with us. We had to start saying "no" to many picture opps because it was just too overwhelming (is this how Gaga feels?). Our tour guide did explain that most of the people are traveling from other Indian cities not as big as the ones we are visiting and have never seen a "white person" in real life before. Plus, he said the more photos of "white people" a family has while on vacation, it appears to fellow residents in their hometown that their vacation was absolutely stellar and regal, if you will.

I'll be posting a bunch of these "family" shots!



Presidential Palace and Grounds


One of MANY photos taken with the people of India


Getting henna-fied




Family shot in front of India Gate


Missy and I in the gardens leading up to Jama Masjid


Entrance to Jama Masjid


Jama Masjid


Hi!


Jama Masjid


Climbing up to see inside!


View of President's Palace


Love this shot


Yum!




Bahai House of Worship


Qutab Minar - I told Missy to get me kicking it much like photos in front of the Leaning Tower of Piza, however, she got a shot of me looking like I am peeing on it instead!


Cool shot


Qutab Minar


Red Fort


Lodhi gardens on the grounds of Raj Ghat


Dinner, yum!