Mughal Bazar visible out the window reiterated the foreign influences prevalent in this area.
My guide decided Taj was much too mundane of a day and additional spice was required. So my day started off behind the wheel learning to drive in India. Driving in India is most akin to wheeling or jeeping in the US. When jeeping in the US there are plenty of stationary obstacles. In India there are even more obstacles and they are all in motion. Left handed shifting, right handed steering, and horn use came pretty naturally. Signals were another story where I found windshield wipers more often than turn signals. Wipers and blinkers are reversed on the column. Tracking everything moving outside, shifting, steering, and using the horn make driving a full time job.
Eventually we hired a guide, found a parking spot, and set out to visit the Taj.
This is the eastern entrance gate which is mirrored by a western gate. A southern gate connects directly to what used to be workers quarters and now is a market if I understand correctly.
Inside is another entry gate. Eleven crowns each at the beginning and ending of the tunnel signify the 22 year construction of the site.
Mandatory I was here snap:
Our guide was quite camera happy and posing got old very quicly. We staged a miniature rebellion, took the camera away from him, and settled in to enjoy the sites.
Another panorama and my recollection of the buildings from left to right:
* far left memorial for one wife that gave no children
* red sandstone building adjacent to the Taj whose role I cannot remember but is a modern day luxury guest house
* Taj Mahal for emperor and wife who mothered 14 children and died in childbirth for the last one
* red sandstone building adjacent to the Taj whose role I cannot remember but is a modern day luxury guest house
* far right memorial for another wife that gave no children
The Taj Mahal itself is quite beautiful. No painting; everything is carved and inlaid stone.
These slabs are impressive - carving away the surface to leave floral designs. Inside the tomb are intricately carved "screens" whittled away from single large sheets of marble. By chance I got to see an inner wall exposed to light and the stones inlaid in the marble really do glow almost to the point of fluorescing. Its quite impressive and kind of sad there is permanent display that reveals this feature.
Adjacent "guest houses" are really quite amazing:
And finally a view of the entry gate from the Taj Mahal:
Its a beautiful structure that combines design elements from Moghul, Persian, Muslim, and Hindi cultures. Concurrently it celebrates life (14 children!) and death. I found it reassuring how well the site was maintained especially compared to some other historical sites.
We employed a guide for the Taj. I've tried audio guides and live guides. Personally I favor the audio guides. Listen at your own pace and generally be more assured of the accuracy and validity of information. Live guides do tell some great stories.
While I managed to drive safely enough on the streets of Agra I also wore out the last of my beginners luck. Some element of lunch at Pizza Hut got the better of my stomach. Side note: Pizza Hut does not have marinara sauce. My local confidant thought I was kidding or it was a communication barrier. Nope, honest injun, no marinara. Requesting tomato sauce for garlic bread yields a packet of ketchup.
Concurrently a ridiculously heavy fog arrived for the evening commute back to Delhi slowing travel and extending the trip from 4 to 6.5 hours. The excitement of of this ride started before the fog even arrived. We crossed an overpass with deep craters in the cement. At one point we were rolling along beside a lorry and I watched it drop into a 6" deep crater in the road. We dropped into the edge of the same crater. We were close enough I watched the truck mudflap scrape the ground. The vehicle bodies missed colliding only because the car I was in tapered at the back. Had it been square there would have been body damage. See, just like jeeping in the US, body guards are highly recommended. Later when the fog set in I could see the car directly in front of us but not the car ahead of that one. I could not see the edge of the road out the window. The most memorable part of this was riding along between two lorries and seeing a third suddenly pass by going the opposite direction. Headlights of the truck behind were head high. The one faint working tail light of the truck ahead was head high. Then suddenly out of the soup of fog another headlight appeared coming toward us, traveling the opposite direction, and floating along about head high. It's a really good thing that everything moves slower here. Try as I might I could not get a picture that did justice to the situation.
The next morning fog delayed and canceled flights out of Delhi. Fog was so dense I could not see the end of the jet bridge or the jet parked there. The slow down was a fortuitous opportunity to rest and function on diminished calorie absorption.
I was surprised to discover India also slows down for Christmas. I think everyone appreciates a reason to party. Traffic was light, hotel was short staff, and laundry was two day turnaround. I laid low for my own recovery and to spare others from well worn clothes. I also realized this is how Santa gets his work done - globalization and crowd sourcing. My day time was US Christmas Eve night time.
I'm accumulating a good amount of knowledge about India if conversational reactions are valid indicators. This is a personal perk. On two recent occasions friends have recognized Indian topics after following my adventures. This is an outside perk. It feels good to have a part in bringing the world closer together.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
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