4 dOwN, 3 tO Go

"Huh, I thought it was bigger than that." The day after Holi, M3 hoped in our car at 6am and headed the three hours from Delhi to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. I'm not really sure what I expected the surrounding area to be like, perhaps a pulsing metropolis with this infamous relic at its heart. Instead, this 16th century Mughal capital is a small area with not much around it, not even in the way of hotels. I'd even venture to say that every one in three houses looks like it's been bombed out, completely uninhabited. It was close to the scattered, unlivable but bursting at the seams India I had imagined.

You soon forget the eerie, slightly confusing drive through Agra as you realize you're just a few minutes walk away from part of iconic India (a lasting testament to love) and for me the fourth viewed 7 Wonders of the World--a jelly belly for the person that spots it first!

The driver parked our car and I decided it'd probably be a good idea to put a bit of make-up since I'd be taking loads of photos. After we each had a brief organizational session, we declined multiple rabid-looking camel rides and headed on foot towards the Taj Mahal. The ticketing office was a confusing because we expected it to be swarming with tourists. Ends up we were just beating the crowds and instead we got a non-existent line, a complimentary bottle of water and some foot booties (we only saw Japanese tourists using them.)

It's hard to prepare for the moment when you get to see something you've always wanted. The garden-tomb with its perfect symmetry, towering minarets, and incredible floral and calligraphic detailing was built not only to commemorate the life of Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan's favorite wife, but also to honor the Islamic garden of paradise. You battle between wanting to rush around and take it all in with seemingly starving eyes, or slowly sip it down step by step; seeing how it's nearness and angles affect you. After our initial shock of, "it's not small, but for some reason I thought it was bigger than this," there were several moments when we'd stop and stare, or just enjoy amid a torrent of photo taking possibilities. I also had been given the charge to take close-up photos of the Taj since no one ever does, so my eyes were working over time.

Really, nothing can do it justice. In total we spent 3.5 hours wandering around exploring every outside angle, finally entering its sacred shrine and (after fighting our way out of 30 minute photo ops with groups of random strangers) sitting and breathing in its old, sun scorched, vibrant views.

In all it's majesty... i figured it deserved its own blog post. So, enjoy the views!