Agra in the Afternoon... India!!!!

The most beautiful building in the world!!

 

What the fuck is this now??

I thought it rained in Canada... not like this!!!

Moh, Jon and I left Delhi for Agra early and as is the case this time of year, it was already smoking hot. Who visits India in July????  Not a great omen on a day where we intended to explore outside rather than an air conditioned museum .  Agra is some 300 kms southwest of the city over flat-ish dessert like ground. I have seen heavy rain before but not like this. India monsoon rains are frighteningly heavy bringing our little taxi almost to a stop at times.

Hours later we dutifully braved lineups in 40 degree weather and paid the 1000 rupee entry fee. (Locals pay 50 I think). However!!!! we were able to go in the tourist line which was shorter and had free bathroom services! The heat was extraordinary and as you can see below my "dry-weave"shirt is anything but! To the credit of my travel mates - there were no complaints rather a lot of good laughs along the way. Moh is from Iraq and owns a couple of beautiful salons in Germany and is in India on a vacation. From the the goods ole USA, Jon has just finished his education and on a round the world trip before taking a position with Deloitte in the September.  I also would point out that half of traveling is what you see and the other half is the people you meet. Excellent guys to hang with for sure!!

Moh, Jon, myself and our guide

Finally through the turnstiles and despite the heat - it's like entering a  fairy tale. The Taj (crown palace)  truly is exquisite in every respect. Standing back, the proportions and shapes are seductively inspiring. The translucent marble softens the edges making it appear to be one with the sky and at the same time in complete contrast with the tan dessert sand that surrounds it. Since 1634, the white marble has darkened so is now almost constantly being cleaned using an ancient skin lightening mud concoction. This does no damage to the marble and leaves it sparklingly fresh. Not surprisingly it was a failure as a  skin lightening..... a bit too harsh :)

Up close and personal the attention to detail is fantastic. In particular the marble lace carefully inlaid with gems covers the openings to the outside world in an almost magical fasion. So light and delicate, almost like snowflakes intertwined and about to melt.

We next visited Agra fort where the Mughal Emperor Jahan was imprisoned by his son after building the beautiful Mausoleum. It's a love story you see. He so loved his third wife (mostly for popping out 13 kids though died during the birth of number 14) that he built the Taj to honor her. Sadly, once imprisoned in Fort Agra, he could only look at this creation a km away and cherish his 3rd wife entombed below the great white structure. He joined her there after his death where the two remain side by side to this day - below the most beautiful building in the world, Awwwww.
Above and left is his view of the Taj from Fort Agra.

My love affair with Saris

Going back to my days growing up in a small Canadian west coast town, I remember being captivated by the saris I was fortunate to catch a glimpse of from time to time. Later in Vancouver, sightings were more frequent and more tantalizing. Now here - in the midst, I must say that the bright colors and intricate details of Indian women's' dress are a complete delight. While clearly wrong -- I did snap a couple pictures in reverence to the dazzlingly glory of saris.

Thanks for reading!!!! Layno