The Taj Mahal, probably one of the most grand expressions of love in history, was so stunningly beautiful and majestic! It's all white marble and perfect symmetry from either side really is a thing to see. However, standing in the presence of this glorious structure was not the only thing that took our breath away on that day. Our ride to its location in the city of Agra in northern India was also quite interesting.
Our driver, Khan, picked us up at 7:30 am from our hotel in New Delhi. Agra is only 120 miles Southeast of Delhi but travel time is doubled in India due to traffic. The gentle driver we had the day before had become an insane, aggressive speed demon overnight on the semi-busy highway. It was also incredibly foggy, which is common in the winter time here. All of these factors led to more than a few situations that caused Jan's knuckles to turn white from clutching the torn plastic car seat.
At some point during our journey outside of Delhi we were flagged down by locals standing in the middle of the road collecting taxes. Our driver stopped to pay the tax once but ignored all of the others who were demanding he pay. He would slow down and then zoom off. The only other times he stopped was when he needed to spit tobacco out his door.
There were a lot of animals on the roads - cattle, 50 pound monkeys, stray dogs and the occasional goat & pig. Usually we saw them digging through the trash littering the highway in hopes of finding nourishment. Eventually, we even saw a camel-drawn rickshaw.
About three hours into our trip as we drove past beautiful yellow fields of mustard, a small white temple under construction appeared on our right side. Our driver pointed to it and said, "There's the Taj (Mahal)." Complete silence befell upon the car as we searched for the nicest way to say, "not according to the pictures we've seen." Apparently, Khan is a comedian as well.
We arrived at Agra city four hours after our early departure. As we drove by the Yamuna River, a large stagnant river surrounded by buffalo, we saw a man taking off his pants and squatting to take a dump. Just a few yards later, we saw many colorful clothes spread out on the river bank with women working on them. Khan told us they were washing the clothes. We really appreciated this irony.
Finally, we got a view of the Taj Mahal. We immediately understood why this majestic site was once considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It was built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor to memorialize his third and favorite wife.
"What will you build for me?" Jan asked Yemi.
"A beach house will have to do," Yemi replied.
Jan was fully satisfied with that promise.
Our driver, Khan, picked us up at 7:30 am from our hotel in New Delhi. Agra is only 120 miles Southeast of Delhi but travel time is doubled in India due to traffic. The gentle driver we had the day before had become an insane, aggressive speed demon overnight on the semi-busy highway. It was also incredibly foggy, which is common in the winter time here. All of these factors led to more than a few situations that caused Jan's knuckles to turn white from clutching the torn plastic car seat.At some point during our journey outside of Delhi we were flagged down by locals standing in the middle of the road collecting taxes. Our driver stopped to pay the tax once but ignored all of the others who were demanding he pay. He would slow down and then zoom off. The only other times he stopped was when he needed to spit tobacco out his door.
There were a lot of animals on the roads - cattle, 50 pound monkeys, stray dogs and the occasional goat & pig. Usually we saw them digging through the trash littering the highway in hopes of finding nourishment. Eventually, we even saw a camel-drawn rickshaw.
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| The fake Taj |
We arrived at Agra city four hours after our early departure. As we drove by the Yamuna River, a large stagnant river surrounded by buffalo, we saw a man taking off his pants and squatting to take a dump. Just a few yards later, we saw many colorful clothes spread out on the river bank with women working on them. Khan told us they were washing the clothes. We really appreciated this irony.
Finally, we got a view of the Taj Mahal. We immediately understood why this majestic site was once considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It was built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor to memorialize his third and favorite wife.
"What will you build for me?" Jan asked Yemi.
"A beach house will have to do," Yemi replied.
Jan was fully satisfied with that promise.
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