India Day 3 (March 7, 2009)

We woke up early this morning at around five o'clock, and headed to catch the Taj Mahal at sunrise. On the bus ride over, the amount of poverty we saw was absolutely insane. As soon as we got off the bus, we were bombarded with people trying to sell us Taj Mahal souvenirs: snow globes, key chains, t shirts, etc. As we passed through security, we were lead into a courtyard with a gigantic entry way. The Taj Mahal was inside that entry way. The Taj Mahal itself cannot be put into words. It was the coolest and most beautiful structure I had ever seen. I could not believe how big it was. If God created a structure and placed it on earth, it would be the Taj Mahal -- that's how perfect it looked. I spent a lot of the time simply staring in amazement. The inside of the Taj was incredible as well; you really get a good perspective of how big it is when you are up close. The entire structure (inside and outside) is full of beautiful inscriptions and artwork. After the Taj we headed to a few different historic cities and palaces. They were interesting, but nothing could match the Taj. After our visits to these sites, our tour guide took us to a marble boutique where a number of beautiful (and of course expensive) marble pieces, such as furniture, sculptures, and other items are made. The head of the boutique gave us an introduction as to how all of the pieces are made. Apparently, everyone working at the store are legacies of the men who actually built the Taj (hundreds of years ago). It has been a father/son trade for centuries. Everything in the store was absolutely incredible – one of the coolest experiences in India. After the marble boutique, we traveled back to the Taj Mahal at sunset -- simply amazing. The pictures can explain it better than I can. After the Taj, it was time to head back to Delhi – the train ride was much faster this time around. We headed back to a packed Agra train station and as we waited to catch the train, a number of child beggars were near by -- it is so hard to see these children, knowing how this is their life. Also, guys with shoe cleaning kits would come up to you and forcefully try to shine your shoes – just have to say “NO” and walk away. It is hard but…what can you do. Like I stated before we arrived in Delhi much faster than the first time, and headed to our 5 star hotel that SAS hooked us up with. I would have been fine staying in a hostel, but SAS always wants to book the best, haha…no complaints.