Yesterday we started the day with a camel ride and today we
started the day with the Taj Mahal. I could get use to mornings like this! The
Taj was just as amazing as I left it, only todays visit was slightly better in
some ways because 1) I wasn’t sick and worried about defiling the monument and
2). Our tour guide (Ramesh) was AWESOME and I was able to understand his English
much better then my last tour guide’s English. Of course I was missing the anticipation energy I had on my first visit to the Taj, but it was still crazy magnificent! I decided
today that the Taj Mahal just has a presence. I know that sounds weird where it
is just a building but that is for reals how it feels!
Here are my two favorite pictures from our time spent at the Taj today:
Jake was having a hard time getting his feet in the booties you have to wear in order to walk on and inside the Taj. Of course I teased him a bit, I just couldn't help myself. Ramesh (our guide) was laughing too. Sorry Jake.
Here is another optical illusion: this is pillar (that is on one one of the outside walls) appears to fold in and out when in fact it is completely smooth and round. One of the things I find so fascinating about the Taj is how planned out every single detail was. It really is mind blowing.
This red building can be found on both the right and left sides of the Taj Mahal. If you are looking at the Taj, the one on the right side was once used as a guest house for visitors clear back in the day. The one of the left side is a mosque. We decided to walk over there which proved to be a genius idea. Not only is the mosque cool in and of itself, but no one really goes over there so you can get some awesome pics and spend some (mostly) one on one time with the Taj.
Last but not least I took a few different garden pics:
And a Ramesh classic: the reflection of the Taj Mahal in his sunglasses pic.
I learned there was a fire in Agra Fort a while back, which caused the gold leafing on some of the walls to melt off. It makes sense that the heat would do that, I've just never though about what would happen if part of a stone palace caught fire but there you go. And yes, I do realize it wasn't the stone itself that caught fire, it was the rugs, curtains, furniture etc.
After Agra Fort we stopped by the stone cutting and mosaic factory:
then we hit the road for out last destination-Delhi.
We kept passing this family while driving to Delhi. While it is normal to see 3 or so people on one motorcycle seeing five or above is much more rare. It is not uncommon for a motorcycle to be the main form of transportation for the entire family, you just usually don't see all of them on it at once AND be able to get a clear view with all of them smiling. :)
We got to Delhi late enough that we just grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel and called it a night. To be honest, it felt so good to have a quiet evening spent writing and watching Man Vs. Wild in Hindi. :)
Here are my two favorite pictures from our time spent at the Taj today:
I was in amateur photographer heaven. It was slightly overcast and misty. Those two things mixed with the sunrise and the beauty of this place were making me ridiculously happy!
Jake was having a hard time getting his feet in the booties you have to wear in order to walk on and inside the Taj. Of course I teased him a bit, I just couldn't help myself. Ramesh (our guide) was laughing too. Sorry Jake.
I learned today that the four pillars that are on every corner of the Taj Mahal appear to stand up straight when in fact they don't at all. It's just an optical illusion. That would explain why I had such a hard time getting a symmetrical pic of them last time. :)
Here is another optical illusion: this is pillar (that is on one one of the outside walls) appears to fold in and out when in fact it is completely smooth and round. One of the things I find so fascinating about the Taj is how planned out every single detail was. It really is mind blowing.
This red building can be found on both the right and left sides of the Taj Mahal. If you are looking at the Taj, the one on the right side was once used as a guest house for visitors clear back in the day. The one of the left side is a mosque. We decided to walk over there which proved to be a genius idea. Not only is the mosque cool in and of itself, but no one really goes over there so you can get some awesome pics and spend some (mostly) one on one time with the Taj.
And a Ramesh classic: the reflection of the Taj Mahal in his sunglasses pic.
After the Taj we visited Agra Fort:
I learned there was a fire in Agra Fort a while back, which caused the gold leafing on some of the walls to melt off. It makes sense that the heat would do that, I've just never though about what would happen if part of a stone palace caught fire but there you go. And yes, I do realize it wasn't the stone itself that caught fire, it was the rugs, curtains, furniture etc.
After Agra Fort we stopped by the stone cutting and mosaic factory:
then we hit the road for out last destination-Delhi.
We kept passing this family while driving to Delhi. While it is normal to see 3 or so people on one motorcycle seeing five or above is much more rare. It is not uncommon for a motorcycle to be the main form of transportation for the entire family, you just usually don't see all of them on it at once AND be able to get a clear view with all of them smiling. :)
We got to Delhi late enough that we just grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel and called it a night. To be honest, it felt so good to have a quiet evening spent writing and watching Man Vs. Wild in Hindi. :)
