AGRA

Saturday, 4 July + Sunday, 5 July
JAIPUR JUMBLIES STRIKE!
The next morning I awoke with the bad taste of "Kambakkht Ishq" still in my mouth. I brushed my teeth, and then realized it wasn't just the horrible movie I had seen the previous night- I had come down with a case of the infamous "Jaipur Jumblies". If you have any type of an imagination, you can probably guess that mixing poorly cooked Curry Chicken with 100 degree heat in the middle of a country where cows and people both relieve themselves in creative ways all over every street translates into a wild ride for anyone's insides. The "Jaipur Jumblies" hit and I was out for the night and the next day, and then the next. In fact, Greg got a good case of them as well. Cuz that's what brothers do.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...
Jaipur Jumblies and all, we piled into the Tata and drove on our way to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. I tried to sleep the whole car ride, but it was rough. We arrived at a huge mosque on the way that we toured around with a local kid as our guide, but it was tough to enjoy with my stomach in the state it was, and with a constant barrage of sellers trying to get me to buy the same wooden chess set. Good news: Greg and I were given some sweet shawls to wear over our shorts, as only long pants were allowed- which made for some good pictures.

In the late afternoon, we arrived at Agra, checked in, and I checked out. I passed out for a few hours on the bed, and eventually Greg and I went to pick up dinner- I could only eat a small amount of egg fried rice. Then it was back off to bed again- big day in the morning.

TAJ MAHAL + AMERICA'S FREEDOM
We awoke at 5:30am to meet the sunrise over the Taj Mahal. This was a wise decision. Not only were there barely any people, the lighting was incredible for photographing the Taj, and it wasn't yet 300 degrees in the shade. In order to showcase our patriotism, and to bring glory to the shining beacon of democracy that is known as "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", Greg and I both dressed in three colors, and three colors only. Red, White, and Blue. Little did we know, these were also the colors of France, England, Cambodia, Nepal, and many others. But America is the most important anyways. Though the date was July 5 for us, we were intent on celebrating July 4 on American time- not Indian time.

We were met by the same mass of kids selling stuff, but it was manageable this time. We payed our $17/ticket (compared to $0.50 for Indians) entrance fee and were on our way. And it was unreal. The view of the Taj from the entrance arch is indescribable- it's a real life postcard. I could have stayed there for hours. But we had to press on. The form and construction of the Taj is impeccable- especially the perfectly shaped dome on top. The building has such a prominent presence- standing proudly as if it knows it's marvelous. It was totally beautiful.

The inside was underwhelming. I was expecting a grand interior space, and it's not. The roof is much lower than I had anticipated, the tomb in the center keeps visitors from experiencing the space, and the peripheral interior rooms eat out much of the main central space. But the outside is incredible.

After walking the complex for nearly 2 hours, we chilled out in front, and after a while we had a group of followers who wanted cell phone pictures with us. We agreed- if we could take a picture with our camera as well. By the time we took the shot, a posse of 15 smiling Indian dudes were standing in the picture. I tried, without sucess, to get everyone to say "AMERICA!" when we took the picture. Maybe next time.

SO thankful I got to see the Taj Mahal. A total experience.