the taj
wow. pictures simply won't do it justice. it is quite simply awesome in person. but it's a pain in the ass to get to.
the roads in delhi suck. agra is about a 4-hour drive away, but if those roads were even remotely like the freeways in the states, it would be more like a 2-hour drive. the road is shared between jaywalking pedestrians, cows and donkeys just chilling on the side of the road (and sometimes in the middle), tractors pulling wagonloads of people, mini-cars jampacked with anywhere from 3 to 15 people, motorcycles and mopeds carrying families of 3, 4 and even 5, modern vehicles, overfilled public buses, bicycles... you name it, it's on the highway. so when you get a clear stretch of road and crank it to 110 kph, it feels pretty cool. too bad it doesn't last long. our driver is ridiculously horn-happy. i spend the first half hour of the trip clocking the maximum length of time between his hitting the horn. he maxes at 37 seconds. needless to say, he is to become the butt end of many jokes during the 8-hour ride up and back.
we arrive at 12:15 and upon exiting the car, we are immediately descended upon by merchants aggressively hawking their wares. i now know what it feels like to be a piece of bread tossed at a flock of pigeons. they aren't even polite about it. look pretty postcard, keychain. i make you good deal. this is handmade. real marble. look at the whip so nice my family make it. yada yada. i'm gonna whip yo sorry ass if you don't step off, bitch. and yet they still persist. the taj is unfortunately closed until 1 pm. apparently, the prime minister of new zealand has seen fit to avail himself of the taj to the exclusion of everyone else. so the crowds continue to build and by 1, the place is a mob scene. a monster line for tickets (we manage to finagle ourselves to the vip line with the assistance of our guide who we hired for about 5 bucks), another to get through the entrance/metal detectors, and we're finally inside the campus. a short walk, turn the corner, through the gate, and omg... there it is. it evokes an almost emotional response. wow is about all i can say.
we work our way to the memorial itself and the line to get inside is a mad house. with no semblance of a line, people begin shoving themselves through a small doorway 4 feet across with the sun blazing overhead. what a waste of time. the inside is not nearly as impressive. soon thereafter, we exit out the back way. our tour guide points out the beginnings of the wall that was supposed to be the taj's counterpart - an identical building in black for the emperor himself, connected by a silver bridge spanning the river. it's almost saddening to gaze across the river at the remnants of the wall.
lunch at bellevue, an indian restaurant in a local hotel that is nothing short of stunning and boasts equally stunning views of the taj in the distance. the meal is good, but the service slow and the quality is not on par with the beauty of the hotel.
we forego the usual tourist visit to the nearby agra fort and other nearby attractions as it is now 5 pm and we have a 4-hour journey back. yes, with the horn-y guy.
the roads in delhi suck. agra is about a 4-hour drive away, but if those roads were even remotely like the freeways in the states, it would be more like a 2-hour drive. the road is shared between jaywalking pedestrians, cows and donkeys just chilling on the side of the road (and sometimes in the middle), tractors pulling wagonloads of people, mini-cars jampacked with anywhere from 3 to 15 people, motorcycles and mopeds carrying families of 3, 4 and even 5, modern vehicles, overfilled public buses, bicycles... you name it, it's on the highway. so when you get a clear stretch of road and crank it to 110 kph, it feels pretty cool. too bad it doesn't last long. our driver is ridiculously horn-happy. i spend the first half hour of the trip clocking the maximum length of time between his hitting the horn. he maxes at 37 seconds. needless to say, he is to become the butt end of many jokes during the 8-hour ride up and back.
we arrive at 12:15 and upon exiting the car, we are immediately descended upon by merchants aggressively hawking their wares. i now know what it feels like to be a piece of bread tossed at a flock of pigeons. they aren't even polite about it. look pretty postcard, keychain. i make you good deal. this is handmade. real marble. look at the whip so nice my family make it. yada yada. i'm gonna whip yo sorry ass if you don't step off, bitch. and yet they still persist. the taj is unfortunately closed until 1 pm. apparently, the prime minister of new zealand has seen fit to avail himself of the taj to the exclusion of everyone else. so the crowds continue to build and by 1, the place is a mob scene. a monster line for tickets (we manage to finagle ourselves to the vip line with the assistance of our guide who we hired for about 5 bucks), another to get through the entrance/metal detectors, and we're finally inside the campus. a short walk, turn the corner, through the gate, and omg... there it is. it evokes an almost emotional response. wow is about all i can say.
we work our way to the memorial itself and the line to get inside is a mad house. with no semblance of a line, people begin shoving themselves through a small doorway 4 feet across with the sun blazing overhead. what a waste of time. the inside is not nearly as impressive. soon thereafter, we exit out the back way. our tour guide points out the beginnings of the wall that was supposed to be the taj's counterpart - an identical building in black for the emperor himself, connected by a silver bridge spanning the river. it's almost saddening to gaze across the river at the remnants of the wall.
lunch at bellevue, an indian restaurant in a local hotel that is nothing short of stunning and boasts equally stunning views of the taj in the distance. the meal is good, but the service slow and the quality is not on par with the beauty of the hotel.
we forego the usual tourist visit to the nearby agra fort and other nearby attractions as it is now 5 pm and we have a 4-hour journey back. yes, with the horn-y guy.