Romancing the Taj

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Being this our final pit stop in Asia, we thought there was no way we could find a better closure than crashing the Taj Mahal at sunrise. This also gave us the perfect excuse to escape from a very genuine recreation of a war zone, which is New Delhi after the first spring storms.

We had to accept it, after almost half a year of travelling through pretty ugly areas we are still not immune to this unimaginable mix of rain with diesel, garbage, and, more than anything, animal and human excretions. So, as we thanked all the Hindu gods not to put us in that terrible possibility of travelling during the monsoon, we took our last Indian train to get to Agra, three hours far from Delhi.

Then, in Agra, I let Ina exercise her reinvented bargaining skills and get us the “deluxe suite” in a guesthouse that gave us a first class view of the Taj. The view happened to be the promissed one but that same night we got to discover that the deluxe experience included a gigantic water tank that never filled, right behind a cute flowery curtain, with an echoe of thousands of liters falling into the vastness.

The next day, still with the echoe of dripping water in our brains, we had to run to be on time for the moment they open doors in the Taj. Then there it was, the "teardrop on the face of eternity", as Tagore called it, showing herself only to us and a couple of invisible tourists (and a local yogi that gave it the exotic touch).

From New Delhi we are flying to Brussels via London (wish us luck with the infamous Terminal 5). You may imagine, Ina is more than ready to see her family after almost 3 years.

We are still willing to share that part of our journey with you. So, stay in contact!

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Photos

Before the crowds...
An unforgetable image of the Taj Mahal.

Ghost Love
The Emperor promissed to erect a monument to match his wife's beauty.

The Official Photo
Half awake after a bad night.

Bollywood Star
Iranian immigrants posing with their new gringo girlfriend.

Breaking the Pose
We couldn't but celebrate our last travel in India.

Happy People
Hard to forget the laughs of these gentle people.

Muslim Pilgrims
On the way to the Taj

Red Ribbons
One of the many street children roaming the train stations.

Comments

[David]

What a Journey!!!
Travel is always an adventure (including hotel hell). When we get together next, I hope you'll let me weave some of your experiences into some of the novels I'm planning to write. Talk to y'all soon! ~David

[Beatriz villafana]

Las fotos
Sus fotos nos dejan ver "un cachito" de lo vivido en este "viaje fantástico" que ya platicaremos mucho a su regreso!!!! Bety