Greetings from the "other" Taj

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First lets just get one thing straight......we are not blown to smithereens and do not intend to be, in the past present or future. "incidentally do you know that there is no such thing as a smithereen? the word only exists in plural......" if you know where that quote comes from you will also know the paper back travel companion I am traveling with.

The Taj Mahal like the Taj hotel is a famous landmark of Indian history accidentally left over from a previous occupant. I did not ever intend on visiting either but it seems I shall be visiting both on this trip. Our arrival in Delhi was unanimously shunned as all the guest houses and hotels were filled with hindu and Moslem festival goers as well as voters. Of all the dates to enter Delhi I had chosen a day where there were two religious festivals and an election going on...."Dad and I stumbled gormlessly from hostel to hostel like Mary and Joseph and finally found ourselves a travel agent who whipped up a tour schedule then sent us packing to Jaipur with our newfound driver Bulvan....another destination I had not envisaged visiting.

It's a 5 hours drive to Jaipur if you don't include the two hour traffic jam we had in the middle of it.

Jaipur = amber fort, jewels, camels, carpets and the hanu"watch out for the monkey shit"man temple.....

I could go on and on and on and on about how amazing the amber fort is but I won't. When you see the picktures just think 16th century, no electricity.

Agra has the most crazy drivers in all of india even by indian standards, and this rare hindu text was thought to have been stolen in the 2nd century AD by a Chinese monk who then travelled all the way back to China to share these ancient teaching s with his people. The Taj mahal is a single purpose built structure made to house the dead body of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's favourite wife but the Agra fort is built for many purposes such as keeping the bad guys out, housing and feeding all the various minions who take care of the kind, inspiring poetry and song in your soul and make it unmistakable that you are the number one head honcho of the country ie king of the castle and don't you forget it. Me and Dad much preferred scampering around the twisted innards of the Agra fort. sadly we were kicked out before our thirst for hide and seek was truly quenched.

oh shut up and show me some pictures ............................

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Photos

Agra Fort
Dad looking out to the Taj

elephants up the fort
we didn't ride any elephants because it was just a little to naf and we felt sorry for the elephants. Lovely animals - we got to pat one.

amber fort - Jaipur
All this was inlaid in mirrors

amber fort - Jaipur
another cozy nook

Amber fort - Jaipur
so many interesting spaces in the fort and ways to let light and air in to circulate

print making in Jaipur
This guy was amazingly precise. all the dyes are vegetable based and attain their true colour after a rinse in water.

Comments

[christoph]

cushions
all that travel hope your botties are well padded

[carla]

Hellloooooooo
What can i say? te quiero bonita......