Argra/ Taj Mahal/Agra Fort

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Dear Lord today was amazing...

Took a flight from Pune to New Dehli. When I arrived in New Delhi I was meeting a friend and he still had not arrived yet so I waited in the baggage area for a while before deciding to go get a room at the Airport Lounge. Part of this decision was because there was no where to sit, the other part was because of the guys with machine guns chilling in the airport. It was chilly in New Delhi and the Baggage area was open. It was getting late and things were getting a bit sketchy and I was getting tired. (According to rules and such, not allowed to stay in Delhi, nor were we allowed to leave the airport because the fog was so heavy it was unsafe to drive. When I say fog, I do mean bad FOG. The kind where you can't see two feet in front of you when you are walking kind-of-bad, considering the traffic situation in India anyway, it was safer to stay at the airport then try to get the driver to take us to Agra in the morning. I crashed out in the backseat of the car on the way to Agra because I had not slept yet. I woke up at some point during the trip and we were parked against this building, and I had a mild freak-out of "where the hell was I" moment, but it turns out the driver just had to use the restroom, and we were still on our way to Agra.





We arrive in Agra to this BEAUTIFUL hotel. (ITC Mughal if you ever are in Agra, I suggest a stay here.) It is more like a fort/castle thing with amazing gardens and pools and beauty everywhere. I could walk around outside all day and never get bored. They have this lookout tower you can climb to see the Taj Mahal. Apparently it is only open from 7 am to 7pm, but my friend and I REALLY wanted to see it one night so we were sneaking all over this hotel trying to find different ways up to the tower, even though it was closed. Sure way to make me do anything is to tell me that I "can't". We would walk through gardens and hide from guards and try every path imaginable.

Sorry, got off topic with the hotel thing there... So back to Agra. After we checked in we went to Agra Fort. This place was so incredible. We didn't want a guide so we just kept speaking Spanish to each other until the "not-a-guides" would leave us alone. There were monkeys crawling all over the place. I have a ton of pictures of them eating apples and joking and playing. The Fort was amazing. I didn't really stop to read the signs that explained a whole lot of detail about the fort but I did climb in every nook and crevice I could find. This fort had about a million and one court yards that seemed to stretch on forever. If you want to see more of it, I'm sure you can Google it, or just look at the pictures at the end of the blog. There are some funny pictures and Videos of the monkeys at the fort if I ever get around to uploading them. At one point, J pointed out in Spanish about monkeys being somewhere and I am looking all around and we were being hassled by this "not-a-guide" and finally he says "MIRA AQUI" and I look to my right and there are three monkeys not even two feet from me.

Cinderella story: My favorite part of the fort was that there were these little chipmunk things running around and these guys were calling them over and feeding them crackers. They put some in J's hand and once I realized it was safe, I did the same. They poured crackers in my hand and a chipmunk climbs on up and starts eating out of my hands. Then another guy hands me ANOTHER chipmunk. I seriously felt like Cinderella where she has all the mice and animals around her getting dressed. It was a cute moment, here's a short video... not going to lie, you can tell by the look on my face I'm kind of afraid they are going to bite me or scratch me and I didn't want to make any sudden movements.. just don't make fun of me, here's the vid; [

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After feeding the Animals we crawled ALL OVER that fort. It was amazing, the architecture and just the idea that that was someones living quarters. J and I walked around pretending we lived there, saying "oh this is the armory, this is the dining room, this is the courtyard for blah blah blah" I just can't imagine using that much space for a living center. I would have loved it. So many places to hide, and so many roofs. When we were done with the Agra Fort J and I went to the Taj Mahal. We took a horse drawn carriage up the hill to the East Gate of the Taj and walked in. I don't really have words for the Taj Mahal. It is more beautiful than words can describe and more spectacular than any picture could ever capture. But that is not what makes it special. What makes it special is the love story behind it. I don't think you can enjoy the Taj without knowing the story behind it. I'll do my best to give you a quick rundown of the story, but I won't be able to do it justice.



The Taj Story: Maharajah Shah Jahan spotted Mumtaz Mahal at the marketplace in his royal complex. It was love at first sight for the two, and he quickly made her his third wife.He gave her unlimited power in ruling the empire. She was said to be the most loving and wise woman, and Mumtaz gave her unlimiteded power in signing royal decrees. Mumtaz traveled with Shah Jahan throughout India, as his chief companion and beloved advisor. After bearing him 14 children, Mumtaz died, leaving the Maharajah devastated. He then decided to build her an everlasting memorial and resting place, looking to the Koran for inspiration. Taking inspiration from its detailed description of Heaven, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal To ensure that no other living structure would ever rival the beauty of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan made an agreement with the building’s artist In exchange for life security, they would not create anymore art or design in their lifetime. To this day we hear the saying, that Shah Jahan “cut off the hands of the artists” so that nothing as beautiful would ever be built.

A pretty good love story don't you think? And still a better love story than twilight.

At the Taj Mahal, there is a museum in there that had this really cool plate that I don't want to forget. Apparently it was used to detect poison because if poison was placed on the plate, (like poisonous food and such) then the plate would change colors and shatter. Totally worth mentioning and remembering.

For lunch J and I split a 2 person special at a restaurant, but we had so much food it was ridiculous. I ate until I was so full that it hurt. There was saffron rice, butter chicken, and a bunch of stuff that I cannot name but was amazing. oh, and Naan. You can't forget Naan. As we were leaving the restaurant, J mentions to me to look over and right on my right is a friggin SNAKE CHARMER. I'm talking old dude with flute looking this with a COBRA in his lap. We watched him for a few minutes and J goes up and HOLDS the basket that is holding the cobra. Ridiculous. When it was my turn I was not brave enough to hold the snake so I got as close as I felt I could then smiled to the camera. I'm all for an adrenaline rush, but come on people, this was a friggin Cobra in the middle of India. No way was I going to hold the damn thing.

So after the cobra incident we went to a dance/bollywood/show thing that told the love story of the Taj Mahal with acting and dancing and singing. It was magical... Purely Magical. These girls were so pretty and the outfits glowed with magic. It was like watching real life fairies dance across the stage. Every outfit was fantastic and every element hit you in the gut with awe. I got the feels once or twice during the show, and it is a must see if you go to Agra. I snuck the go pro in so here's a clip of some of the dancing but if you really want to see it, go to Agra and ask for the Kalakriti show. Truly amazing.

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The next day J and I took a hot air balloon up to see the Taj from a different point of view. The fog had set and we didn't see much but it was cool to be in a helium balloon above the Taj Mahal. We were able to see lots of farm land and landmarks and it was fun being that high up. I'll get pictures as soon as I get the email with them.

On the way back to New Delhi, (we stopped at a carpet shop and saw how they were made. It takes 5 months to make a large carpet and the loomer only makes 70-90 rupees a day to make these silk/wool carpets. They change colors when the light hits them because the loomer places the knots at a 60 degree angle, so that at one side when looking its dark, and the other, it reflects light.) After we bought a magic carpet I watched them package it up. It may not seem like much to you but it was fascinating. Two men folded the carpet (this was a rather large carpet) and then wrapped it in a blue weather proof tarp thing, and sewed it shut. Then they took another sort of cloth and hand stitched around the blue tarp to make a bag. They did this all while we were having a conversation with another one of the store people. J also had a couple of shirts made while we were waiting. NO joke. I saw him pick out the fabric and they took his measurements and not an hour later they were done.

J and I went to a park that overlooks the backside of the Taj Mahal. We were walking around looking at the garden and plants and a group of kids came and surrounded us, asking for "photos". They love for you to take their pictures, then turn it for them to see. It really is cute. The cool part about this story, and the reason I am telling you about the park is because something happened in the park. I was sitting on a bench, and J was taking my photo so I left my stuff on the ground next to him and walked over to the bench to sit. Now I have already mentioned the kids and their love for the camera so they started to get right by my bag, near J to see the photo. This group of kids had one older girl, most likely 11ish, and the rest were all 3,4, 5 year olds. One of the smaller kids was interested in my bag, and started to go towards it. My mind went off that "holy crap they are going to steal it!" because these kids were hungry and had been asking for money when they saw us. What happened next I will never forget. The older girl, again, only 11 years old max, pulled the child away from my things and got after him like a mother would to her own child. That young girl had enough respect for me/herself/morals/karma to forget how hungry and cold she was and not take my stuff. Looking back i wish I would of had the decency to buy her a proper meal. See, that's the thing that transpires over every continent in every culture, the innocence and honesty of children..



We grabbed our goodies and set off for New Delhi to catch the plane in the morning. The driver stopped at a truck stop and we had tea with him and tried our best to cross communication boundary and ask where his family was from. We invited him to dinner, and I got him to say yes, but I think the cultural differences of the Cast system or work related issues made it very uncomfortable for him, so he said he was sorry and that he would not be eating with us. I feel so bad that I made him uncomfortable. I just wanted to be human to human with him.



Alright folks, I'm going to end the blog here, but I did want to mention that I have noticed a certain hospitality here in India that I wish everyone could experience. I have felt so much love and respect since I got here that it almost puts Southern Hospitality to shame. I wasn't really prepared for when people said that part of your heart stays in India, but I get it now. They did not mean the physical place, or maybe they did, but what really makes India so amazing is all of the people I have come into contact with. I have never felt so welcomed in a foreign country as India has made me feel. -okay, I'll end the feels here, Have fun looking at pictures and I'll blog in a few days when I go do some more random stuff. MUCH LOVE

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Photos

Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Wikipedia
Address: आगरा, उत्तर प्रदेश 282001
Height: 171 m
Architectural style: Mughal architecture
Architects: Ustad Ahmad Lahouri, Ustad Isa
Burials: Arjumand Banu, Shah Jahan
Function: Monument, Mausoleum

Agra Fort
Agra Fort, is a monument, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city

DINNER
Saffron rice, butterball chicken, and stuff that i dont know

One of my favorite gaurds
this guy was funny.

Comments

[grandma g.]

Loved your blog and pictures ")