oh dear taj

so this weekend was delightful because myself and seven other girls made a trip to agra to view the taj mahal. for all of you who were forced to see it in art history class, let me just say that it really deserves its wonder of the world title. We spent yesterday traveling around agra and walked through a park that just took my breath away. it was the beautiful india that people imagine when they think of sprawling greens and flowers and palm trees. we spent the evening debating karma with our rickshaw driver, who actually let me drive the rickshaw, and then headed back to the hotel for dinner. we ate on a rooftop restaurant with a view of the taj, which was rather pointless seeing as it was dark, but we got to look down over the streets of agra at least. Dinner was fantastic and afterwards we all fell into our dingy beds and pretended to sleep while all of agra seemed to be attempting to forcefully wake us. the hotel was a minor disaster, but we were surprisingly all used to toilets that didnt flush and blankets that maybe covered us to our bellybuttons. for some odd reason the sink drained directly onto the floor where you were standing, so any experience in the bathroom was a bit of a hazzard. We ended up waking at 5:15 and walked in the dark to the taj mahal so that we could see it at sunrise. It was unbelievable. I must say it is the only work of architecture that almost made me want to cry. it is stunning, and somehow it almost hurt to walk away from it. Since we were there early it wasnt crowded at all, so we had a lot of time to peacefully contemplate what sort of deep love could have driven a man to spend 22 years and 70 million dollars on a building for his dead wife. everyone we met kept saying that india is a symbol of love because the taj is here, and after experiencing it myself, i must agree.

there are so many sights i wish i could explain, and ones i know no one will be able to understand. we drove to and from agra in a taxi that comfortably fit 7 without bags, but we managed to cram 9 plus bags in. daniella and i sat facing the rear which was an experience because most of the traffic consisted of motorcycle drivers and camels who had every chance to ride behind us for miles at a time just staring and blowing kisses. we managed to see two men on a motorcycle, one of whom was holding a goat with its stiff little legs popping out at strange angles. that should give you some idea of how mixed up everything is. the ride was lovely and we drove full speed down the pot-holed highway listening to really loud bollywood music, basking in the desert sun.
much love!