Had to lead out with this. It may be one of my most interesting snaps yet. (And I know the nephews will love it…) No worries – I was safely tucked inside my car and thankful for a reasonably powerful zoom lens.

The morning began too early after sleeping on a wooden plank with a blanket wrapped around it. We left out at 6am and the dawn light was beautiful. After a quick stop at India Gate, we were on our way for the 3+ hour drive to Agra.

There were several toll gates along the way, some of them requiring the driver to exit the car and enter a building to “make application” to cross state lines. It was at these stops – where the passenger was a captive audience – that the animal trainers make their living. There’s definitely inflation once you leave the city. Last night I was taking interesting snaps for 5 and 20 rupees… these guys today wanted 500 rupees (roughly $12.50). Of course, they never disclosed the “cost” until you were finished taking pictures. So as not to disappoint, I bartered for a millisecond… offering them 100 rupees or nothing, their choice… I’m not cheating these guys – it’s 5x what I paid last night for good shots. You tell me – are these worth 5x more? 🙂

Finally, after several stalled monkey and cobra attempts… we arrived in Agra. Agra is a city of 2 million people – and at least as many cows. My driver said they were worthless – “they don’t give milk, we can’t eat them, they are a waste of space”… We finally arrived at the Taj Mahal. Absolutely stunning! Words and pictures cannot do it justice. As you may know, the Taj was built after the Mughal emperor’s wife (one of three wives + 95 concubines) died giving birth to their 14th child. While in mourning he commissioned the Taj as her final resting place – and it took 22 years to build it, with crews numbering near 20,000 men over the decades working around the clock to complete the construction. It really is just beautiful – enjoy the pix.
The Taj is undergoing some restorative efforts – and the process for rebuilding the pieces is the same as when the original pieces were delivered centuries ago.
The Taj also has several major structures around it – including the major entrance gates (North, East, West) and the mosque. The structure is bordered on the south by a large river.

Travelling alone has its challenges, but I believe I prefer it. When you travel with others (or when I do), you tend to focus on the people you’re with and you don’t have the same opportunities for other people to just approach you. When you travel alone you’re exposed to anyone who feels like opening up a conversation. I don’t know why – but it seems my celebrity status has gone global… I had three different groups of people approach me and ask to have their picture made with me (I even signed autograph books!)… I couldn’t even put my shoes on after leaving the mosque without a couple plopping their five-year old down on the step next to me and asking “Snap? Snap?” Funny thing was, their five year old spoke better English than her parents… (Education is a wonderful thing.) I’m not sure about this newfound celebrity status… given the inflated market rate of snake charmers, I’m evaluating what I should charge my fans. 😉

Oh – and I had another interesting comment from a local. I carried around my shoe covers (thankfully you can get those, for those of us who don’t particularly care for going barefoot in public areas) and empty water bottle until I made my way to the restroom. When I ditched the used shoe covers and the water bottle in the trash, a man looked at me and stated “You American.” It wasn’t a question – it was definitely a statement. I affirmed that in fact I was from the U.S. He nodded and said – “Americans always throw away their trash in the bins.”

After the Taj, we went to the Agra Fort… which ironically served as a prison for the last eight years of the emperor’s life who had commissioned the Taj Mahal. His son has him imprisoned there, but in the end allowed him to be entombed in the Taj near his beloved wife. The fort was really very interesting… with beautiful architectural design throughout. I just can’t imagine what a “glorious time” this must have been for India when structures like this were occupied by nobility and entire cities revolved around keeping and protecting the structure.
It’s late, the drive back included major traffic delays and took a full five hours, and my flight to Jaipur has me up tomorrow morning at 3:30. I’m going to cut this one short tonight. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I’ll leave off where I began… with India Gate – but this shot was tonight as we arrived home. Sweet dreams.