A Couple Days in Agra

Leaving the hostel in Delhi was harder than I thought. I had found a diamond in the rough and knew I wouldn’t likely get so lucky with my trip South to Agra in Uttar Pradesh. I have developed a good friendship with one of the attendants at this place who made me feel safe in this crazy, crazy land. I am sad to leave him because he is yet to lead me wrong. He has been very helpful at getting me around town carefully and at fair prices (for a white girl). I doubt I will have such luck elsewhere. Fortunately, I had also met this lovely Irish couple and the three of us were off to the train station together to see the sights of Agra.

Paddy and Karen were absolute lifesavers. I would have been lost, cheated, robbed, and probably dead without their help. But thankfully we made it to our hostels safely with few complications. The following morning after setting our alarms from 5am, we went to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Oh my.

The Taj Mahal exists today as one of the most famous structures ever created and stands in brilliance as a symbol of eternal love. It took 20,000 people over 22 years to complete and is positively indescribable. Its construction was completed in 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan for his third—yes, third—wife. That must have been some kind of woman. She died after giving birth to her fourteenth child. Holy crap, someone better build that woman a damn castle!

It is devastatingly unfortunate how the haze that seems to sit over the entire country completely wipes out the marble of this astounding creation, it is nearly impossible to get a photograph that portrays the brilliance of this monument. But I saw the Taj, in all its glory. It’s real—the greatest testament to love ever built and I was lucky enough to have walked into it. I highly recommend it to all who have yet to go, it is worth every ounce of the hype.