Taj Mahal....It's really big

So last blog we mentioned that our Taj Mahal trip was booked.  So………… we saw the Taj.

I’m not sure if any of you know the story, why would you if haven’t been here before or have ever planned to come??

It’s actually a pretty romantic story. A King built the entire complex as a monument/resting place for his wife who passed away giving birth to their 14^th child. The complex is impressive as it is and then you cruise up to this breathtaking marble mausoleum. Pictures really don’t do it any justice. You just stroll around to the various vantage points (which are all epic) and then find a cozy spot to chill out on and just take in the tranquil vibe. It really a peaceful time, that is until you start your drive back our of Agra weaving in and out of traffic for 6hrs.

Anyway, back to my point about it being romantic. I thought all our friends getting engaged was enough pressure. Thanks a lot Shah Jahan.

The monument of loveeeeee

Posing out front

Some of the detail on the side

Tourist pose

The first glimpse through the gate

catching the sunset at the Taj

Before hitting the Taj we also made a put stop at the Agra fort. One of the biggest forts in India…. And a big fort it was. We cruised around there for a while checking out all the views and having our pics taken with a few more Indian people.

Entering the fort

Photo request #1

Photo request #2

Like every day in India, you get a taste of something. On this particular day, we got a thali (word usually used to describe a plate or meal of everything… think sampler plate) of the  various forms pollution in India. Most prominent was noise and street pollution. Agra is about 120KMs from Delhi. In normal traffic back home you’re looking at about a 1hr+ drive.  Here - MUCH different. It was a grueling 5hr commute back to Delhi in just about the craziest “highway” ever and honking like I have ever seen or heard.

 But it’s all part of the India experience….. All in all, it was a great 2^nd day in India.

Now that we have gotten one of the heaviest tourist attractions out of the way, we are headed to the real India… Rajasthan.

An 8 day tour through this amazing state will include:

Jaisalmer x 2 days │ For some Fort touring and camel safaris through the sand dunes in the middle of the desert, just 90KMs from Pakistan (don’t worry parents… its completely safe and Im writing this after the fact so all is good).

Jodphur x 1 day │ Really just to break up the ride to Udaipur  but also to see “The Blue City” and home of the most famous Indian spices

Udaipur x 2 days │ Coined, the most romantic city in India, we will take some nice boat rides on the lake, explore a few ancient forts, and take an Indian cooking class

Pushkar x 2 days │ For some hippie city chilling and some yoga

Jaipur x 1 day │ To break up our ride back to Delhi (which is just a same-day stopover to Varanasi – one of the world’s most holy (for Hindis) and oldest, continually inhabited cities).

This is gonna be a TIME! Jai Ho!

OOO_Jonny