Yes, that's right. I got to spend my birthday at the Taj. Not the fancy hotel in New Delhi, Mumbai or Las Vega, the real thing. The hand-crafted, marble tomb dedicated to the late wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz died birthing the 14th child of Shah Jahan and requested this place on her deathbed. The Mughals seem to be just as dramatic as the Romans or the Greeks.
Quite possibly the cleanest place in all of India, the grounds of the Taj Mahal are spectacular. The mausoleum and the towers are so breathtaking that you tend to forget they were built by hand. Piece by piece. It was hard to follow everything that our tour guide was saying but between him, wikipedia and the rest of the tourists we could piece together the story of the Taj Mahal. It did tend to be altered depending on the age of the listener.
We waited the entire week of our train tour for this final day and it did not disappoint. I was still surprised by the number of people that are there at any given time. From every picture that I have seen it has always looked like a serene, isolated place. The shear size of the tomb and the grounds obviously dwarf the thousands of tourists in ever picture so now I know the truth. The entrance to the tomb itself is a steady stream of people with all of the usual pushing and shoving. There is even a guard inside using a whistle to move the traffic along. I was actually moved through the building so quickly I never had the chance to stand still and look up. The dome of the Taj is said to be quite spectacular. I will have to trust the pictures.
-Suzanne
Quite possibly the cleanest place in all of India, the grounds of the Taj Mahal are spectacular. The mausoleum and the towers are so breathtaking that you tend to forget they were built by hand. Piece by piece. It was hard to follow everything that our tour guide was saying but between him, wikipedia and the rest of the tourists we could piece together the story of the Taj Mahal. It did tend to be altered depending on the age of the listener.
We waited the entire week of our train tour for this final day and it did not disappoint. I was still surprised by the number of people that are there at any given time. From every picture that I have seen it has always looked like a serene, isolated place. The shear size of the tomb and the grounds obviously dwarf the thousands of tourists in ever picture so now I know the truth. The entrance to the tomb itself is a steady stream of people with all of the usual pushing and shoving. There is even a guard inside using a whistle to move the traffic along. I was actually moved through the building so quickly I never had the chance to stand still and look up. The dome of the Taj is said to be quite spectacular. I will have to trust the pictures.
-Suzanne
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