I can certainly see why the Taj Mahal is often included as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Exquisitely designed and beautifully put together, it is understated and yet larger than life. Mind you, Shah Jahan's wife did produce 14 children and die during labour so perhaps she deserved a little something in return....
There are some nice optical illusions in there. Take a look at this flattering picture and see how the one of the two smaller domes looks like it's more forward than the other. Also, some of the vertical writing on the wall is larger at the top than the bottom so when one is close up it is easier to read. Frankly couldn't bear to see another fort so my guide Sanju and Khan took me to a locals place to get a meat biryani. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if even the locals weren't scared of the place. The Mekon stomach won the battle though...
Posting all the crap excellent things I'd bought turned out to be a Indian experience in itself. Mr Man1 at the post office refused to send the parcel (which we'd already sealed) because he said it could contain a bomb. My reasonable retort of "WHY IN THE NAME OF F**K WOULD I SEND A BOMB TO MY PARENTS???????" seemed to fall on deaf ears. Still apparently if I paid Mr Man1 R150 and his sidekick Mr Man2 R75 the bomb would magically disappear. Mekon pulse rising..... Paid Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee and managed to get a discount on postage(!!!!!!!!). Try that at home!
Khan dropped me at Agra train station for an emotional au revoir (what a great picture!).
Trying to get on a train when you don't know which train is which, where there is no-one to help and the number of locals who swear that this IS the train and the number who swear it ISN'T the train can get a little frustrating. Manage to hook up with a great American guy called Matt who is almost on the same carriage as me and is definitely supposed to be on the same train. Luck prevails and we're off.
What followed was a 16hr journey punctuated by sleeping, chatting to Matt in the next carriage and swatting roaches. Toilets were best avoided and food had to be grabbed on the platforms at stops from mad people waving their wares in your face in a frenzy. Jeez....
Posted by cmelikian at October 23, 2003 07:22 AM
Khan was probably gutted that the gravy train paying for his kids to go to Harvard was ending.....
Posted by: Bob at November 18, 2003 10:14 PM