Agra!
25 July 2011
I last wrote writing on the bus to Agra from Delhi. We arrived in Agra around one in the afternoon and bargained for a rickshaw. We spent two hours at the Taj Mahal. It was built for the queen and she was buried there as well with her husband, the king. Afterwards we went to Agra fort and spent about an hour there. Later we saw Baby Taj which was really a tomb. We ate, saw Vittoria’s friend and got a room. We also got a room for Suzana and Emily since they would be coming in at three in the morning. We really liked Baby Taj because it was quiet and not that many tourists went. The best thing about the Taj Mahal is that the colors are from real gems, the kind you put on an actual ring. The marble is translucent and just the size is just wow. It left me in awe.
I was told that I don’t have a typical New York accent, which is what I was told from Noah the Habitat for Humanity supervisor in April.
Yesterday I started my sixth week here. I can’t believe time has flown by so quickly! Yesterday Suzana and Emily woke us up at six thirty in the morning to let us know that they were going to the Taj. We were sleeping so it was unexpected. They got back around nine and we were awake. We had breakfast and Emily had to leave so she could catch the bus to Jaipur to catch her flight. Michael got sick so we had to leave him and he stayed in the room the entire day. We left our luggage with him. We saw Sikhandra which is where Akbar’s tomb is located. We then went to the bus station to Fatehpur Sikri which is where Akbar built his palace to show that he had money as well as show off that he respected all three religions at the time: Hindu, Christianity and Muslim. It was crowded and seemed like a hangout place. It was a Sunday afternoon after all. It was just strange to me. It is a difference of culture, I would like to think so. The bus back took two hours and we got back to the hotel to eat and plan for where we want to go next. Plans are to go to Golden Temple then Chandigarh then Khajuraho then Rewa then Ahmedabad. Michael is going back via train today and Vittoria will explore in rajastan. Til later!