MAR-09: Taj Mahal and on to Jaipur

A 0530 wake-up call. We were on the electric bus at 0600. By 0620 we were standing in two lines (male and female) outside the gates of the Taj Mahal waiting to go through a security screening.

This screening looked for the usual list of items plus food (including candy), cigarettes, beverages and other items deemed inappropriate at the national icon and World Heritage site that is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  There is so much information available on the history and architecture of the Taj Mahal that even trying to summarize it in a few sentences, if doing so is even possible, suggests that I stick to pictures and a few comments. 

Incredible attention was given to every detail of the Taj. Even the Arabic writing in vertical columns was gradually increased in size as it rose to create the optical illusion of being uniform.

We left the Taj about 0830. Both the haze and the crowds were increasing. The sun had risen higher in the sky casting things in a blander light.

The remainder of the day was a five hour trip from Agra to Jaipur.  

Along the way we saw women making something pancake-shaped with a diameter of about 12"-15".  Our guide explained this was cow dung being shaped to use as a fuel source for cooking and heating.  Much of the smog problem in India is sourced to burning wood and cow dung.   

We saw men walking along the road carrying ornamented containers.  We learned these men were pilgrims transporting water from the sacred Ganghis River back to their home, often hundreds of miles away.  During that trek the container must never be allowed to touch the ground.

Arriving at the Rambaugh Palace Hotel, we were showered with flower petals outside the lobby.

It is a beautiful property.

Our bedroom was adequate.