Jill, 10-31-10
I doubt that I would have, of my own volition, arranged to travel five hours in each direction to visit the Taj Majal. For one thing, I tend to eschew the more touristy attractions. For example, I've lived in the Bay Area 17 years, but never managed to get to the top of Coyt Tower. Or drive down the famous zigzag portion of Lombard Street. And so one. For another, I just couldn't imagine how worthwhile it would be to see a single architectural phenomenon.
Well.
It was an amazing car ride--we careened through a whole panoply of rural Indian scenarios, from monkeys palling around with humans and other creatures in what Westerners might call a "front yard" to enormous statues of religious icons, to random car lots selling Jaguars (!), to our driver getting pulled over and questioned by a group of young men (the range of what went through Raj's and my heads could probably fill an entire other post), to the tourist-trappy pit stop where we slogged down yet more chai, we gulped down mouthfuls of India, tasting each component before driving on to the next.
Many dozens of missed photo opps whizzed by, leaving me longing. We did catch a few, though. And thank Vishnu that Raj is good at hearing the English words through thick accents, or I'd be like, totally up the Yamuna drowning in toxic misconception.
So at last we arrived, greeted by our guide, Nitti, who thankfully wasn't overly chatty or presumptuous--he left us lots of time and space to amble at our own pace. I hung around by the entry gates, looking at the architecture, trying to keep an open mind for any wow moments that might knock me over...and all of a sudden I stepped forward and saw the outlines of one of the newest member of the Seven Wonders of the World.
I swooned and wept.
You see, (I didn't), I'd been in the entryway, thinking it was The Thing Itself...and hadn't realized TM was just beyond.
At once weighty as marble and weightless as feathers, I just stood and stared at my new acquaintance for quite a bit. I think part of what moved me so deeply is that the Taj Mahal's very existence sprung from a deep love, of a Muslim king for his queen, Mumtaz, (hence "Taj") who died birthing her 14th child. He build the Taj Mahal as a memorial to her. With the labor of over 20,000, (workers, not slaves, we were assured) over 22 years, the Taj Mahal is crafted of marble, and features fine floral details of inlaid semiprecious stones throughout.
But like love itself, as much as I yearned for those parts, the Taj Mahal's impact on me was far greater than their sum. I felt sad that the queen never got to witness this monument to her king's love for her. I also had some illicit thoughts, like copying some of the designs for the interior of our home, and recreating the TM in cake form with white Swiss meringue buttercream.
But I digress.
The inside of the mausoleum, which was but a replica of the actual tombs below, was filled with noisy visitors. One enraged guard grabbed a woman's flashlight (apparently they're not allowed) and banged it repeatedly against the marble, presumably in an attempt to destroy it. I guess it was one of those hardy varieties. I wanted a more solemn feel to my surroundings to appreciate what I was beholding.
But I digress.
The inside of the mausoleum, which was but a replica of the actual tombs below, was filled with noisy visitors. One enraged guard grabbed a woman's flashlight (apparently they're not allowed) and banged it repeatedly against the marble, presumably in an attempt to destroy it. I guess it was one of those hardy varieties. I wanted a more solemn feel to my surroundings to appreciate what I was beholding.
There's so so so much more to say. A lot of it can be better expressed through pictures--we just haven't yet found a way to get them up here. Stay tuned.
Raj, 10-31-10
Up bright and early this morning, 6.5 hours car drive south, a quick jaunt in an auto-rickshaw and then a brisk walk up to and through security only to stand before one of the 7 wonders of the world. Even as my third time gazing upon the radiant beauty of the Taj Mahal, I am still in awe of the powerful ways in which it’s energy hypnotically captivates me quickly sending me into a trance.
Some more fun food and then a 4 hour drive back to the hotel wrapped up the day. Tomorrow we’re off to Kolkata. Not sure how Jill will handle yet another busy, bustling city. Yet this city is where I can proudly cast my line deep into my lineage and hear the familiar language spoken to me (usually in the form of scolding) as a child from my grandparents. And finally one last comment regarding my experience of Jill’s experience through my eyes. I could write quite a long missive, detailing what I have witnessed in the last 48 hours, however, I feel that one sentence pretty much covers it:
Some more fun food and then a 4 hour drive back to the hotel wrapped up the day. Tomorrow we’re off to Kolkata. Not sure how Jill will handle yet another busy, bustling city. Yet this city is where I can proudly cast my line deep into my lineage and hear the familiar language spoken to me (usually in the form of scolding) as a child from my grandparents. And finally one last comment regarding my experience of Jill’s experience through my eyes. I could write quite a long missive, detailing what I have witnessed in the last 48 hours, however, I feel that one sentence pretty much covers it:
She gets it.
And that's pretty damn cool, to say the least.
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