Taj Mahal

Well, I had the amazing opportunity this weekend to check something off of my "things to do before i die" list: see the Taj. And it was all I thought it would be and more. It's hard to explain how incredible it is up close. It sparkles (and we all know how easily I'm distracted by shiny things)!

Though I wouldn't say that Slumdog Millionaire is a dead ringer to India, but in the week or so I've been here, there are some truths to it. "Guides" and the Taj will tell you erroneous tales about the history of the Taj Mahal. The best though was the street children inside. These three little boys walked straight over to where people were taking off their shoes, grabbed a few pairs of adult sized boots, and walked off...very relaxed and in absolutely no hurry. Like they'd stole shoes a million times before. I don't know why, but the istant I say this happen I thought of my Italy travelmates: Sean, BJ, and Pat. I wish you guys had been there so I could laugh at your witty commentary to the surrounding events.

In Agra the venders are so pushy it made it almost not want to shop! notice I said almost... :) I got a hindu statue of the god Shiva and a smiling buddha. It's not like price is a problem...they were about $10 total for both. We also went and saw the Agra fort and the ghost city of Fatehbad Sikri. It was built as the capital of the Munghal empire by Akbar. The city was abandoned not long after because of water shortages. it was pretty.

Now I'm back at work! It was a great trip but feels nice to be "home." I know my way around the city and can spot landmarks and street signs. I taught myself how to count in hindi! I bought a pocket book on hindi and want to learn a bit of it...though I'm pretty bad and it's a very complicated language! At least my attempts at Hindi are entertaining our intern from Calcutta, Iram. She says I have a terrible Indian accent. :) She's blunt and I adore that quality in a person.