Ladies and Gentlemen, the Taj Mahal

There are no words to describe it. To be in its presence is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I was truly awestruck. I can't say that I anticipated feeling that way. The Taj Mahal is one of the most photographed monuments in the world. You would think that this would make the experience of seeing it, live and in-person, anti-climactic - but it was so far from that. From photos, the Taj looks just like a big white marble building. Being there, you see that the walls of this mausoleum are actually inlaid with colourful floral patterns and scripture from the Quran. It is beautiful beyond description. The inside is no less so and is essentially empty except for the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan (which is the only thing that offsets the symmetry in the whole building). Because there is only natural light seeping into the center room, it's a very peaceful place. Feeling the cool marble under your bare feet and leaving your eyes to wander freely over the colourful and intricate inlay work on the walls and cenotaphs is a little piece of heaven. A single flower (of which there were thousands) requires dozens of individually cut semi-precious stones.

Shah Jahan built the Taj as a memorial for his wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. He is said to have been so heartbroken that his hair turned grey overnight. Shah Jahan is now also buried there, next to her. Très romantique. We spent the entire day there strolling around and just relaxing on the grass, with the most romantic and beautiful building ever made watching over us and exotic birds flying all around. We went to Agra just to see the Taj Mahal and it was more than worth the trip. Seeing it was honestly moving to the point of tears. We left feeling relaxed and fulfilled and ready for our upcoming trip to Varanasi.

Varanasi, like the Taj Mahal, is something you have to see if you come to India. It is considered the most holy city in India and, if you die here, you are guaranteed moksha (which breaks the cycle of rebirth and frees the spirit). Plenty of people come here to die, too. It is not uncommon to see corpses carried through the street on the way to the funeral pyres. They are cremated at the ghats and their ashes sprinkled into the Ganges. Those who are considered to be already pure (pregnant women, children and holy men) are not cremated and are put directly into the water so that it would not be out of the question to have to row around "someone" as you paddle down the river. Risking this, Rich and I got up at the crack of dawn nonetheless to take a boat ride along the ghats and watch the sun rise. Fortunately, our boat didn't have to paddle strategically around anyone except the (very alive) swimmers and bathers.

We floated past the many ghats where people bathe, do their laundry, play, pray and exercise. A couple of the ghats are specifically for cremations and the funeral pyres burn night and day. It was such a great experience to be out at that time of the morning as the sun rose and the mist lay on the water. We felt very priveleged to be able to share in little aspects of peoples lives and, sometimes, deaths. We got to see a deeper part of India. Somehow, you just don't feel the same after that.

Aside from its holiness, Varanasi is also renowned for its silk. We went into one of the shops just to look at the incredible silk sarees. Banarasi sarees, as they are called, are world famous (with price tags to match - but stunningly beautiful to look at). We sat on the futon mattress-covered floor, drinking masala chai, as we became covered in layer upon layer of silk as the shop owner spread out all his wares for us to see. Aside from the sarees, they had amazing scarves, shawls, cushion covers and duvet covers - not to mention silk by the metre. We were pretty good though. Rich got a couple of shirts made and we bought a few things but didn't break the bank.

Varanasi has been great, but we're looking forward to our visits to smaller towns with fewer people and slightly fresher air. Our lungs are "exhausted" - ha ha! I kill me.

We're off now to try to spot some tigers. Stay tuned...