DAY AT THE TAJ MAHAL

We awoke at 4:30am in anticipation of our face to face with the Taj Mahal. A cup of chai and a taxi later we'd arrived at the train station. It was on this train that, unfortunately for Katie, a case of Delhi Belly had caused all gastrointestinal hell to break loose. Last week's yoga and meditation practice at the ashram helped Katie to remain PRAYERFULLY equanamous on that long train ride. Thank-Shiva, time eventually healed all and Katie soon felt better.

And now for the more enchanting parts of our story...

We strolled through Akbar's Tomb, the Red Fort, and several other ruins-turned-tourist-traps. Of all these, nothing beats the sight of theTaj Mahal at sunset. This monument dedicated to Love inspires the magic of Eros at first glance. Picture this: flocks of wild parrots and white herons twitterpated in the trees. Camels and elephants lounging and then gliding across the sand. At one side of the Taj, a river trickles past, capturing a mirror image of the building's curves in it's ripples. On the other side of this river, a vast agricultural expanse of differently shaded greens, where square plots nurse baby sugar cane; and wheat sways in the breeze. The photographs in the travel magazines do the Taj no justice. The magic of an ancient era somehow still resides in the air here.

A Muslim myth suggests that if you yell the name of your beloved inside the inner dome of the Taj, the masterfully designed acoustics will carry your prayer up to the Heavens and that person will be yours forever. Under the spell of this romantic ambiance, we shouted to each other and the sound echoed a full thirteen seconds. If you ever get the chance to see the Taj Mahal, go.

Our day of romance soon came to a close and we were back on the train. We arrived to the impoverished and smoggy New Delhi, our outpost for the previous 5 days, with a new taste for India's history and ancient architecture. Travis calls Delhi "the jock itch crotch of the world: good things come from it but it still stinks". Although I find this a crude metaphor with hideous imagery, it doesn't land so far from the truth.

Tomorrow we fly to the tropical south, a region of India known for its lush rainforests, tea plantations and world renowned spices!

Stay tuned...