Episode 7

Over the weekend, we decided to do some traveling. We first went to Jaipur, the Pink City, which was absolutely beautiful and reminded you of something straight out of Aladdin. After a very foggy drive, we reached the Amber Fort at about 11 30 am and walked around for about 3 hours. Just my luck, we arrived too late to take the elephant ride up to the fort… I was quite disappointed, however now even more determined to get my elephant fix. The fort is nestled in the Rajastani hillside just outside of Jaipur, and consists of an enormous palace that was once for the king and his 14 wives. Each wife had her own apartment and there was a secret passageway that connected all the rooms to the king’s quarters so he could visit them at his leisure…. Crafty bastard. After spending some time at the fort and spending way too much money at the Rajastani craft emporium, we headed into Jaipur and spent the day walking around the dazzling pink city.

The next day, we got up bright and early and drove about 4 hrs to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Agra itself is nothing special, but it contains quite a gem. Sunday February 14, 2010, Valentine’s Day, and I was standing in front of one of the greatest testaments to eternal love. I don’t care what anyone says, the Taj Mahal really is all its cracked up to be. Standing amidst a garden of greens, pinks, purples, and blues, the Taj Mahal is a glistening white marble structure that serves no other purpose, but to house the slumbering king and his beloved wife. Someone once called it “a teardrop of the face of eternity”… After ooing and awing for a while, we finally decided to wait in the enormous line to go inside. Another thing I’ve learned about India, the concept of the “que” does not exist. Everyone essentially mobs the front of the line, cutting relentlessly without any method or organization. I would have to say that one thing I look forward to when I get home is the ability to wait in a fair and orderly line.