July 18- Our day began with a 5 am wake up call. We sat together, half asleep, and enjoyed a breakfast before boarding the bus at 7am that would be taking us to the famous Indian monument. We had the pleasure of having a very insightful tour guide, Paktaj. He introduced us to Indian culture as we traveled the roads that lead to Agra, the city that houses the Taj Mahal. He opened our minds to the ways of caste systems, family values, as well as religion, and language. Paktaj gave us advice such as avoiding eye contact to divert beggars and hawkers. Once we got off of the bus, that advice was put to the test as we were swarmed with men trying to get us to purchase anything from post cards to "marble" elephants. After shooing them away, we boarded horse carriages and traveled less than a kilometer to the gates. Police barricades block the roads that lead up to the entrance to avoid any pollution to the sacred monument.
After an eventful morning, we finally arrived at one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. I don't think anyone was ready for the sight that met us on the other sight of the gates. There stood the Taj Mahal crafted from the finest white marble and 5 other precious and semi precious stones. Some students chose to have their pictures taking by a "professional" photographer to the tune of 2 u.s. dollars (100 rupees). We then journeyed on to get closer to the massive marble tomb. The girls were sure to get plenty of stares from the local Indian citizens and some were even asked to join in pictures. Before entering the Taj Mahal, we were asked to turn off our cameras off as well as to wear shoe protectors to ensure the beauty of the building is preserved. We fought against the heat as long as we could so that we could truly experience the fine detail and beauty of the Taj Mahal before boarding our bus once again.
After starting the long trip back to our hotel, The Legend Inn, we stopped at a restaurant to have a late lunch/early dinner together. We had a family style meal that allowed us to try an array of Indian dishes including a cottage cheese desert (which most of the group despised).
With our belly's full, we made one last stop to tour a facility with artists like the ones that created the Taj Mahal. They showed us the precision and endurance that goes into making such fine and detailed marble pieces. We were greeted with tea from the owners before we got the opportunity to shop through their hand crafted pieces. Some of the students found treasures to take home to the states. After our many stops, we welcomes ourselves back onto the air conditioned buses were almost everyone fell asleep. After 5 more hours, we arrived at the hotel and called it a night. :)
(Posted by Kaitlin and Casey)
After an eventful morning, we finally arrived at one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. I don't think anyone was ready for the sight that met us on the other sight of the gates. There stood the Taj Mahal crafted from the finest white marble and 5 other precious and semi precious stones. Some students chose to have their pictures taking by a "professional" photographer to the tune of 2 u.s. dollars (100 rupees). We then journeyed on to get closer to the massive marble tomb. The girls were sure to get plenty of stares from the local Indian citizens and some were even asked to join in pictures. Before entering the Taj Mahal, we were asked to turn off our cameras off as well as to wear shoe protectors to ensure the beauty of the building is preserved. We fought against the heat as long as we could so that we could truly experience the fine detail and beauty of the Taj Mahal before boarding our bus once again.
After starting the long trip back to our hotel, The Legend Inn, we stopped at a restaurant to have a late lunch/early dinner together. We had a family style meal that allowed us to try an array of Indian dishes including a cottage cheese desert (which most of the group despised).
With our belly's full, we made one last stop to tour a facility with artists like the ones that created the Taj Mahal. They showed us the precision and endurance that goes into making such fine and detailed marble pieces. We were greeted with tea from the owners before we got the opportunity to shop through their hand crafted pieces. Some of the students found treasures to take home to the states. After our many stops, we welcomes ourselves back onto the air conditioned buses were almost everyone fell asleep. After 5 more hours, we arrived at the hotel and called it a night. :)
(Posted by Kaitlin and Casey)
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