A tear drop on the cheek of eternity

So today began in Delhi at 4:45am as we headed via taxi to the train station to catch the Agra bound Taj Express. This is a city of 17 million people and I was surprised to see how many of them are up at this ungodly hour, hustling & bustling buying their fresh produce for the day.
Arriving at the station we stepped around the locals living & sleeping in the main entrance to head through security and board the train in Standard Class C. The train carriage is basic but comfortable and we are served an interesting curry for breakfast with some tea and dry Marie biscuits.
As we head out of Delhi we go through a Slumdog Millionaire style shanty town built beside a rubbish tip and I wonder how many little Latika's are waiting for a Danny Boyle ticket out of there. The poverty in this country is something we are continually confronted with, it's on every street. There are 1 billion people here and a huge majority are living in terrible conditions. I normally count myself very lucky but this trip is already highlighting everything I have and take for granted. I am so grateful for the opportunities and choices I have and so very glad I wasn't born as a street child here. If reincarnation is true, as Hindus believe, I'd really like to not come back as one either....

We eventually get into luscious green countryside, passing grazing cattle and people working in the fields. As we pull into Agra 2.5hrs later we are greeted at the station by the familiar chaos of kids begging and touts trying to get the latest westerners onto their tuk tuk, Rickshaw, tour etc

We have our own ready and waiting tuk tuk driver who we have hired for 600 rupees for the whole day shared between three of us. We drop our bags at the hotel and head to a local fruit market where I try a coconut like tasting fruit. It was small and could easily pass as a bright green Chinese dumpling or pastry at first glance. It's just Erin & I at the fruit market and we quickly become conscious that we are being stared at by over 100 men all wondering if we got lost on our way to the Taj and what we are doing in their part of town.

Sightseeing this morning consisted of The Agra Fort & "Baby Taj". The buildings are beautifully ornate and we are loaded with facts and figures about these 16th century UNESCO monuments, including being shown into the Harem Court in the fort where the emperor housed his 300 mistresses (he had to give them numbers as he couldn't remember their names). It is near here that we catch our first glimse of The Taj in the distant smog. It looks magical set against the foreground of the river Yamuna.
We head to lunch for some Southern Indian fare and are all starting to get twitchy and excited about our next stop and the reason we are all here.
After another chaotic tuk tuk ride we arrive with no sign of the actual monument. I get distracted by a family of monkeys on the road side who are leisurely watching the crowds, eating fruit and dipping in and out of the greenery. A baby monkey, only a few months old, sits on it's mothers lap, grabs her face and kisses her on the lips. It was such a tender moment and one too quick for my camera to catch. Geoff, the other Brit, is also watching the monkeys avidly so we both manage to lose track of the group. We eventually find them and snake our way through the kids selling post cards and Taj Mahal snow globes. The entry process involves us passing through the foreigner "high value ticket holder" gates, past the hoards of domestic tourists staring and eventually into the grounds.
We walk in and are greeted by a huge red sandstone gate - as we get closer and closer we can slowly start to see the intricate white marble structure peaking through the gap and at this point a wave of excitement washes over me and before long I am gawping at one of the wonders of the world.
Completed in 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz, the building is said to be a tear drop on the cheek of eternity. Mumtaz died giving birth to their fourteenth child and Shah Jahan was so heartbroken he had The Taj Mahal constructed as a symbol of his everlasting love and a place for her to be buried. The detailed carving, the precious jewels and Arabic script on the stone all sit within the building's perfect symmetry.
I have my photo taken on the same bench Princess Diana sat and there is a crowd of people all waiting to do the same, western & Indian faces alike.
After taking lots more photos we go in to see the replica grave, fast tracked past the locals who are queuing for up to 3 hrs (again) to get into this inner part. This makes me feel very guilty but as we walk past the lines everyone wants to say hello, shake our hand and take photos. Mumtaz's real grave has been closed to the public and only opens for 3 days a year when 95,000 people visit per day (normally 20,000 people visit The Taj daily).
We head back to a white platform in the centre to sit down and watch the light change over the building for sunset. It really was breathtaking.
After sunset we say our goodbyes to the place and head to dinner which is at a rooftop restaurant. We dine al fresco among the trees, on powder blue tablecloths with elephants on them, there are candles, fairy lights and large fruit bats flying around. I try my first Indian Kingfisher beer. It was the perfect setting to the end of an amazing day.....

Or so I thought....

When we get back - a group of Indian school kids have arrived at our hotel (this place is also one with more dirty / oily bed sheets). The kids quickly make their presence known by running around the corridors and banging on doors. After a stakeout at the peep hole I eventually caught one of the offenders red handed who I think had a little bit of a nasty shock when a white western woman opened the door just as she was about to knock it and run.....

And despite this.....

I drifted off to sleep, chaos outside continuing, with a big smile on my face. I'm in India, I saw The Taj Mahal today. I'm so lucky and I'm so happy....