It is Saturday evening. We left for Agra and the Taj Mahal this morning at 5:30am. Our driver was young -22 - and spoke English fairly well- so we were able to ask him a lot of questions about the Indian culture. For instance, women wear saris after they marry - not before - and some grooms will ride a horse and pick up their bride as part of the wedding ceremony. Although Hindus do not eat beef and cows are considered sacred - hence all the meandering co
ws - they do drink "holy cow"'s mile. Our driver is Punjabi - a different religion and culture - and his marriage will be arranged. So we gathered lots of interesting info. We saw a mosque - see photo, and the Taj Mahal which is a mausoleum - for those that don't know this is a burial place. It is an incredible piece of architecture - made of white marble with be
autiful inlays. You can see the photo. To either side of the Taj Mahal are two mosques. You can see Dan trying to lift the Taj Mahal in the photo. We also saw the agra fort and several temples during our 4-5 hour drive each way. We stopped at several tourist traps - a marble store, jewelry store, and leather store. We knew better than to buy anything. We also saw a lot of poverty - its impossible to describe it really - we did have
some children knock on our window and point to their mouth and stomach - heart wrenching. On the more humorous side I also had a monkey on my window - some men had trained them and wanted money for taking the monkey's photo. We saw camels pulling unbelievably heavy loads and did I mention the cows? Another thing worth noting is that despite crazed driving - you've never seen the like - we made it back unharmed. Lets just say anyone with a heart condition should never get into a car in India! Red lights appear to be optional for the most part and they like to add a lane or two to the roads. I should also mention that we saw some nicer parts of New Dehli and also outside of Dehli some very modern looking malls. We also saw some American-owned factories - Goodyear and Pepsi... Just one other thing - we had a flat tire! Our driver fixed it quickly but it meant us getting out at a village and
receiving a lot of questioning looks. The photo to the right shows the view across the street. So needless to say we understand a lot more about India and we are so thankful we have this opportunity to give one little one a better life and love.
ws - they do drink "holy cow"'s mile. Our driver is Punjabi - a different religion and culture - and his marriage will be arranged. So we gathered lots of interesting info. We saw a mosque - see photo, and the Taj Mahal which is a mausoleum - for those that don't know this is a burial place. It is an incredible piece of architecture - made of white marble with beautiful inlays. You can see the photo. To either side of the Taj Mahal are two mosques. You can see Dan trying to lift the Taj Mahal in the photo. We also saw the agra fort and several temples during our 4-5 hour drive each way. We stopped at several tourist traps - a marble store, jewelry store, and leather store. We knew better than to buy anything. We also saw a lot of poverty - its impossible to describe it really - we did have
some children knock on our window and point to their mouth and stomach - heart wrenching. On the more humorous side I also had a monkey on my window - some men had trained them and wanted money for taking the monkey's photo. We saw camels pulling unbelievably heavy loads and did I mention the cows? Another thing worth noting is that despite crazed driving - you've never seen the like - we made it back unharmed. Lets just say anyone with a heart condition should never get into a car in India! Red lights appear to be optional for the most part and they like to add a lane or two to the roads. I should also mention that we saw some nicer parts of New Dehli and also outside of Dehli some very modern looking malls. We also saw some American-owned factories - Goodyear and Pepsi... Just one other thing - we had a flat tire! Our driver fixed it quickly but it meant us getting out at a village and 
receiving a lot of questioning looks. The photo to the right shows the view across the street. So needless to say we understand a lot more about India and we are so thankful we have this opportunity to give one little one a better life and love.
2 comments:
Sounds like you are learning a lot but where were the pictures ? The kids all read your notes each day, it is great to be able to keep so informed. Love to both of you. We are praying Love grands
The Taj Mahal is beautiful! Imagine - a tomb that grandiose. It boggles the mind - and makes one a little sad. And how nice to have someone take you who could answer questions for you. I think those drivers took lessons here in RI. The STOP signs here just mean Slip Toe Off Pedal. Ha! Nancy would do fine there, though. (No offense, Nance.) And soon you will see your little Maya. You must be getting so excited. And I would imagine Maya is getting excited as well. Imagine never having a family or anyone who truly loved you - and then becoming a part of a family who loves you no matter what. What a wonderful blessing it is for all of you. It is great fun to follow your travels through India, and thanks for sharing them with us. Much love to you.
Auntie L.
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