Agra

We made it to Agra!

The train ride was long - six hours late (six extra hours!) but it was nice waking up and watching the rose colored morning bathe the Indian countryside. Truly beautiful. There were men in flowing white shirts standing in their fields. Women in saris walked by with baskets on their heads. White stork-like birds walked amongst them.

Denise and I stayed up late talking into the night. It's nice to have a travel companion. Nice to bounce thoughts off each other, off the walls - off something besides the inside of my own head.

Our motorcycle rickshaw (like tuk-tuks, Jess) pointed out the Taj as we left the train station. We both turned and said "ahhhh" in unison. You have to. Because it's magic. We'll wake up at sunrise tomorrow to see it proper, bathed in light. I've been reading in my guidebook about it. It's a really beautiful story. A king built it for his beloved wife, Mumtaz, who died giving birth to their 14th child! It took about twenty years to build -but soon after it was finished the king was overthrown by his son and imprisoned in the nearby Agra Fort, where he could only gaze at it through a window. When he died he was buried next to Mumtaz - and there's a legend that he had originally intended to build an exact replica of the Taj opposite the one standing - only this one in black, a mirror-image in the negative. It's just a legend, the last part, but I like to think it's true.

I keep pinching myself. I'm at the Taj Mahal. In Agra, India. And there is music outside and Durga Puja floats parading down the street.

The Taj Mahal.

Then back to Calcutta we shall go. Where Durga Puja awaits. Not to mention the "Goodbye Monsoon" party Aneita and I are planning. With drinks and lanterns and dancing in our courtyard. We figured it was time to dance the rain away.

p.s. an elephant just walked down the street. with painted ears. looks like a festival is happening tonight!