How Something Built in the Name of Love can Make Someone so Angry

As explained in an earlier post, our schedule of events was screwed up, forcing us to make a quick day trip to the Taj Mahal. We left Jaipur early in the morning for Agra, making one stop at an exorcism temple, which put us behind schedule. We didn't arrive into Agra until close to 2pm, at which time we ate lunch - at this point we are eating dosas at least once a day.

Unfortunately, India is not known for its customer service, so complaining to the travel agent wouldn't have done us any good. We were left with the option of taking a public bus or hiring a car/driver, which we were told would cost 5000 rupees. It was also too expensive to change flights, and no convenient flight times were available.

Upon arriving at the hotel the rest of our group was staying at in Agra, we spoke with the onsite travel agent who was able to help us arrange a car/driver for than the previously quoted price - we were told by many Indians that the bus was not a safe option for us. We then left our group and headed to the Taj Mahal with our own car/driver. Entering at the Main Gate, the frustration began.

Jeremy was followed for 200 meters by someone "offering" their tour guide services. Starting at 500 rupees, he finally left us alone when J said no to 50 rupees. While I continue strolling (especially since I'm not bothered as much), Jeremy's frustration grew and he started to speed walk. Purchasing our exhorbantly priced tickets (a few years ago they were 20 rupees, but now priced at 750 for foreigners in a failing attempt to help curb pollution at the Taj), we proceeded into our male/female security lines. Finally reaching the front, dodging touts along the way, we were turned away because of our iPods and Clif Bars. After spouting a few vulgarities and placing them in a locker, we headed back into line. We finally made it through, but not before someone attempted to pick Jeremy's pockets while in line. At this point Jeremy's anger had peaked.

Fighting through the crowds to reach the Taj, our moods lifted as we came into view of the grand Taj. Really quite stunning and remarkable, we entered the building which serves as a masoleum for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, for whom it was built. Since there isn't much to see on the inside, we took a break and sat on a bench enjoying the stunning view the Taj offers. We were able to see a little of how the sun affects the colors of the Taj, changing from white to a deeper yellow. In its presence, it is understandable why the Taj is considered a wonder of the world - taking a mere 20 years to build, and thousands of workers (whose fingers were then chopped off so they could not recreate the building elsewhere), it was well worth the trip.

Standing out in a homogenous population, two sets of groups requested to have their pictures taken with us - one group consisted of about 4 or 5 different men, who sat in the middle of us on the bench taking pictures - they looked as if they were cropping Jeremy out of the pictures.

Passing the rest of our group on our way out, we headed back along the path that had fostered the anger. Hopping back in to our car around 6:15pm, we made our way back to Jaipur. Unfortunately, our adventures were only half over...