Today is the day!! We’re going to see the Taj Mahal and I’m so
excited. Words cannot explain how happy I am to be going to the Taj. We
woke up extremely early to head to the Taj. The Taj has such a beautiful
history and is such an iconic monument so I can’t wait to see it in
person.
When we arrived at the Taj, we had made it early enough so that the lines weren’t extremely long and it wasn’t too hot yet. I am still surprised by the security at all of the places that we’ve been to. I’m sure it makes people feel very safe, but coming from a western perspective, it seems like it’s for show. The metal detectors that we walk through don’t really seem like they’re on. I feel the same way about the metal detectors at the mall because I had a money belt on with coins and the detectors never went off. In line for security at the Taj there was a separation between women and men – it’s been like that at every security check. And, in every case, women only get checked by a female security officer and men get checked by males. I understand why they separate the genders in a cultural perspective, but it’s still interesting to see. We then moved on to the pat down portion of the security check. This part was definitely more invasive than it is in the US and another big difference is that they don’t tell you where you’re going to be pat down. You just get pat down all over your body. This was uncomfortable because it’s just something that I’m not used to, but the security officer was nice so it wasn’t as uncomfortable as it could have been if she had been cold and rude.
The
Taj itself was absolutely breathtaking. It didn’t sink in how large it
was until we kept walking closer and closer. I think it is so beautiful
yet tragic that Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj in memory of his wife
and she never got to see such a beautiful mausoleum.While we were waiting for the bus after the Taj, I had my first experience with beggars. This was particularly difficult for me because I know that we can’t give them any money because that won’t actually help them. I was frustrated that they wouldn’t listen whenever I told them ‘no’. Some of them had disabilities and were using their disability as a way to get our attention. Many people in our group were good at ignoring them and turning their backs, but I definitely struggled with this as I don’t like ignoring people and I also don’t like being touched by strangers. I’m sure that I’ll be able to get better at this, which makes me sad that I have to harden my heart but I know that I must.
After the Taj, we went to visit the Agra Fort. This for was so spectacular. The security was unique in a different way. At this fort only the men go checked and the women were free to walk right in. It was almost like there was an assumption that women wouldn’t be bringing in weapons or other banned items. Maybe this is because of the way women are viewed as needed protection and not being able to fend for themselves. Either way, I thought this was an interesting experience.
We didn’t have time to go to the Silver Dollar City in India so we headed to Jaipur.
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