The Agra Venture
We have driven on the expressway from Delhi to Agra. This in itself was intriguing, but once we arrived in Agra, it was the Taj Majal itself that took center stage. You could see a millon photos of it, but never understand how grand and pure it really is until you are standing at its foundation. And on this point, I am becoming quite taken with India. The people are diverse, complex, hospitable and above all, passionate. The people are what make India, but when you combine them with the smells (spices, animals, people), the sounds (calls to prayer, honking, wild birds of all sorts) and the sights (every color, always motion), it is infinitely offputting and alluring all at once. I'm am sitting here now with waves of tropical bird calls, drum beats, people laughing, music, and a reverberation from the numberous calls to prayer that cut through the air moments ago rolling over me. I can smell someone's dinner, common spices at the helm, and the ...