It's evening time here in Pune and I can hear the city tucking in for the night. At the hight of noon any Pune street is indistinguishable from the ciaos of ethnic quarters in Brooklyn, or South Boston. Unlike the noisy metropolious of East Coast America, around the stroke of 10 pm, Pune begins to drift off into silky shadows, and the song of honking cabby's is replaced by the cool cooing of undefinable jungle sounds.
Right now, I'm sitting in my hotel waiting for Matt to come home. I've decided to let him describe Agra, the Taj and our trip between them for now. Delhi is already starting to feel like weeks ago. I will say this, for all the pomp and circumstance the Taj receives, after seeing it, one is not left wanting. In my limited experiences, I have found, there a few places in the world that transcend even the most notorious "tourist traps" and are, without exaggeration simply awing. It is a testament to elegance, and I say this without any hint of cynicism or sarcasm, to romance. I believe that it would not matter if one had heard every tale of love, devotion, beauty and extravagance of a king for his queen, or conversely if one stumbled into the Taj never knowing of it's existence, the effect would be the same. If you have ever been in love, then you would recognize it like a familiar friend. The Taj is the tomb of a meloncolly lover. It is a physical embodiment of all the things you wish you knew how to say, and a reminder to how devastated you would be if you lost who you cared for most in the world. Amidst the many thousands of travelers, inside the Taj, I felt private and moved.
Right now, I'm sitting in my hotel waiting for Matt to come home. I've decided to let him describe Agra, the Taj and our trip between them for now. Delhi is already starting to feel like weeks ago. I will say this, for all the pomp and circumstance the Taj receives, after seeing it, one is not left wanting. In my limited experiences, I have found, there a few places in the world that transcend even the most notorious "tourist traps" and are, without exaggeration simply awing. It is a testament to elegance, and I say this without any hint of cynicism or sarcasm, to romance. I believe that it would not matter if one had heard every tale of love, devotion, beauty and extravagance of a king for his queen, or conversely if one stumbled into the Taj never knowing of it's existence, the effect would be the same. If you have ever been in love, then you would recognize it like a familiar friend. The Taj is the tomb of a meloncolly lover. It is a physical embodiment of all the things you wish you knew how to say, and a reminder to how devastated you would be if you lost who you cared for most in the world. Amidst the many thousands of travelers, inside the Taj, I felt private and moved.
I'm so excited for you two! India really seems amazing, to say the least, and it is so wonderful to read the story of your journey in your own words. I wanted to tell you how touching your paragraph about the Taj Mahal is, and how much it made me miss you and my honey who is currently out somewhere in the middle of the gulf of mexico. I also wanted to say how happy I am for you both to have found each other and to experience something so life altering together. As incredible as trips like this one can be, they are exponentially better when shared with a kindred spirit. I hope you are having more beautiful experiences than your heads have room for, stay safe and take care!
ReplyDelete-Saira