India, Part One

How I ended up in India....I got invited to see the Taj Mahal by some coworkers and decided not to pass up the opportunity. Its now the end of a long third day and I am in Jaipur. I saw the Taj Mahal today and it was well worth all the pain and trouble to get there. Its clear why its one of the seven wonders of the world as you pass through the red gates and step into a huge well-manicured square of lush grass and trees. There are fountains and elegant pathways leading up to the massive structure. Its imposing and awe-inspiring and gave me goosebumps that lasted a good two or three minutes. I quickly realized it was one of those moments I would remember forever, like staring down at Cape Town from Table Mountain, gazing at the Golden Gate bridge, or passing through the tunnel that whisks you into Yosemite Valley. I hope to share some great photos later.
I'm here with three coworkers and another's friend from Jakarta who met us over in Delhi. The four of us flew to Delhi via Newark and had a great 15 hour flight as we all ended with an upgrade to business class. There were over 300 movies to choose from and a five course meal that never seemed to end. We flew over Greenland and Iceland, then Scandinavia and over to Russia, headed south over Kazahkstan, eventually going right over Kabul and the north tip of Pakistan before descending into a late night in Delhi. It was dark nearly the whole flight and there was little to see...unfortunately.
Delhi is big and dirty and noisy and an assault on your senses. Its wrapped in haze and the sunrise and sunsets seem to linger just longer than you'd expect. We visited an amazing interactive museum about Gandhi and his life. It is located at the spot where he was assassinated and you can trace his final footsteps. It was powerful and moving. We somehow made our way to Old Delhi after dark and quickly began wondering why we were there. It was chaos. It was crowded and pungent, but we pushed on. We found a great Muslim restaurant for dinner and it only capped off another good meal that we have had here in India. Delhi has an amazingly clean, cheap and efficient Metro system that we made good use of.
Today was lots of trying to organize our next moves and the train ride to Agra to see the Taj, then another 4 hour train ride to Jaipur. Its nearly midnight and there is much more to share, but I think it will have to wait until later.