The Taj!
I’m not trying to say that the Taj isn’t impressive. It is! But I believe first impressions have everything to do with expectations.
This India trip was my wife’s idea. Meaning that she chose the cities and most of the places we are visiting. With that information in hand, I started reading books, tour guides, and anything I could find to learn all I could about the subcontinent. What I’m trying to say is that although I’m absolutely loving this trip, I believe I wouldn’t be here if I were the one selecting our next destination.
Back to the Taj. The drivers we hired to bring us there dropped us in a sort of street market, with locals selling all kinds of souvenirs. We kept walking, walking, but there was no Taj to be seen. When I was starting to think they had dropped us in the wrong place, there it was, a typical Indian line and another metal detector, that I knew wasn’t working. So far, none of the ones we had gone through were working.
Yep, exactly as I expected, the metal detector wasn’t working, and they were searching all the bags at the entrance. But in hindsight, I think that added to the mystery. I could see a glimpse of the Taj from where I was when they started checking my bag, but that wasn’t enough to prepare me for how spectacular it looked.
Compared to the crowd we left behind us, all that space and a super bright white building created the most impressive first impression. It is so white and so bright. Wow.
