The Taj Mahal At Sunrise

 Five o'clock came early in the morning. By five-fifteen we were in the lobby bar getting a cup of coffee the hotel had provided (all French press--delicious). The call came to load the carts and we started out. Now here I should back up and tell you what I had decided to bring with me that morning. If you remember my previous post, I covered all the things not allowed. I had made it through security easily with only a cell phone and pack of tissues. This morning for some reason, I decided I should take my little cross body travel purse. It held my hand sanitizer, tissues, and a few other items I didn't think would be offensive. The key here being...I didn't think.

The night before we had quickly entered through the ticket gate because there were few people entering with us. That morning however there was quite a long line to get in. Seems everyone wanted to see the Taj at sunrise. The monkeys were out to watch us as we stood in line. We admired the way they managed to slide through the barbed and razor wire without a scratch. Lots of babies and little ones.

All along our tour director, Vishal, had tried to prepare us for the invasion of personal space that could come. We managed to get through the ticket area without too much fuss but then the crowd squeezed in once the ladies and men were separated to go through security. The press was on. I suddenly regretted bringing a purse. We had to maneuver to one side to put our bags through the scanner and then try to move to the left again to go through the "frisk". All the while with women pressing against us. There were three of us that kind of stuck together and finally made it to get frisked. Just as we did, they opened another booth and it eased the press a bit but only to begin again once it was time to retrieve our bags. 

The other ladies had larger bags that were easy to identify and the attendant went through them inch by inch. The press got tighter as I tried to point out my purse which had been covered up by a large black bag. Women were yelling and insisting on getting their bags. Arms were flailing around me pointing to the pile. I finally managed to get the attendant to understand that mine was under the big one. She went through it and handed it back to me. The hard part was trying to turn and make my way back through the press of bodies. I finally did like the locals. I pushed through-hard.

Just as I emerged, Yogi was there searching for me and looking relieved to see me finally come through. I explained and we joined Bob to hustle through the walkway to join the others. What an experience! I was ready for a shower.

We were directed to go in and observe from the area of the east mosque. I  was grateful we weren't going up all those stairs again. The photographer stopped us to take a couple more shots and explain that he would have all the pictures on a flash drive for us to buy at $50 USD. "That's nice," I said and we moved on. 

I caught a glimpse of the sun coming up through the trees, a hazy red ball and I wondered if the Taj would look any different in the morning. It was already light enough to give it that ethereal look. That seemed to be the best way to explain it. It just doesn't seem real. It's like a cloud perhaps descended and formed itself into the shape of the mausoleum and at any moment could disappear. 

We sat in a few peaceful moments which were so welcome after the security experience. I took a series of pictures again but still did not see a great change in the color. There was a deepening of shadows though as the sun rose.

The morning was pleasant and we enjoyed the walk back to the exit where we sat again and admired the beauty. There was a gentle breeze once again and the temperature had not climbed yet. And yes, I could see the promise of blue sky in the haze that was tinted light gray-blue.