The Taj

The Taj Mahal in Agra

There is NO place like the Taj Mahal in Agra, India!  Yes, we’ve been to ancient cities, stayed at luxury hotels, meditated in high-energy ashrams, touched large Buddhas and even whole kingdoms carved out of stone.  But “The Taj” is a Wonder of the World for a special reason . . . it speaks to all of us in such a way that it makes your heart melt!

Once there, I didn’t want to leave. The magnificence of the materials, and the way the whole thing soars majestically into the sky and into our minds, left me rather speechless.  I found a tiny nook where I tucked in a picture of my father the architect.  He studied the Taj, adored it from a distance, and said he always wanted to visit there.  He died suddenly in 1990, however, and never got to go.

This visit, then, is for Dad and his memory – and for Mom, the artist.  It is fitting since this gorgeous monument was built by the Mughal Emporer Shah Jahan as a memorial to his beloved wife.

Atlanta Bound

This is our last official tourist trip.  We will spend only one night here, then it’s back to New Delhi and another evening flight to Amsterdam, London and finally to Atlanta where a limousine will pick us up at Hartsfiled-Jackson International Airport on Tuesday night (Oct. 13th) and take us home (smart thinking Soma!).

Earlier This Week…

On Wednesday (Oct. 7th) we flew from Colombo to Mumbai where we haggled with a driver to take us on the 3-hour taxi ride to Poona, the home of the original Osho community, the Osho International Meditation Resort.  This was the place where Soma spend many memorable months with her master in the late 1980’s.

It was quiet, beautiful, and restful but we only stayed three nights.  Saturday morning we flew back to Delhi and stayed at the very elegant Hotel Orana near the airport before we came to Agra. We’ll return and stay there again tomorrow.

With few exceptions, everywhere we stayed in Asia was both elegant and inexpensive.  The dollar is strong, and rupees go a long way.  This value allowed us to stay at very nice places for about 25-30% of what they would cost us in the USA!

This trip was more than I even expected, and I already long to go back!  (Maybe I can get a job at Anton’s Institute…!)

Taj Mahal Tour

As a parting shot, here is the best Taj Mahal video I could find.  Hopefully I will have more pictures, videos and stories for you in coming weeks and months that paint a better picture of the trip.  Thanks for going along with us on this fabulous journey!