Mentally exhausted. That’s all 
I can say. Today I saw sites that we’re the most awe inspiring 
sights I’ve ever seen. At the same time, I have seen instances of human suffering and poverty like never before. For anyone who is used to living in the US, a trip to India (at least based on my experience in Delhi), is a tremendous shock to your senses and emotions unlike any other.
The first thing that you experience, no matter where you are going, is the driving. I have always considered
Chicago, and New York (even though I’ve never been there) to be cities in which there are crazy drivers. Not so. I spent many hours watching YouTube videos of driving in India, to 
prepare me, as I had heard it is scary. While I will say I wasn’t surprised, I was still scared to death. Imagine 4 lane roads with no lane markings, where the road is shared by truck, car, bicycle, motorcycle, livestock and pedestrian, all at the same time. Lanes, are meaningless, horns, are the most used part on the car, and the assumption is made that anything on the road smaller than you (be it a vehicle or a person) will move eventually if you get close enough fast 
enough and honk at it enough times. 
What I hadn’t expected coming into India was that this phenomenon is not just in the major cities. The trip to Agra is a very long drive, through some “rural” parts of the country. However, even in these areas, the roads are packed with Tuk-Tuks, people, and vehicles. At times there are 4-5 vehicles sharing 2 lanes, or 6-8 bicycles and motorcycles sharing 2 lanes that is until we sped up to them and they got out of our way, with an inch or two to spare from being hit. And that is meant in a literal sense. Take a look for example at the first picture in this entry.
I can say. Today I saw sites that we’re the most awe inspiring 
sights I’ve ever seen. At the same time, I have seen instances of human suffering and poverty like never before. For anyone who is used to living in the US, a trip to India (at least based on my experience in Delhi), is a tremendous shock to your senses and emotions unlike any other.The first thing that you experience, no matter where you are going, is the driving. I have always considered
Chicago, and New York (even though I’ve never been there) to be cities in which there are crazy drivers. Not so. I spent many hours watching YouTube videos of driving in India, to 
prepare me, as I had heard it is scary. While I will say I wasn’t surprised, I was still scared to death. Imagine 4 lane roads with no lane markings, where the road is shared by truck, car, bicycle, motorcycle, livestock and pedestrian, all at the same time. Lanes, are meaningless, horns, are the most used part on the car, and the assumption is made that anything on the road smaller than you (be it a vehicle or a person) will move eventually if you get close enough fast 
enough and honk at it enough times. 
What I hadn’t expected coming into India was that this phenomenon is not just in the major cities. The trip to Agra is a very long drive, through some “rural” parts of the country. However, even in these areas, the roads are packed with Tuk-Tuks, people, and vehicles. At times there are 4-5 vehicles sharing 2 lanes, or 6-8 bicycles and motorcycles sharing 2 lanes that is until we sped up to them and they got out of our way, with an inch or two to spare from being hit. And that is meant in a literal sense. Take a look for example at the first picture in this entry.
Once you are able to pull your finger nails out of what ever was within reach and start looking around, the massive amounts of people, everywhere is shocking. Within villages t
here will be hundreds of people walking about or standing along any given 100 yard stretch of road. I want to point out, that the crowd of people in the distance is not flea market or anything of the sort. I guarantee you that is a street with cars moving at full speed, and 3 seconds after I took the shot, our car was parting the see of people through sheer might.
here will be hundreds of people walking about or standing along any given 100 yard stretch of road. I want to point out, that the crowd of people in the distance is not flea market or anything of the sort. I guarantee you that is a street with cars moving at full speed, and 3 seconds after I took the shot, our car was parting the see of people through sheer might.Behind the people on the streets are fruitcarts, “homes”, and storefronts. I enclose homes within quotes, as th
at term as understood in the US does not describe what you see along the road, yet these are homes to millions here. Tarps held up by sticks, mud and grass huts, tents, shabby cement and 
brick cubicles, are all you see mile after mile after mile. 
When you enter into the larger villiages such as Agra, at many times, there are so many vehicles and pedestrians in the road facing every which direction, its impossible to move. At this point, children will begin tapping on the windows asking for money, as well as young mothers holding babies. This is not a rare site, but instead a constant one. I saw a young girl about 6 or 7 years old, holding on her hip what was likely her brother who looked to be about 3-4 years old. Walking in between cars that stopped momentarily asking for money. Her head barely came up to the window. After tapping at our window, she went to leave the roadway walking in front of a truck, holding up a hand to say “wait for me to pass.” This couldn’t have helped, as when she passed between the 12 inch gap bet
ween the truck and the car in front of her, her head was a good 8 inches below the hood of the truck. And she easily could have been run over if traffic started and the driver didn’t see her walk that direction.
Heart wrenching.
After we made our way through all this, we got to the Taj Mahal. We hired a guide to take us through, (who was excellent!) Words can not express how magnificent this building was. Until today I considered this to be a pretty building often photographed, and I thought it would be “neat” to see it. However the sheer enormity of
the building, and intricate design can not be captured without seeing it in person. The ENTIRE 
building is made of white marble. All of it, everything. Around the front door, and within as well are honeycombs, 4 foot by 6 foot or so that are carved in a single piece of marble. Around the entire building are inlays of various colored stones with patterns of flowers. When I first glimpsed the building, a cloud was covering the sun. It was beautiful. I looked away, and when I looked back, the sun had come out, and it was like an entirely different building. Our guide (and our friends from Caliber Point) said that at night with the moon shining on it, it takes on a 3rd color and looks like an even different building. All of us wandered the building for an hour or two, speechless in the utter beauty of this gigantic and flawless wonder of the world. I can not even imagine how such a building could be designed and built 400+ years ago, and be done so perfectly.
Amazing.
After the Taj, we went to the Agra Fort, which is right down the road. We had to run through this one pretty quickly as they we’re closing, but also an
impressive, amazingly large structure. The Agra Fort is not kept nearly as sterile as the Taj, and is infested with monkeys running to 
and fro.
On the way out of the fort, I saw another image that I’m not sure I will ever be able to get rid of. Two horribly disfigured boys at the entrance way begging for money. The worst of which, had limbs that looked thinner than they would be if they were just bones. Sticks. He walked using both his hands and his feet, and had shoes on his hands. His feet appeared to be useless aside from supporting himself, as when he walked they were upside down scraping against the stone and gravel ground while supporting the back half of his body. His limbs and torso looked abnormally long, as if he would be eight feet tall if he was able to stand up straight (which he clearly couldn’t). The way has body
bent, and moved, he very much looked more like an animal than a human, to the point that it was extremely strange to hear English words coming out of his mouth. We climbed back into the car, and I was once again speechless. But for a much different reason.
Immediately after this, our hired guide “conveniently” took us to a place to see how the inlays are done that were made in the Taj Mahal. This art is still passed down within families, and there are a couple hundred people still practicing the art today. Not surprisingly the place that showed us how this is done, also sells their
products, and is happy to demonstrate everything and anything they have. The sales pitches are orchestrated by everyone in the room, and I was convinced that I had stepped onto the stage of an infomercial with the seamless way that the demonstrations were performed will help from individuals in the room, you didn’t even know where there, or involved.
Well, that’s enough for one day. I can’t even imagine what the next 7 will bring.
at term as understood in the US does not describe what you see along the road, yet these are homes to millions here. Tarps held up by sticks, mud and grass huts, tents, shabby cement and 
brick cubicles, are all you see mile after mile after mile. 
When you enter into the larger villiages such as Agra, at many times, there are so many vehicles and pedestrians in the road facing every which direction, its impossible to move. At this point, children will begin tapping on the windows asking for money, as well as young mothers holding babies. This is not a rare site, but instead a constant one. I saw a young girl about 6 or 7 years old, holding on her hip what was likely her brother who looked to be about 3-4 years old. Walking in between cars that stopped momentarily asking for money. Her head barely came up to the window. After tapping at our window, she went to leave the roadway walking in front of a truck, holding up a hand to say “wait for me to pass.” This couldn’t have helped, as when she passed between the 12 inch gap bet
ween the truck and the car in front of her, her head was a good 8 inches below the hood of the truck. And she easily could have been run over if traffic started and the driver didn’t see her walk that direction.Heart wrenching.
After we made our way through all this, we got to the Taj Mahal. We hired a guide to take us through, (who was excellent!) Words can not express how magnificent this building was. Until today I considered this to be a pretty building often photographed, and I thought it would be “neat” to see it. However the sheer enormity of
the building, and intricate design can not be captured without seeing it in person. The ENTIRE 
building is made of white marble. All of it, everything. Around the front door, and within as well are honeycombs, 4 foot by 6 foot or so that are carved in a single piece of marble. Around the entire building are inlays of various colored stones with patterns of flowers. When I first glimpsed the building, a cloud was covering the sun. It was beautiful. I looked away, and when I looked back, the sun had come out, and it was like an entirely different building. Our guide (and our friends from Caliber Point) said that at night with the moon shining on it, it takes on a 3rd color and looks like an even different building. All of us wandered the building for an hour or two, speechless in the utter beauty of this gigantic and flawless wonder of the world. I can not even imagine how such a building could be designed and built 400+ years ago, and be done so perfectly.Amazing.
After the Taj, we went to the Agra Fort, which is right down the road. We had to run through this one pretty quickly as they we’re closing, but also an
impressive, amazingly large structure. The Agra Fort is not kept nearly as sterile as the Taj, and is infested with monkeys running to 
and fro.On the way out of the fort, I saw another image that I’m not sure I will ever be able to get rid of. Two horribly disfigured boys at the entrance way begging for money. The worst of which, had limbs that looked thinner than they would be if they were just bones. Sticks. He walked using both his hands and his feet, and had shoes on his hands. His feet appeared to be useless aside from supporting himself, as when he walked they were upside down scraping against the stone and gravel ground while supporting the back half of his body. His limbs and torso looked abnormally long, as if he would be eight feet tall if he was able to stand up straight (which he clearly couldn’t). The way has body
bent, and moved, he very much looked more like an animal than a human, to the point that it was extremely strange to hear English words coming out of his mouth. We climbed back into the car, and I was once again speechless. But for a much different reason.Immediately after this, our hired guide “conveniently” took us to a place to see how the inlays are done that were made in the Taj Mahal. This art is still passed down within families, and there are a couple hundred people still practicing the art today. Not surprisingly the place that showed us how this is done, also sells their
products, and is happy to demonstrate everything and anything they have. The sales pitches are orchestrated by everyone in the room, and I was convinced that I had stepped onto the stage of an infomercial with the seamless way that the demonstrations were performed will help from individuals in the room, you didn’t even know where there, or involved.Well, that’s enough for one day. I can’t even imagine what the next 7 will bring.
1 comment:
I also left a another comment on your old Singapore thingy. I probably should have just put it here also.
Any way, about the video camera. You probably know this already, but in case you don't: There is a CD-Rom that comes with the camera that your supposed to download onto your computer, in order to edit video and stuff. It was in the box, I think, rather than the black case. Like I said; you probably already know that, but if you don't maybe that's the cause of your technical problems.
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