FINALLY, after thirty years, our bucket list to visit the 7 modern wonders of the world is complete! It seems that we saved the best for last. Due to the distance of India and the negative stories we read about its cities, we intentionally delegated the Taj Mahal as the last wonder to visit. But how wrong those information were! It’s true that the streets are very congested (so is Manila, Rio, Beijing, Istanbul,etc). While some of the mega cities we’ve visited like Tokyo are cleaner and less chaotic, Delhi is not as bad as described by people who’ve never been here. We’re glad we have finally spent a few days in India, memories to cherish and tell our grandchildren!

The other wonders of the world below. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos:

TAJ MAHAL: A monument of love which took 22 years to build and completed in 1653, in memory of the emperor’s beloved wife Mumtãz Mahal. The white marble came from Makrana in Rajasthan and the red sandstone from Sikri. Precious and semi-precious stones like jade, turquoise, lapis lazuli, sapphire, coral and diamonds were brought in from far-flung places like Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, Persia (now Iran), and Afghanistan. It is truly a wonder of the world! Just like the other six wonders of the world, this awesome monument takes away your breath and makes you wonder how they even began to conceptualize the project. The symmetry is perfect and the aesthetics would rival any modern structures today!

Before we had the honor to set foot in the great mausoleum, we visited a tomb not far from Taj Mahal – the Itmad-Ud-Daulah also known as “The Baby Taj” for its similarity to the Taj. This tomb was designed by Empress Noor Jahan for her father and was the first Mughal monument that used marble inlay work.

The last place we visited was Fatehpur Sikri – the Ghost Capital of Emperor Akbar also built in red sandstone which is abundant in this area. The fortress is a UNESCO world heritage site.

I randomly took the below photos after we visited our last stop in Sikri just to show similarities of other cities in Asia with that of India.

Today, we fly back to the Philippines. I remember in one of our cruises the cruise director said: “When traveling keep an open mind and heart“. We did and we learned a lot about India’s culture and heritage that we will them treasure for life!

ALAVIDA BHAARAT! Thank you for your hospitality!

Our driver, Sunil, picked us up at La Meridien at exactly 10:00 am to drive us to Agra (about 4 hour drive, 220km). We took the expressway and was surprised to see all sorts of traffic – tricycles, bicycles, goats, and cows. Although the animals were along the side of the expressway, I was worried if they would suddenly cross which thankfully they never did.

The temperature started around the low 60’s F and was very hazy all day long. Sunil was a very safe and cautious driver who drove under the speed limit. I noticed the drivers never used their signal lights to change lane and usually straddles both lanes. I can drive in Manila but I don’t think I have the nerve to drive in India!

We checked in at our hotel, Jaypee Palace, where our tour guide, Deesh was already waiting. The hotel had impressive grounds and facility and made us feel like we were in the Colonial India era!

That afternoon, we went to the red sandstone AGRA FORT, built by Akbar in 1565 located in the banks of the Yamuna River with a view of the Taj Mahal. This was the time the Mughals ruled India. The fort seemed impregnable the way it was built – double wall with moats. This well-preserved fortress dominates a bend of the Yamuna. The interior boasts of grand buildings including the Royal Pavilion.

We drove on the other side of the river Yamuna to watch the sunset and admire the Taj Mahal from a distance. Sunil, our driver parked about a half kilometer away and we took the Tok-tok (similar to that in Bangkok) to reach our destination.

Our tour guide showed us a few tricks on how to use the cell phone. He made the Taj Mahal appear as if was reflected from the water when the reflection actually appeared from the screen of another phone! He was also a great story-teller narrating about the love stories of Mughal rulers. One emperor that was very interesting was Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife – Mumtaz Mahal.

Tomorrow we will actually set foot inside the Taj Mahal!