In Atlanta there were so many military people waiting for the flight to Dubai. We were all watching the airport TVs (which were turned to CNN) monitoring the Fort Hood Shooting. The mood was very somber. The whole flight to Dubai was the trade mission people and military heading over to the Middle East for duty.
The flight to Dubai was so long. I was not able to get comfortable to sleep, so 14 hours later I was so tired when I arrived on what seemed to be another planet. I don't know what I expected, but it so different it actually felt like I could have been on another planet. It was very clean. Full of men wearing the Muslim white robes and head covers. Women wearing the black robes, but no head or face veils. We got the shuttle to the Le Meridian airport Hotel. It was dark out, so I could not see much. When we checked in they took you to your rooms and you checked in actually in your room not at a front desk. The room was nice, but not fabulous. We went to try to get something to drink we could only get drinks an snacks at the hotel bar. They stop serving food and alcohol at 9 pm. So we quickly got some white wine and nuts. It was hot and muggy. When I got back to the room I just crashed. Luckily the hotel asked if I wanted a wake up call when I checked in so I was woke up just in time to get my bearings and a shower before heading back to the airport to head to India.
When the plane arrived in New Delhi it was so hot and stinky. I love the smell of India - burning garbage and pollution. We got the arranged ride to the hotel, which is ok. Took a taxi ride around New Delhi before dinner just to see what the city was like. We then met a group of the people on the trade mission for an early dinner (at 9 pm). And then I went to bed because I was so tired.
We got up on Sunday morning to head to the Taj Mahal at 6 am. Danielle hired a mini bus to take us even though everyone said that it was a rough ride and to take the train. She is an American so she thought that a bus would be better. So at 6 am 7 of us headed out for the Taj. 1 hour into the 4.5 hour trip out to the Taj I was so sick. The bus pulled over to see some monkeys on the side of the road and I told the people that they need to let me out. The driver kept saying "no get out here" 5 more minutes. There were a lot of peddlers out side of the car. One of the other people who was in the back of the bus with me and saw that I was going to throw up jumped up and opened the door. As I jumped out I projectile vomited all over the place. It scared the Indian people so much they jumped back and stayed away from me. So the bus of people got to watch me vomit all over the place. It was a memorable moment. Vomiting with the peddlers and monkeys. Good times.
I threw up in a box or two on the bus before they stopped at a hotel to let me go to the washroom. Which was nice. I wanted to check into the hotel at that moment. We got back on the bus because the Taj was only 30 more minutes away. I threw up (dry heaving at this point) again. And then we were finally at the Taj Mahal. We had to walk the last 300 yards to the monument, which was nice in the over 100 degree weather.
The people that I was with were very nice. They gave me water to take with me. My guts hurt so bad and the heat made me walk great. I am sure that they had no idea what was wrong with me.
When you walk up to the gates you cannot actually see the Taj Mahal. This is one picture that I can claim that I tool at the Taj. It is just through the gates.
This is a picture of Alexis, Danielle and myself. These are the two women from the U.S. Commercial Services Department that put this Trade Mission together.
This main gateway is called Darwaza. This gate is one the South of the Taj Mahal. The guide told us that this is the entrance that the travelers to the Taj used. the courtyard was a place where travelers 'halted'. The poor were also provided with food and shelter here. Per our tour guide. The guide also said something about the gate being a detached gate and that this was a long standing tradition of Muslim architecture. This is the point where it dawned on me that the Taj Mahal was a monument built by Muslims. This had never dawned on me before. You cannot see it in the photo's but the arch is very ornate with inlaid marble (I think).
You cannot see the Taj Mahal until you go through the gate. When you do go through it this is what you see. It was pretty spectacular.
I am not filtering here, I am just posting all of the photo's that were taken by the tour guide and the people on the tour. This is the documentary of a person who felt like total crap and wishing they were going to die visiting the Taj Majal with a tour guide that was extremely passionate about the Taj and taking photo's. I think that you can start to see that I was in fine form.
This is a photo with the person who was my vomit clean up crew. He is the only person who was on 2 other Trade Missions with me and knew I was not a complete moron. He was the person who got me off the bus to vomit the first time and then cleaned up the other times I managed to continue leaving my breakfast and dinner from the night before on the bus. And he was the only one who would stand next to me since I had vomit all over my pants.By the way did I mention that I was sitting next to my new (possible boss) from PCC on the bus who I had met for the first time that morning? I made a lot of good impressions on my trip to the Taj.
As you can see there were a lot of Indian people visiting the Taj. 
In the group photo below: Dave (PCC person), Matt, Me (holding my stomach), Alexis, Bill, Danielle and Lou. Great group to spend a 100 degree winter day through the Taj Mahal with.
Getting closer....
On either side of the Taj Mahal there are 2 red brick buildings. The guild told us that these were 2 other mausoleums. One was for the Shah Jahan's other wives and the other was for his favorite servant. He said that these tombs were representative of Hindu architecture?? 
What I gathered is that if you did not go to the bother of being the most beautiful women at the time and bear the Shah 14 children you can still be buried in a pretty great tomb. 
Even closer now. 
Still hot and getting very hot here listening to the guide tell us everything about the Shah and his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. You can kind of see in this photo that the Taj Mahal translated literally is the Crown Palace. The dome on the top is the crown. Here is where the guide told us that Mumtaz's last wish the the Shah was for him "to build her a tomb in her memory as the world has never seen before". The Emperor Shah Jahan did a great job at the last wish.
This photos is from the line that we had to wait in to get to go into the Taj Mahal. It was sooooo hot and I was dying. This is what I look like dying if you haven't seen it before.
This is still from the line over looking the river. The Shah used to enter from the river not the gate that we had to come through. I guess he didn't want to make the long walk.There were cows crossing the river.
In the distance you could see some other Palace like thing from this view.
Still in line.
You cannot see it very well here, but the black stuff around the arch is writings from the Koran. It is all over the outside and inside of the building.
In the distance you could see some other Palace like thing from this view.
Still in line.
You cannot see it very well here, but the black stuff around the arch is writings from the Koran. It is all over the outside and inside of the building.All of the Indian people visiting the Taj Mahal had to go barefoot. Out guide brought us booties to wear so that we did not have to take our shoes off. They were attractive.
I had to leave the inside tour of the Taj early, so I was sitting outside when the otheres were finishing up. I think that I do the hot look well. Still feeling sick here and I think that I was just to hot to fee like throwing up any more.
More cows. 
My new friends only got the best view of me on this visit to the Taj. 
Did I forget to tell you that it is the winter in Agra now. In the summer it gets to be 130 degrees. Why anyone lives so close to Hell I will never know.
After we finished at the actual Taj I thought that we were done, but the guide had other things to show us. This is another attractive photo of me laying down while on the tour.
This was nice until the bugs started crawling and landing on me.
Standing again. I think I have seen this look on Janet before. 
A rat was dancing around here while the tour guilde kept us at the Taj longer hearing about the place that we were already done with. He ran under the stair before the photo was taken I guess.
Here I am at the end of the walk back to the bus. Camel and mule at the ready.
I had to leave the inside tour of the Taj early, so I was sitting outside when the otheres were finishing up. I think that I do the hot look well. Still feeling sick here and I think that I was just to hot to fee like throwing up any more.
More cows. 
My new friends only got the best view of me on this visit to the Taj. 
Did I forget to tell you that it is the winter in Agra now. In the summer it gets to be 130 degrees. Why anyone lives so close to Hell I will never know.
After we finished at the actual Taj I thought that we were done, but the guide had other things to show us. This is another attractive photo of me laying down while on the tour.
This was nice until the bugs started crawling and landing on me.
Standing again. I think I have seen this look on Janet before. 
A rat was dancing around here while the tour guilde kept us at the Taj longer hearing about the place that we were already done with. He ran under the stair before the photo was taken I guess.
Here I am at the end of the walk back to the bus. Camel and mule at the ready.
I was glad that I saw the Taj Mahal, but I am not sure that I would recomment the journey there to anyone. It is a really hard place to get to. Maybe I could start the Taj Mahal weight loss plan. Travel to the Taj, lose yesterdays dinner. Sweat off any water weight that you might have left after losing dinner. Whalla instant weight loss:)
