Saturday, November 26, 2005

Wah Taj!!!


WAH TAJ!!!
For those of you thinking that am endorsing a famous tea brand..... wait maadi..... that was a summary of my visit to the Taj Mahal (a little sarcastic though, if you happened to catch it).....

My visit to the Taj in Oct '05 wasn't my first..... it was probably my 3rd or 4th.... but the first in almost 20 years.... and I hardly remember anything about my earlier visits..... so, more or less counts like a first.....

Not to mention, I was quite excited about the whole thing..... like anyone is..... but but but..... it just turned out to be an anti-climax..... totally..... an experience worth forgotten..... hmmm, let me try and relive those moments.....

The roads first..... roads, what roads?????? Bannerghatta Road, which was recently rated as one of the worst roads in India, would definitely rate higher..... the roads just don't suit the place which is, definitely, the biggest tourist attraction in the country.....

Ok.. time to move on... when we made up our mind and decided to pardon Agra for the roads, our vehicle met with an accident which was entirely because of the mistake of a local moron with no driving skills (am not defending our driver..... thats the fact)..... and the moron blaming us for the accident and getting into fisticuffs with our driver...... well, that was a sight to behold..... hmmm, lets put it aside as a freak incident.....

Being the biggest tourist spots in India, I did expect to see lot of people, but not soooooooooooooooooo many..... well, it was so damn crowded... so damn crowded (sigh!!!).....

Slowly all the excitement started fading away and we were just half as enthusiastic..... What next???? the frisking that took place at the security gate..... mobile phones are not allowed to be taken inside, which is definitely good, but then there is not one announcement regarding the same..... we got to know that only at the security gate..... and then there was a mad rush to deposit the phones in some tiny counter nearby..... with just one person collecting and returning the phones..... phew..... heights of torture..... we were totally exhausted by then..... and the attitude of the policemen at the gate is something to be seen to be believed..... rude and abusive to the core..... hurling abuses at the tourists and snatching away snacks and filling up their pockets.... aarghh.....

And there it was, finally, the Taj Mahal standing in front of us in all its magnificent splendour and glory, enchanting the visitors with its grandeur (oops, getting too dramatic)..... just wanted to say that it was good..... but could have been better... definitely.....

And finally, I wouldn't be surprised if the Taj doesn't make it to the list of the 7 Wonders of the World when a fresh list is released next year (not that I don't want it to make it, but then.....) and this inspite of the gorgeous Ash posing in front of the Taj and asking all of us to vote for it!!!!!

Thursday, November 10, 2005

This happens only in India!!!


Well... Do I need to say more? The title says it all....
(Photo taken at the Taj Mahal.... More on my trip to the Taj coming up.....)