I know, I know, with the ink barely dry on rule #4 (No more dawn treks), I go and pull a major violation. I look forward to your comments and messages. Let me make my case. The way I see it there are two technical issues that in my mind mitigate the infraction. Marce can be very charming, in addition to quite persuasive, and while admittedly dark, the trek to the Taj Mahal sunrise was paved, flat, and not all that long.
I’ve noticed that crowds have an energy all to themselves, so faced with feeling the press of more and more people being added to the same vector, and when you consider the sunrise time limit, what could go wrong? You might ask yourself, “are these people stampeders?” Empathetic Marce seemed to absorb the vibe and even on a lazy Sunday stroll, walks like the wind. I could not keep up.
Before long we found ourselves in a long security line where the authorities were confiscating torches, books, cigarettes, and I don’t know what all. I think the country has gone amuck. Clearing that hurdle, we performed the funereal shuffle through the Royal Gate where one finds a peek-a-boo view through a sculptured arch, beautifully softened with an atmospheric dawn mist.
Even hyped to death like a hit song, you can’t deny this place will still leave you breathless with its overwhelming beauty.
Before we came to India we had no great burning desire to see the Taj Mahal. If it came our way, or didn’t require much of a sacrifice we were in. Great white hulking symmetrical buildings, with every square inch covered with busy textures, carvings, and media, usually doesn’t do it for me. However, somehow this works as a cohesive whole with grace and lightness. We really enjoyed exploring the angles that were there if you took the time to find the genius in the work. It’s truly breathtaking.