India Day 2

The Hotel

Waiting for the cab to take us to Taj Mahal

Day 2 of the India trip was the to the Taj Mahal, I slept only a few hours during the night because I don't know what time it is or what time zone... it takes about 4 - 4.5 hours to get to the Taj, and I believe the trip was just about as memorable as the visit to the Taj... driving in India is nothing like driving in the U.S. - not even downtown New Jersey can hold a candle to these drivers. Defensive driving has a whole new meaning in India... be defensive or get run over that's all there is to it.

After about 2 minutes in the car, the first thing that I noticed was a cow along the side of the road... I hit Phil and said look at that.... that was only the beginning.. the cow as it turned out was one of about 5,000 that we would see that day roaming around in the road.
Imagine if you can, I-94 at the busiest rush hour... now add people walking, people on bikes, people on motorcycles (no helmets), cows, goats, dogs, sheep, tractors, and then add houses/huts/shacks on both sides within about 20 feet from the road. Think of 2 lane I-94 but the drivers are ignoring the lines on the road like they aren't there and making it 4 lanes or so.... then make sure everyone is driving super fast and dodging in and out of all the cars. Also, there are no road signs, stop signs, or for that matter driving rules of any kind. It is truely unbeleivable.

Agra, the city where the Taj Mahal is located is extremely poor. Culture shock does not even describe the sights along the way. I wasn't able to get many photos as we were driving so fast - but Phil was able to get some video on his camera that I will add later.