Rock Stars at the Taj Mahal

Me Outside of the Taj Mahal

Namaste, 

I left you last time talking about how we were entertained by the traffic heading to the Taj Mahal.  Well, I guess it was only fair that we would become the entertainment once we arrived.  Let me explain myself.  From the moment Kangai and I stepped out of the car, we were accosted by the locals trying to sell us something or just begging for money.  Now, many of you who have travelled to countries where there is a large poor population will say, “That happens to everybody.”  I would agree with you on that note.   

However, things seemed to change the closer we got to the Taj Mahal.  We couldn’t help but notice that people just started to stare at us.  At first we didn’t make much of it, but then it got creepy.  We were accompanied by a tour guide provided by the Leela Hotel.  Kangai and I were quite pleased with him.  He was extremely knowledgeable and he wasn’t at all hard on the eyes. J  

Our Tour Guide
Schooling us on inlaid stone

Having a one-on-one tour guide was the best way for us to go.  As our stud-ly tour guide was imparting his vast knowledge upon us, crowds started to gather around.  At first I thought they were looking at him, because he was kind of hot.  Then I thought maybe they are trying to hack our tour.  Hell, I’ve done that in the past…not proud of it, but it’s true.  I remember mooching off of a tour during a trip to Greece.  We got caught and shooed away during our attempts, but I quickly realized that that’s not what these people were doing.  We realized that they were staring at us.   



Me and Kangai facing
Taj Courtyard

Now, once I realized this, I had a flashback moment.  You see, when I traveled to Hong Kong way back in 2001, the locals stared at me and my friend Susan so hard that they almost bumped into us.  Apparently they didn’t get to see African Americans up close and in person very often.  I was having a Hong Kong moment in Delhi, India, in 2011…ten years later!  SMH.  There is a vantage point when you enter the courtyard of the Taj where you just have to take a picture.  Well, when we stopped to take a picture, it was like the paparazzi came out of nowhere.  What was a cute photo op, turned creepy and we moved on. 

If you’ve ever been on the grounds of the Taj Mahal, you would know that it’s a vast area with beautiful gardens.  Our tour guide has been doing this work for ten years, so he took his job very seriously.  He tried several times to take us to secluded areas on the grounds to give us his in depth knowledge of the history surrounding the Taj Mahal.  The crowds were going out of their way to come stand next to us, take pictures or just stare.  LOL.  Kangai was clearly getting creeped out at one point so I let her in on what was going on. 

I asked her to look around the site.  I then asked her how many people did she see, who looked like us.  There were NONE.  Not one.  The stud-ly tour guide finally confirmed my theory by asking Kangai to ignore the groups surrounding us.  He went on to say that many of the people who visit the Taj Mahal were from the countryside and weren’t exposed to different kinds of people.  This became evident when we rounded a corner heading into the Taj and we saw a blond haired, blue eyed couple who were surrounded by locals who were asking if they could take their pictures. 

We didn’t feel so bad after that.  We figured the locals got a double treat.  They got to see one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and two beautiful, braid-wearing black women from Africa.  We came away unscathed, but I don’t want to even imagine how many homes, photo albums and Facebook pages our pictures will show up on.  Creepy.

My Souvenir

Needless to say, this continued for the remainder of our stay at the Taj.  I just want you all to know, this creepiness didn’t hamper our experience at all.  The monument is BEAUTIFUL.  It is really beyond words.  The 22 year effort to erect this monument shows in every corner that you see.  To know that a man chose to build this as a final resting place for his beloved wife is unbelievable.  Our tour guide told us that they close the Taj every Friday to make repairs.  Every Friday!  Believe it or not, people actually steal the stones from the monument.  Shocking.  You see, there are actually precious and semi-precious stones inlaid in the marble.  Breath taking.   

In this day and age, you can barely get a guy to take you out for a good movie and a meal, let alone build you a monument.  LOL.  I know…bitter.  But anyway, we went to a shop where the artisans still practice the carving methods that were used to build the Taj Mahal.  It’s a dying art.  We spent more time in this store than expected and of course I had to buy something.  I can’t wait to put it in my home. 

Souvenir Closeup

Well folks, I will cut this short for now. I knew I wouldn’t be able to tell the full story on India in two parts.  Next time I’ll tell you about the terrorist attack and earthquake episode.  Nairobi never looked so good.  Stay tuned folks.

Asante sana,

Della Rochelle
Copyright © 2011 by Della Rochelle Williams