“Taj” Folks – Thrilling Array of Humanity

HEARTWARMER

People Are SO Delightful ~ People Are SO Similar

From the moment we landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, I had a wide eyed wonder adrenaline rush for India, not merely about the sites & geography, but a nearly insatiable curiosity about its people. They live so very differently then I do back in Nebraska, yet, I somehow felt deeply drawn, connected & astonishingly captivated by them. I wanted to learn everything I could about each place we visited, observe as many details as I could about what individual people were doing, where they shopped, what they wore, where they worked… I didn’t want to miss a thing. I found them physically fascinating, their features stunning, their colorful clothing & culture the most charming encounters I’d ever had.

The children were exceptionally adorable, sweet & angelic and the weathered elderly so etched with life & character. The simplest things were reason to capture a photograph & I found that whether our bus drove through the countryside or a city, I obsessively was snapping pictures of everyone & everything. After several days, I realized I kinda had a serious problem & began to feel what I was doing was intrusive & perhaps rather rude. I struggled within my heart, worried that I was being impolite & disrespectful…. wondered about the appropriate etiquette of travel photography. These were people for heavens sake, not objects.

The truth was, their dark eyes, the jet black silky long hair, the distinct sable features of the Indian people were so different than my own. I found them all so very, very compelling & honestly gorgeous… I could not only NOT look away, but if a person was particularly striking, I just couldn’t help but snap a picture. Every day I felt more & more guilty. So, after a few days, I just resigned to the fact, came to the sad conclusion that I was indeed a horrible person… yup, I was downright awful without a doubt, but it didn’t change that when I saw a particularly handsome interesting man, I’d do my darndest to get a shot through the bus window then cuss under my breath if the glare messed it up.

Our big climactic day at Agra’s Taj Mahal delivered an unprecedented thrilling jaw dropping array of humanity. This iconic Wonder of the World draws millions every year, 20,000-40,000 visitors daily, mostly from the eastern hemisphere. The beauty of the structure was unparalleled AND the sea of people a sight to behold. We passed by some beautifully bright eyed young Indian women, stunningly gorgeous, giggling, most definitely following me with their gaze. To my surprise, they shyly & sheepishly approached to ask if they could take MY PICTURE! What???

I looked into their eyes & instantly recognized their expression of embarrassment because it was the same as mine for the past week. Apparently my blonde hair was as much a fascination & curiosity to them as their dark eyes & hair was to me! We traded pictures, smiles AND hugs. To our amazement, this experience happened over & over again throughout the day. Dave’s 6’5″ frame & my blonde hair was definitely a rarity at the Taj. I had families ask to have pictures taken with me with their children, men, women… you name it!

WELL, WHAT DO YA KNOW?!! GUESS I’M NOT AS AWFUL AS I THOUGHT!

Here’s the giggling girls who were the first at the Taj Mahal to ask for my picture… Although we didn’t speak the same language (Hindu), we totally understood one another. We were no doubt soul sisters, bold & brazen! (Isn’t she just so lovely?!!)

So…there you have it. People are pretty much the same on the inside no matter what they look like on the outside!! It warms my heart that the joy of discovery & obsessive curiosity about people different than ourselves go both ways. How wonderful that regardless of how we look, we humans feel the same in our hearts & minds. How refreshing is that!?! How heartwarming…

These beautiful kiddos practically begged to have their pictures taken at the Mini Taj… bunch of hams! They followed me around & struck poses everywhere. So charming & friendly… Moms were chatting casually together & just letting the kids play. Such a relaxed, fun experience… Grandma Natalie was in heaven!

So… feel free view to all the lovely stunningly beautiful people we encountered & successfully photographed in India. I think there’s a good chance they may be looking at my picture too!!

February Bonus – INDIA WEDDING SEASON

February happens to be wedding season in India so we were super lucky to see various silver carriages & crystal wedding regalia being transported to celebrations. What fancy snazzy affairs they must be! Our guide Kapil said they are quite the extravagant events & families save for many, many years in preparation. For a typical wedding in India a man will spend 1/5 OF THE TOTAL WEALTH ACCUMULATED IN A LIFETIME. Oh my!!

I was able to capture a visible wedding venue in Jaipur & one in Agra from the street when we drove by… actually both very poor pictures (my apologies), but they do give a bit of a look at the elaborate decor. Nothing sweeter than a wedding….and we were in India Valentines Week!!