At approximately 4:30 am we got up to begin our next great adventure! Sunrise at the Taj Mahal! Many of the girls had purchased a sari and chose to wear that for this momentous occasion but it is important to note that wrapping a sari is much easier said than done (hence the extra early wake up call). We had seen the Taj from the back last night but I don't think anything could have prepared me for the beauty of this world wonder. It was simply incredible! The Taj Mahal is so gorgeous and being able to see it was such a humbling experience! We are all so fortunate to have the opportunity to view this wonder. There are so many people who simply never had or will have the opportunity to travel like this and this mornings wonderful experience really put that into perspective. Of course plenty of photos were taken! And our trip to the Taj simply would not have been complete without some more random people wanting to take photos with us as well
After our morning in Agra we headed back to Delhi for some final sight seeing. While in town we stopped at a beautiful Sikh temple. What an incredible experience that was! The temple itself was beautiful with a splendid gold ceiling, but the most impressive part of this visit was the food program provided by the Sikhs. Everyday the Sikh people provide lunch and dinner to over 25,000 people. No questions asked. A selfless and truly kind gesture to the community. While donations of money or food are appreciated, they are not required. The kitchen necessary to provide food at such a large scale was equally impressive! Huge stoves were used to cook vegetables or lentils, and there was enough naan to feed a small army! The Sikhs seem like such a kind community and it was such a pleasure to see both the temple and the work they perform for others.
No visit to Delhi would be complete without a trip down into Old Delhi, including a visit to the spice market and a rickshaw ride! If there is one thing I will take away from this trip, it is a new appreciation for those who are able to drive in Delhi! That rickshaw ride was insane! I simply cannot fathom how they are able to bicycle for that long without running into the crazy street traffic! After our rickshaw adventures we stopped at a spice market where we were able to pick up not only spices, but teas as well! All of which smelled delicious!
Our time in Delhi ended with a brief tour of the capital and government buildings. And our tour guide even treated us to some frozen snacks THANKS Dependra!!! This technically was the end to our last day in India, but the day was far from over. After about 5 hours of chilling in the Delhi airport we finally begin our trip home! shoutout to KLM Dutch air for having the fanciest plane I have ever seen. Seriously, why do all planes not have touch screen tv's in the seats. Flying domestic will be so boring now! We had one layover in Amsterdam ( I would like to note that the temperature in Amsterdam was actually half of that in Delhi when we left CRAZY!!!) where we said goodbye to Anna and Emily as they began their own adventures in Europe. One 8 hour flight later... And we finally made it back to Detroit! Approximately 45 hours after we got up to see the Taj Mahal. While I am certainly tired and exhausted, I would not have changed anything! This has been a truly incredible trip and I look forward to sharing all the stories, photos, and experiences with friends and family. PEACE OUT INDIA!