For the two weeks I worked at the host company’s office, my coworkers and I have had a fleet of cars to shuffle us back and forth to the hotel. On our last full day of work one of our coworkers arranged a surprise, cycle rickshaw rides. A cycle rickshaw is a pedal cycle with two rear wheels, supporting a bench seat for passengers. Most have a canopy that can raised to block the sun and rain. Up to this point, some of the group had been on rickshaws already. The rest of us were green and kinda terrified. After experiencing the crazy roads, I was in the latter camp. The hotel organized a bunch of drivers that lined the street outside of the hotel complex. However, there were some drivers that tried to muscle in on the action. I shared a rickshaw with my coworker but most of the group went solo. One of the drivers tried to lure my coworker and I with the sounds of English words. Our driver caught wind of …

After visiting the Taj Mahal we were taken to a marble shop that specialized in created pieces using the same techniques that were used by the workers building the Taj. These techniques haven’t changed in hundreds of years. Marble inlay consists of finely chiseling a small layer of marble away in the desired shape. Then semi-precious and precious stones are cut to shape and placed in the marble. These stones included Malachite, Cornelian, Jasper, Lapis, Lazuli, Sapphire, Agate, Mother of Pearl, Conch Shell , Black Onyx, Amazonite Indian Jade, Tiger Eye, Chrysolite, Heliotrope, Coral and Turquoise. The technique is called Prachin Kari. The stones are cut using a moving metal wheel. Patterns in marble were drawn using henna dye because it could be washed off after the craftsman chiseled out the designs. A type of glue was used to bond the stones to the marble. Many pieces of stone were used to create the detailed designs. It’s painstaking and tedious work. The Taj Mahal uses this technique to display the blooms, flowers and writing as …

The Taj Mahal is stunning. I was in awe and even thought the trip there was hell on earth, I was glad I did it to see this marvelous structure. I was a little pissed off at how rushed our time there was. I wanted to spend more time studying the building and the craftsmanship that went into it. I could go off about how bitter I was with the filthy bus we had to take and how sick I am right now but let’s do that another time. The Taj was built by Persian royalty, well there 22,000 workers. It’s the ultimate dedication of love. After the wife of the king died he had a dream of the Taj and commissioned many architects to come up with the building from his dreams to dedicate to his dead queen. It took 22 years to complete and is made of pure marble. The queen and king are buried in the Taj and you could see their tombs inside. Again pictures do better than words and I’m …