The Taj + Holi

So, I just finished a pretty amazing weekend in Delhi (and neighboring areas).

To begin I saw the Taj Mahal, which was pretty amazing in and of itself although I must admit that I am never overwhelmed by extra large marble structures. Sorry, that sounds really obtuse. Either way, it was quite beautiful and magical in its own right. There is something about the sheer size of it paired with the amazing amount of marble and intricate design which does make it rather breath-taking (even for me!). Pictures will never do it justice (in fact, they just end up looking like post cards) but I have attached them anyways. One thing I did find interesting was the significant number of out-buildings other than the Taj Mahal. I guess I sort of imagined it as this free-standing structure but it is not, not even close...there are numerous other buildings surrounding it.

Now, onto the really cool part :)

This weekend I had the fantastic experience of celebrating Holi the "festival of colors". Honestly, this holiday rocks. In a nutshell you spend two days throwing colored powders at one another. Honestly, pretty unbelievable. There is something very freeing about walking down the streets and just attacking someone with bright yellow, pink, purple, green, red and blue powder.

It is a dirty, filthy holiday but well worth it and comes highly recommended as something everyone should do once in their life (read: put it on your bucket list).
Attached are some photos of Holi and me looking like a bit of a nutcase. My body was stained for a couple of days but all in all I was not much worse for the wear..although my hair was destroyed.

I also had the pleasure of being molested by a dancing transvestite during my trek to the temple. Only in India!!

Enjoy the picks.