I went to the Taj Mahal today...three hours there, four hours back...it was built nearly 400 years ago by the prince for his deceased wife (her tomb)...she died at age 38 or so, after bearing 14 children! It's an exquisite monument and neat to see in person. The drives were equally fascinating. Outside of a war zone, this has got to be the most chaotic place on earth. It is wild and wonderful. In some ways, I drive by all these people wondering how they can live in such poverty (minimum wage in India is ~$20 USD / week...though many get away with paying people less - especially the laborers) and then I see that for the most part they're smiling and laughing and working just like the rest of us. The hotels, restaurants are amazing - as they are everywhere in SE Asia - part of it is that labor cost is so low, they can afford to have 20 people greet you at the door and stand by your table. When I arrived at my hotel yesterday, they waved a plate of incense & flower petals in my face, and painted a red dot on my forehead. They're also VERY security-conscious since the November attacks in Mumbai last year. We flew over Iran & Pakistan coming into India and it was grim thinking about wars in the midst of such huge populations and broad poverty. Bright spots are that people seem quite kind, quite generous, there are missionaries & congregations here (though I couldn't find one to attend).
