Overrated Wonder

cross it off of my list of things to do in life.
been there, done that; i’ve seen the taj mahal.
what did i think? you may ask.
overrated. i would reply.
i know that sounds arrogant, it’s one of the world’s seven wonders.
yes, it’s beautiful. it’s a brilliant white marble tomb.
the finest example of mughal architecture,
combining elements of persian, turkish, indian, and islamic architctural styles.
it’s carefully crafted details, standing majestically in front of the blue sky.
but still overrated.
one of the earth’s modern wonders?
come on now.

maybe i was tainted by the city of agra…
45% of the city involved in tourism. money can corrupt a place.
i was getting fired up at our taxi driver as he kept taking us to see local ‘art forms.’
a.k.a. over-priced stores in hopes of getting a kick-back.
my dad had to cool me down.
thankfully, i didn’t have a t-square in my hand. [see why here]

maybe it was because i was sick…
yes. i got the stomach bug again.
fever, headache, bathroom breaks, the whole bit.
i had no choice, i had to use the tap water to brush my teeth.
i think i should have opted for the bad breath.

maybe it was because this isn’t the india i love…
tourists everywhere in their mini skirts and short shorts.
put some clothes on! i wanted to say. we don’t dress like that here.

this isn’t india, i wished i could explain to them…
meet the people in the villages or sit around a fire as they play the jimbay.
find food for 1/5 the price you are paying and 5 times as good.
drink a chai with the locals in the morning and make chapatis with the women for dinner.
visit the fish markets as the catch comes in and hike in the himalayas.
this building, this place, this isn’t india.
but as you see in from the outside, that’s all you know of this country.
you come to take your photo in front it’s white mass.
you return to your home with a sense of accomplishment,
but you’re not much different from when you left.
see the india i’ve seen and see if you can leave the same way you came.
try to love the way you did before, give the way you did, live the way you did.
not possible.

bill clinton once said,
there are only two kinds of people in the world,
those who have seen the taj mahal and those who haven’t.
maybe.
or maybe not