Modern Wonder
Written: Jul 23 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: a must see
Cons: pricey for foreigners(that includes nri's)
The Bottom Line: go!
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| chinafrog's Full Review: The Taj Mahal |
I visited the Taj Mahal back in January 2002 when I was touring a bunch of places in india as well as visiting family.
This trip was arranged with a private tour company called BG Travels, Delhi. We paid about $800 total for a private car that took us to many sites in Rajasthan, Agra, Delhi, Rishi Kesh, Benares, etc. The Taj Mahal was just one of many wonderful stops on this great road trip in India.
I was surprised to know that this is one of seven wonders of the world. I should add that this actually is a MODERN wonder, not an ancient wonder. It takes its place alongside the great wall of china and many other great places.
Our tour driver gave us some tips. Since we were Indian, but technically living in the US made us American so we would be charged an entry fee that was done for foreigners. However, if we dressed more "indian" we would be charged the Indian fee. The indian fee was the equivalent of $1 but the foreigner fee was about $40. So given those price comparisons, my mom wore a sari and we paid the Indian fee for each of us. I am not sure why there is such a price discrepancy. I have not seen this practice at other tourist areas around the world, so far only in India(not in singapore, malaysia, european nations). I think it is unfair to charge in this manner. If they want to make more money, India should revamp its tourist destinations to make it more attractive to foreigners. I think of tourism as an investment, which should in the end pay off very well for the government.
Now as for the actual Taj. It is beautiful. There are guards everywhere which gigantic rifles watching you but if get over that the architecture of the building is quite amazing. The white marble really looks majestic and awe inspiring. There is a small garden with pools in the front to create that little bit of ambience. What is disappointing is that the great river Yamuna which used to have tremendous depth and flow behind the Taj is now totally dried up. It looked depressed to see a great river in that shape. But to reiterate , the government of India simply does not want to invest in the tourism industry.
Inside the buildings are pretty sparse. There was no tour guide or even any plaques that really explained the story behind the construction of the Taj. Again all of these would require money ,time and investment. The surrounding mosques were not as well maintained. It looked as though bats were making those their new home.
In you are in Delhi, just to see the Taj, you might come away disappointed, not by the Taj itself but rather by the lack of care and concern for such great modern beauty. I would highly recommend that you see other great parts of India and make it a real road trip to get the most of it: red fort in agra, city palaces of jaipur, udaipur temples, rana pratap memorial ,just to name a few. You will enjoy, I can guarantee that.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
chinafrog
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Reviews written: 164
Trusted by: 12 members
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