holiday with kelli - part 3

The Taj Mahal is incredibly large and incredibly ornate. I was fascinated by the detail work of the marble and the beautiful in-lay work with other precious stones. The mausoleum itself was much less interesting than the progression through the gates and courtyards and the approach to the building. Stunning. We were given foot covers or “booties” (as I affectionately call them) because thousands of people removing their shoes would be chaotic, even for Indian standard. After the Taj we went to the original Red Fort (where the Mughal emperor first established his kingdom before moving it to Delhi). Then back on the train and back to Delhi we went. Tuesday morning we all took it easy and watched a DVD and hung around. The guys left to catch the afternoon train back up to Agra, while Kelli and I had a late lunch at a Westerner’s restaurant where we could order pasta and thick milkshakes. We went shopping to get a curta (Indian style shirt for Kelli), ate dinner with some friends, and then taxied to the airport to send Kelli off and back to the States (and I immediately left for a train station to take the night train back).

Needless to say, when I arrived at 8am Wednesday morning, I was wiped out and quite sleepless (I am never good at sleeping on trains). Began work again on Thursday and half of Friday, prepared for the office’s intern BBQ, and left Kelli to once again (in a short amount of time) adjust to a new time zone. She graduated and headed out with her college age kids on a mission trip through UMCOR (United Methodist Church On Relief) to Kentucky. Then she packs up her things and moves out of her apartment to start her appointment to two small churches on the gulf coast. So, essentially, she is not yet allowed to breathe … while I enjoyed my weekend and started right back to work.