Taj Mahal

Stewart ayukawa canada - 04-Sep-10

I visited the Taj in 1987 but it doesn't really matter , does it? It's timeless. I was going to actually give the Taj a pass and skip it. After all, how many times has one seen the Taj in movies, images, brochures etc. Many times. But coincidentally, the train route i was taking from Calcutta to Bombay made a needed stop in Agra.

I arrived pre dawn and had read in the guide book that the best time to view the Taj was at sunrise, sunset, or under the stars and moon. So by chance I had arrived at an opportune time. I hired a boy who pedalled a rickshaw but he went the wrong way! yep. I couldn't believe it. Eventually we got there and i was the first one in! It helps to get there early! I managed to get a photo with noone in the foreground. I was pleased with that.

Elephanta Caves

Stewart ayukawa canada - 04-Sep-10

Elephanta caves was a pleasant excursion near Bombay. There were monkeys and a Shiva Lingam

Ayutthaya

Stewart ayukawa canada - 04-Sep-10

Ayutthaya has abandonned stupas from subsequent empires and buddhist styles. The city must have been very impressive in its day but now it is a quiet place with few visitors. There are numerous temples that might be of more interest to someone doing research or a student of architecture.

Mahabodhi Temple Complex

Stewart ayukawa canada - 20-Jun-09

Bodhgaya was not particularly interesting or visually attractive but was an important and symbolic destination for me. To see the descendant of the tree of enlightenment and to make this personal pilgrimage was a once in a lifetime act. Bodhgaya was done as a day trip from Patna by train.

Ancient Thebes

Stewart ayukawa canada - 20-Jun-09

A visit to the Valley of the Kings and Queens is remarkable. The tombs were mesmerizing spectacles. The chambers might have once be filled with artifacts like the one of Tutankhamon fame. The hieroglyphics were stunning . some filled entire chambers. Some told stories on the ceilings or pillars. It was unlike anything anywhere. This is not a place that one can describe in words. It was very complex and otherworldly. I was much more impressed with the tombs than the great architectural achievements. Many of the artifacts found in the tombs is on display at the incomparable Egyptian Museum in Cairo.