The Taj Mahal

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jan 4, 2004 | by Carma Wadley Deseret Morning News

It is all colorful, different, charming. And we wonder: What would these people be charmed by in our home cities?

Soon, it is time for us to leave Agra. And for that, we have the Shatabdi Express.

Luxury is not the first word -- or even the hundredth word -- that comes to mind for this train. The meal we are served could be called interesting. The crowded seats might be termed only adequate. It is late evening, so the darkness hides any scenery that might be intriguing.

But it takes only a couple of hours to transport us to Delhi, and it gets us there without mishap. At the Delhi station we are greeted by porters, who swing our heavy suitcases onto their heads -- two to a man -- and lead us on a parade through the station, past beggars and holy men and homeless sleepers, to the bus that will take us to our next hotel.

In a way, the Shatabdi Express seems to be a perfect ending for our Agra experience. Can we look back on it and remember that for every high there is a low, for every down there is an up? It's all about symmetry and balance -- that's the lesson of Agra.

E-mail: carma@desnews.com