The Tour Continues: Finishing Agra, On to Delhi, and Back to Bangalore

After a wonderful afternoon and early evening at the Taj Mahal, we arose the next morning to go to the Agra Fort. Just as we were impressed with the other forts and palaces we had seen, we were also taken by these massive historic buildings.









Here are the seven of us ready to enter this portal to the past where we could walk within the fort and palace where the emperor who built the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan, lived and ruled his kingdom.











The carvings and art of this fort were equally as impressive as all the other historic buildings we had seen. We continue to be amazed that such delicate, beautiful, and detailed work was done by hand held tools. We can't imagine the length of time the people needed to complete even a small area of work.







The knowledge they had and the technology they used also continues to astound us. This is an ancient jacuzzi.

From the Agra Fort, we had a great view of the Taj Mahal as it stood elegantly in the distance with its distinctive white marble contrasting against the green landscape through the misty air, still proclaiming Shah Jahan's love for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The towers (minarets) are angled slightly outward away from the main building so they would not fall and destroy it should an earthquake or some other disaster strike.  The Taj Mahal was as impressive that day as it was when we first saw it. We wonder how such a beautiful building could have been constructed so long ago in1632.

The arches in the Agra Fort continue to show the Mughal influence. Perhaps we were consumed with archways during our tour of India, but they are amazing. All the pillars are strategically placed so the emperor would be able to see everything in the areas.

You will notice the lighter coloured designs at the top of this arch. We like to think that it is the result of the radiance emanating from Elder Tiefenbach and his granddaughters, but alas, it is simply the light from the sun shining through the transparent marble. Who would have thought that light would be able to shine through marble?







After visiting Agra Fort, we drove to Delhi on a wonderful highway. This highway reminded us of the highways we have in Canada. It was a private highway, so there were several toll booths, but traffic was much lighter, and we were able to travel at a constant speed. We arrived in Delhi in good order, went to McDonalds for lunch, and then went shopping at a nearby market. We kick ourselves that we did not buy more items at this market. Things were VERY cheap here (the quality wasn't the best, but things were cheap).

Seriously?????? We were tempted to buy it, but we did not.











We flew back to Bangalore that day, arriving late at night. The next day Danny and Elder Tiefenbach returned to the tailor shop for a fitting for their suits they had ordered. Later when the suit was complete, Danny said it was the best fitting suit he had ever had.

Elder Tiefenbach your suit will look spiffy when it is complete!!!!
















On Friday, February 28, we attended an all mission conference with Elder and Sister Holland, Elder and Sister Halstrom, and Elder and Sister Funk in attendance. We were thrilled to be part of such an historic meeting and especially thrilled to shake hands with all of them. We will be forever grateful to President Berrett asking about our final travel plans for our India tour and suggested that we plan our trip so we could be in Bangalore on February 28. Following the meeting with the general authorities, we were able to visit for a short while with the former Elder Kumar and his fiance. We think they make a good pair. We wish them well in their upcoming marriage. Elder Kumar came to Bangalore to participate in a YSA fireside that the general authorities were speaking at. The fireside followed our missionary meeting. After our meeting was finished, we were talking to some missionaries. Elder Kumar was standing behind us, but we did not see him. We turned around, and there he was. We were so excited to see him! He will always have a special place in our hearts.

Because this was an all mission conference, we were able to see all the missionaries we have served with. We were delighted to see Elder Solomon (our special fellow Canadian) and Elder Aeshamalla. These are two more elders who will always be in our hearts. Our hearts have grown so big to accommodate all the missionaries and all the people who will be forever in our hearts.

We have the fortune to have two sets of batch mates. Our first set consists of all the missionaries who were at the MTC at the same time as us (although we didn't know any of them at that time); the second batch is all the missionaries who have the same release date as us. We have two sets of batch mates because our mission is for 23 months, while the young elders are on their missions for 24 months. So, we go home with the batch that was in the MTC a month before we got there. Elder Wadsack-Stewart (his arm is around his mom) is in our home bound batch. His parents came to India to pick him up. We were blessed to have them in our apartment for a short time while they did their laundry. They had asked us if we knew where a laundromat was located; we did not know where any laundromats were, but our apartment was close by, so we offered them the use of our machines. We enjoyed our visit with them.











Here are all the missionaries in our entire mission, as of February 28, 2014, along with the general authorities and President and Sister Berrett. We are privileged to stand with these amazing fellow missionaries in proclaiming, as did Nephi: "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people that they might have everlasting life" (3 Nephi 5:13).

The Grand Tour: Abhaeri Village to Agra

After leaving Ranthambhore Park on Wednesday morning (February 26, 2014), we headed toward Agra. We took a small detour from the route to Agra into a small village called Abhaneri where we visited a step well and an ancient temple, both built in the 8th to 9th century. The step well, called Chand Baori, was fascinating. We were amazed at the skill and knowledge that was necessary for building such an elaborate water collection system. The well has 3,500 steps that lead down to the water supply. All the diagonal lines you see are steps. Amazing!


Here we are in front of the step well. Just behind us to the right, is a small palace where the royal family would stay during the summer. They could be much cooler here.










Unfortunately, the palace is not open to the public. We would have loved to have explored the ancient rooms and imagine life in the 8th and 9th centuries. The bathing areas are on the bottom level. The men's bath area is on the right (as we face it), and the women's on the left. The women's area had covers over the doorways, obviously for modesty purposes.






All the ancient sculptures and columns were intriguing. Elder Tiefenbach may be getting older, but he is very young compared to the age of this column. He is but a wee baby. Behind Elder Tiefenbach, you can see several beautifully carved stones. These are stones that have been brought to the step well area from the nearby Harshshat Mata Temple that was destroyed by invading Mughals.





This is a close up of one of the blocks. You can see the detailed and intricate carving. Remember, all this artwork was done by hand. The amount of time and effort into this is mind staggering!

This particular stone has a lotus carved near the bottom. The lotus is the national flower, and it is also the symbol of "woman." Appropriately, all the females gathered around this symbol that represents beauty.









We are always enthralled with rooms or areas filled with columns and archways, especially ancient ones.











This is the Harshshat Mata Temple that was destroyed by Mughal invaders. Many of the stones have been placed around the central structure, but they are not in their original locations. They are simply stacked around the centre. Other stones, as we mentioned earlier, are housed inside the step well area.

When the invaders destroyed the temple, they only needed to deface the statues. According to our guide, once the statues have been defaced, those who follow the Hindu tradition will no longer worship them. The defacement of the statues was a deliberate attempt to overtake the people.

We stopped for lunch before we arrived in Agra. Outside the restaurant, a man and his daughter (we presume it was his daughter, but we have no evidence of that) performed in hopes for payment from those entering and leaving the restaurant.








The eating area of the restaurant was outside. It was a beautiful day (not too hot and not too cold), so being outside was wonderful. Our tour organizer helped us order the food, and then he went to be with the driver of our van. Sister Tiefenbach ordered a grilled cheese sandwich because the food was a bit too spicy for her.

After lunch, we hit the road to go to Agra. On the way, we saw a typical sight. The truck was loaded inside  with people and things, so all the extra people had to sit on top of the vehicle or hang on the sides or back of it. Even though we have been in India for two years, we are still amazed when we see so many people in and on a vehicle! Our children and grandchildren were also amazed.








We also saw a road-side barber. We had not seen this before. So, this was a first for us.
















Here we are (Elder Tiefenbach is representing all of us) about to see one of the wonders of the world: the Taj Mahal. Just through the central opening you see lies that magnificent building. Are you ready to behold a work of beauty?
















Here it is!!! This was our first view. It indeed is magnificent, fantastic, awe-inspiring, amazing, beautiful, and breath-taking. It lived up to all our expectations. The whole grounds has an almost reverent feeling despite the large number of people walking around and taking pictures. Standing there, we knew we were in a special place.

Here is the Taj Mahal in all its splendor! No more words are needed.











This is proof that we were there. What do you think of this selfie?

This picture was taken through a stone lattice looking toward either the mosque or the building on the other side. We can't remember which way this picture this was taken. Everything (with the exception of one thing) is perfectly symmetrical with the Taj Mahal and with its entire surroundings. It is really quite amazing. As one looks to the left of the Taj Mahal, one will see a mosque. To keep the symmetry, the king had another building constructed on the other side of the Taj.



The only part of the Taj that is not symmetrical are the burial spots. The king had the queen buried in the centre. After the king died, their son had him buried to one side of her. Other than that, everything is in perfect symmetry. This picture shows the beauty of the inlaid precious and semi-precious stones. This is a wondrous work of art. Elder Tiefenbach is just as amazing as the inlaid stones, and he is more than precious!

Here is our last look at the Taj Mahal. This picture was taken around 6:00 p.m. We did not see the full effect of the setting sun on the white marble, but the colouring did change slightly. We did not do the early morning tour because the early mornings at this time of year are very foggy. The afternoon and evening viewing is a better choice at this time.

After the tour of the Taj Mahal, we went to a jewelry shop that sold beautiful jewelry made out of some of the same precious and semi-precious stones that were used in the Taj Mahal. Suffice it to say that, Sister Tiefenbach received a beautiful gift from Elder Tiefenbach. We were then taken to a shop where descendants of the original families of the artisans who masterfully inlaid the stones in the Taj Mahal continue their art. They showed us how they shape the stones, carve out the shapes in the marble, and lay the stones in the shapes. We were impressed with the talent they have. They had many marble items with inlaid stones. This particular table sells for $6,000.00. It was absolutely beautiful, but definitely out of our price range. These beautiful items are indeed precious and valuable. It reminds us that we too are precious and valuable, for "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" (D&C 18:10).

The Tour Continues: Jaipur and Ranthambhore

After our wonderful sleep at Diggy Palace, we headed to the Amber Fort and Palace. This building, Hawa Mahal, was on the way. This is in the old part of Jaipur where most of the buildings are a pinkish colour like this (the picture looks more brown, but it is really more pinkish). The royal women from long ago would sit in these windows, veiled from the eyes of the public. The Muslim era influenced the culture, which called for the veiling of the women. From their vantage point, they were able to see everything that was happening on the street below.

We made our way to the impressive and massive Amber (or Amer) Fort and Palace. We were definitely impressed with it. It was built in 1592 by Raja Man Singh and is located in the town of Amer, which is about 11 km. from Jaipur. Actually, we never realized we had left Jaipur. It seemed all part of the same city.

The fort sits majestically on the top of a hill. The palace is located inside the fort. The architecture is influenced by both the Hindu and Muslim traditions. We entered the fort through the Sun Gate.

To get to the Sun Gate, we took elephants up to the fort. Here is King Elder Tiefenbach a top his royal ride. Only two people are allowed on each elephant, so Elder Tiefenbach volunteered to go by himself.

Here are the Royal Princess Carma and her Princess daughter on the way up. 

Prince Danny and Princess Krista had the most beautifully painted elephant. Even the back end of it was painted. What a ride!

 The last to arrive at the top was Queen Sister Tiefenbach with her Princess granddaughter.

This is outside the palace. We loved the architecture, the carvings, and the art. The columns and archways were spectacular. We were definitely in awe.












One of our favourite parts of this attraction was the Crystal (or Mirror) Palace.

 The walls and ceilings are inlaid with precious stones and convex glass, creating a wonderful light reflective effect. We could imagine the lights dancing on the ceiling and walls reflected from the burning oil lamps of old. Unfortunately, our pictures of inside the Crystal Palace are on a different camera, so we borrowed a few pictures from our daughter, Krista.












The Mughal architecture of the Amber Fort and Palace provided another favourite part of this attraction. We loved the beautiful archways. What was life in India like back in the 1600's? Certainly, it was grand in the palace. The palace and fort were filled with all kinds of up-to-date technology for their time. We were impressed with the knowledge the people had at the time that allowed for a form of running water and natural coolings systems.




Fortification walls stood boldly on the hills that surrounded the fort. We could imagine the soldiers looking out over the land, always prepared to defend their king. The rambling wall reminded us of the Great Wall of China.











The tourist van on the right was our vehicle. Our tour organizer, Benson, is behind Danny on the left. We used this van for all our travelling from Jaipur until we ended in Delhi.

This was an interesting sign we saw in our travels. Notice the spelling of breakfast and dinner.











In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, we often saw carts drawn by cows or oxen on the roads and highways, but in the state of Rajasthan, we saw a lot of dromedaries. They have only one hump, but they are part of the camel family.

From Jaipur, we travelled to Ranthambhore National Park. Here we were given garlands by the staff as they welcomed us to the hotel.













The hotel, consisting of several two-storey buildings that each housed four hotel rooms, was situated in beautifully landscaped grounds. We felt we were in a tropical paradise.

Here we are waiting outside our hotel for our safari vehicle. We waited for a long time, but it eventually came. Apparently, the safari company got a few things confused and had to get a bigger vehicle. But, they eventually got everything straightened out.








This is the entrance to the safari. We were excited and wondered about whether or not we could be able to spot a tiger in the wild.

Well, we didn't see a tiger. In fact, none of the people doing safaris that day saw a tiger. That made our lack of a tiger sighting not so bad. But, we saw plenty of deer.










This is the first mongoose any of us had ever seen (to the right in the picture on the left).












Seeing MANY peacocks in the wild was fantastic. We felt we needed to pinch ourselves to make sure this was not all a dream.











This was the stopping point or end point in the safari. After this pit stop, we headed back the way we had come. We knew at this point that we would not see tigers. You can see by the pictures that the area was very dry.









We were in an open vehicle for the safari. It had room for about 20-22 people. The ride was bumpy, and we had to hold on tight at times if we didn't want to be thrown from our seat. It was more fun than an amusement park ride!









This body of water had a covering of what looked like red algae, creating a beautiful red sea.











The forest (jungle) had a lot of banyan trees. They are amazing to see. The entire cluster in the foreground of this picture is all one tree. Apparently, banyan trees are a type of fig tree. They grow on other trees. The seeds fall in the branches of other trees, and when they sprout, they grow down to the ground and take root again.






As we left the tiger reserve, many monkeys gathered on the wall and the trees by the road to bid us adieu. They sat there peacefully, watching the people as they went by. It was a though we were their evening entertainment.

Our tour is not yet finished. We will continue later where you can feast with us on our travels to Agra and Goa. This picture was taken in Bangalore, but it reminds us that we need to feast on all the experiences and opportunities that the Lord provides for us. The memories and experiences that we have shared are examples of things Jacob says to feast upon when he said, "feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted" (2 Nephi 9:51).