My Seven Wonders of the Weekend

This last weekend, many of the volunteers and I had the amazing opportunity to fly to New Delhi. Our man purpose in going was to see the Taj Mahal. It is common knowledge that the Taj Mahal is labeled as one of the "Seven Wonders of the World". This means that universally, it is considered to be incredibly beautiful, meaningful, and fascinating. After seeing it, I do agree that it is all of those things and more! I created my own personal list of "Seven Wonders" while traveling through New Delhi and Agra.

Shannon's Seven Wonders of the Weekend (in no particular order):

1. The Taj Mahal...of course it made my list!



As I walked through the north gate I couldn't believe how beautiful this building was. It truly took my breath away. It took 22 years to build and 20,00 workers to artistically created inlaid marble that would last a lifetime. I could have stayed there all day just staring at it and thinking of the incredible love story that went along with it's creation :)

2. Old Delhi


This falls mostly under the "fascinating" criteria. There were so many electrical wires and people and monkeys. So random but so fun to go through!

3. Elephant Ride

The funny thing about this is that Indian people don't ride elephants and before doing this, I hadn't seen one the whole trip. It's strictly a tourist thing, but I loved it! Kristen and I set the mood by singing songs from Aladdin the whole ride! :) haha


4. The Jaypee Hotel


It's the largest hotel in India and so pretty! It was so great to have real showers and normal bathrooms!

5. Ghandi's Home



This was a surprise stop while on our way to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. This was where Ghandi spent the last 144 days of his life. He was also mardered here. I got to walk alongside the path of the last steps he took. He has always been a hero of mine and said one of my favorite quotes. "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

6.The Spice Market


It was so crowded and I felt a little uncomfortable, but it smelled amazing!

7. The Unknown Indian Woman

This woman is my Seventh Wonder. I saw here from the window of our bus as we drove down a dirt road. Something about her just seemed so incredible. She is beautiful and you can tell she is a hard worker and so humble. I realized when I saw her that I got lucky. I didn't earn the life that I have. I was born in the United States and live comfortably without having to worry too much. She works every day just trying to get by. I admire her for so many reasons. I saw her for two seconds, but for some reason I kind of felt like I knew her :) I absolutely love the people of India. I can learn so much from them.