Akbar's Masoleum and Agra Fort Finally after all the hassle(car crash and fucked traffic from Delhi), I am at Agra, which is like 200km away from New Delhi. It was kinda luck as I just got to realise that Taj Mahal closes on Fridays and today is Thursday 3pm. Had to rush again. This is the most hectic time schedule ever in India after the lazy 8 full days spree at Mumbai. First to Akbar's Masoleum where his tomb lays there, then to Taj Mahal. Agra fort pictures you see here are actually for tomorrow. THIS IS BACKBLOGGING. I just though [View Full Entry]

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Taj Mahal marks the last and most important Visit in my entire India trip. I swear I never leave India without going there and I did it. Though many shits happened along the way...first heard about riots in New Delhi due to politician uprisings, then no train tickets @ mumbai, then no bus operations in Delhi due to Shiva's birthday and their metro subway construction inconveniences. I'll say its worth the visit in your life. [View Full Entry]

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As we write this blog we are sitting on Lucky’s Restaurant rooftop with an unobstructed view of the magnificent Taj Mahal, imposing itself on the horizon. This is almost at the end of our tour in India, only two more nights. A week ago we arrived in Delhi, and found the streets (round Main Bazaar rd, where all the backpackers stay) a shithole. The following morning we get to the railway station, destination Jaipur, with plenty of time to spare only to find out it’s unfortunately the wrong station! So we dash across town to the correct one. Only just make [View Full Entry]

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We arrived into the bustling city of Mumbai (formally Bombay) on the 2nd of July. The phrase organised chaos comes to mind when you witness the workings of such a hectic city and yet with all the noise, rubbish and extremely persistent sales men the city has a certain charm! On our first full day we were invited to play as extras in an upcoming Bollywood movie called Rascals, so we jumped at this opportunity. 2hrs later we were in the wardrobe department; the dress can only be described as bad 80s disco ware. We took part in various night club [View Full Entry]

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Agra struck me as a big urban zoo. I saw monkeys running around outside the train station, an elephant being washed by the side of the road, eagles flying above the fort, donkeys, horses and camels transporting goods, and of course the usual buffaloes, cows and oxen dodging the traffic. As we were only here for the day we left all our luggage at the train station storage and hired a rickshaw driver to take us around. We firstly visited the very impressive Taj Mahal and paid a guide to tell us all about it. It was very interesting and we [View Full Entry]

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We ruilden het met forten en paleizen bezaaide Rajasthan voor het touristische Agra en haar mysterieuze Taj Mahal. Het wereldberoemde mausoleum werd in 1631 gebouwd in opdracht van de Mughal-heerser Shah Jahan als liefdesmonument voor zijn overleden echtgenote. Dat het zijn veertiende (!) vrouw was, dat de bouwwerken bijna 20 jaar in beslag namen, dat er 20000 man en meer dan 1000 olifanten aan meewerkten en dat materialen uit heel Azie gebruikt werden, zijn pittige details. Het gerucht gaat dat Shah Jahan oorspronkelijk een exacte kopij van de Taj Mahal in zwart marmer wou bouwen aan de overkant van de rivier [View Full Entry]

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To my esteemed friends, family, and other readers, I am leaving in 5 hours now for a trek into the himalayas. Or at least that's the goal. The first step is an early morning bus to Haridwar, one of the more holy Hindu sites where I can bathe in the torrent Ganges. From there, we will attempt to make it into the himalayas, with suitable destinations being the Kerdanath Temple, Nandadevi Peak (or around) or the Kauri Pass. We don't have gear, correct clothing/footwear, or any idea how we're going to make it happen. If all else fails, we'll stay in [View Full Entry]

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Hello all ... Think i will keep this one brief as got much more to write about from Nepal, which is where i am now. Will write about Nepal in a few days time so keep your beedy eyes out for that one!! OK - Dave arrived in Delhi on Monday June 30th - Definatley the most random place we have met up. Wanted to cram in as much as week could so book a taxi for 12 days to take us to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkah, Agra and finally get a night train to Varanasi. Private taxi was cool, driver [View Full Entry]

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Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site . The Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, built entirely of white marble. The Taj seems to glow in the light of the full moon. Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum by Emperor Shah Jahan (died 1666 A.D.) in the memory of his dear wife and queen Mumtaz Mahal at Agra, India. It is an "sheer poetry in marble". The grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal is placed in the lower chamber which is now no [View Full Entry]

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Whole families had already jumped to the platform before the train came to a complete stop. Long gone was the thoughtful man with whom I shared my open compartment. The overnight train from Calcutta to Jodhpur arrived to collect the masses in Agra two hours late, at ten o’clock in the evening. In a lapse of judgment, I expected ushers to bring meals or snacks and would but from him. But all in the couchettes had spread out their sheets and drawn the drapes across their compartments. Services had ended and it was time to go to sleep. For me that [View Full Entry]

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