Advertisement
Published: August 16th 2010
Taj Mahal 1
Stunningly BeautifulDay 35 Delhi to Agra (Sat 7th Aug)
Up and off on time today - we will really miss this hotel too, as it was VERY nice! The trip today was not too long actually and we made it into Agra by 1500. Time to settle into our rooms before heading into town for ‘lunch’. Ali and I somehow managed to get the room without a working air conditioning unit which will be interesting given how hot and humid it is today. At least the power works though, so we do have a ceiling fan.
For lunch we used some tuktuk’s to get into town and ate on a rooftop terrace restaurant. For once I can eat something besides bread - so I had banana pancakes...
It was a really nice and relaxed meal, and the best bit? We could see the Taj Mahal in the near distance. It’s really a bit surreal actually. It looks huge and you know its made of marble, but really - you just want to go and touch it to make sure...
After we all finished lunch we had a roller coaster ride (well actually it was tuktuk’s again but it
Taj Mahal 2
Beautiful sunset effects feels like a mini roller coaster without the safety features sometimes) to a park across the river from the Taj. It was absolutely beautiful! When the Taj Mahal was built, there were laws passed so nothing could be built behind it to detract form the frontal view. Its still all parkland behind it (across the river) so that is where we spent the next few hours until the sun set at 1900. We just relaxed at the park, watching the light change on the Taj Mahal just across the river, as the sun set off to our side. A stunning end to the day and well worth any troubles in India. I’ve already forgotten Delhi in the majesty of a single building in Agra.
Day 36 Agra
Today we met in the lobby at 0530 and managed to get a couple of tuktuk’s to the Taj Mahal. We wanted to see the sun rise, but didn’t quite make it. By the time we got tickets (10 rupee locals, 750 rupee foreigners) and through the stringent security checks, it was 0600 and the sun was up. Fortunately though, as we passed through the gates in to the
Taj Mahal 3
The West Gate grounds, we got to see the sun rise again over the gatehouses...
It was beautiful and well worth any effort required to get up early and get in there. And I don’t care how much more we had to pay than the locals - it was work every penny. I can’t believe how many photos I took! The grounds within the walls were beautiful and rather large. Then we had to walk up to the mausoleum itself, which is all marble including the surrounding grounds. You had to take off your shoes at this point and I’m glad we were there early. Not only were there fewer people (just a few hundred by the looks of it - less than 1000 at any rate) but the marble wasn’t heated up by the sun yet.
It was all simply stunning. The only part of the entire complex not symmetrical was the inside where the tombs were. It was originally meant to be just for Mumtaz Mahal (wife of the guy who built it) so hers is in the centre, below the dome. However someone decided to bury her husband there when he died and so his is to the
Taj Mahal 4
Amazingly I managed a photo wihtout other tourists standing in the way... side of hers and therefore not symmetrical. It is glaringly out of place for this reason, despite being made of the same marble as the rest.
We spent a couple of hours here before deciding to head back to the hotel for breakfast. We also decided a cool shower and nap might be nice. Without air conditioning last night it was like trying to sleep in a sauna. It is the first time on this trip that the heat has managed to interrupt my sleep.
So after a nap we had lunch in the hotel, which was nice although the waiter was a little over-enthusiastic (and really if this is the worst you can say about something, then its obviously not too bad). After lunch most people went back into town to look at the Agra fort but I decided to take a walk around the hotel area instead. It was not too bad and definitely better than Delhi but still it is difficult when you can’t go out for 30 minutes without being accosted by beggars and shop keepers and rather lewd suggestions from teenage boys. Every few minutes though you do come across someone who just gives you a shy smile and wave before ducking out of sight, which makes up for all the rest.
That night a few of the group went into town for a few drinks and unfortunately got caught in a bit of a mob, which apparently smashed the window of their tuktuk before they could get away. The girls came back with torn clothes and scratches, and a bit shaken up. Rather lucky it wasn’t any worse, and emphasised the fact that we should be sure to travel in groups while here in India.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.043s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0239s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Lorraine Woodard
non-member comment
Good to hear from you
Hi AJ, It's good to see your back online and catching up on your blogging. How's your health? Sounds like you've been through some fairly dodgy places. Love you heaps Babe. Mum xoxoxoxo