Agra & The Magnificent Taj

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22 Nov - drive to Agra, stopping en route at the abandoned Mughal kingdom of Fatehpur Sikri, a massive complex of gardens and buildings. In the afternoon we reach the city of Agra and visit the Taj Mahal. It's an absolutely stunning building, I love the symmetry and intricate detail which you don't see in all the photos of it, as well as the relaxing gardens and pools. Despite there being thousands of tourists, including many Indians, it's surprisingly easy to find a quiet spot to sit and enjoy the splendour of the architecture. It appears to change colour constantly as the sun moves throughout the day.

Back in Agra we end up at Pizza Hut for dinner (!) before Liam and I get extremely drunk in the hotel bar with 2 bottles of (disgusting) local, white wine, beer and gin, urgh. First time I've felt homesick, hence the mixing of drinks. Really missing girlie chats with my friends and a decent bottle of wine. However, Liam helps me through it, what a star 😉

23 Nov - today we visit the Red Fort at Agra, while feeling v hungover. Amazing red sandstone fort with lots of arches and courtyards, very photogenic. We visit various handicraft workshops including carpets, marble and jewellry. A combination of still being drunk / hungover and an extremely persuasive sales technique involving Old Monk rum, results in both Liam and I buying a carpet each!!! The work is exquisite and despite not intending to spend around 300 quid on a carpet it will be a perfect reminder of my travels for many years to come. It's lovely reds and yellows and should look nice in the living room of my flat in Edinburgh...I hope. Carpet will be shipped home to mum and dad's, must tell them to expect it!

It's a long, tiring, hungover afternoon with lots of hanging around at the station for our first overnight train in India which everyone is quite apprehensive about. Nothing like the rest of my train travels, this time we're in one huge open carriage with mostly Indian families. However, once on my top bunk it's actually quite comfy and manage to get some sleep.

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