Agra - Home of the Taj Mahal

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Day 1 - Leaving McLeod Ganj at 6pm on a 12 hour night bus we arrived in Delhi around 6am the following morning and headed straight for new Delhi train station to purchase tickets to take us to Agra. At the station we were greeted by two fellow backpackers - Rob (Australian) and Sebastian (German) - who were also trying to purchase train tickets. After discovering that the ticket office was not yet open we were advised by a local tout that we could purchase tickets from a tourist office in Connaught place. With nothing to lose we decided to head to this office. Here we were quoted astronomical prices for our journey to Agra being that there was apparently no other way of getting there (according to the man behind the desk). After a good laugh we left and all decided to head for some breakfast on main bazaar, old Delhi until the official ticket office opened at 8am. When the time came we headed back to the train station and purchased our tickets for the train that would leave for Agra at 2pm. With not much else to do, we headed back to a rooftop bar for more chai whilst all struggling to stay awake after our long nights travel. Eventually the time came so we headed to the station, said our goodbyes, boarded the train and were on our way. After 24 hours traveling we had arrived in possibly the most famous place in india - Agra, home of the mighty Taj. After agreeing a price with a rickshaw driver, we headed to Shanti guest house where we quickly checked in and headed to the roof top just as the sun was setting for our first glimpse of the oh so magnificent building. After some great food and views it was time for hayley's Skype date so we headed for the internet cafe down stairs and then it was off to bed.

Day 2 - Waking the next day we headed back up to the roof top for breakfast and our first view of the Taj in daylight. As the weather was overcast we decided not to visit the grounds of the Taj until the following day. Instead we opted to explore the city and take a stroll through the local park. After a relaxing day we headed back to our guest house for dinner and many games of cards. Before we knew it it was time for bed so off we went to prepare for the following day.

Day 3 - Waking bright and early we ate breakfast before heading to the grounds of the Taj Mahal. Upon entering we both decided to keep our eyes on the ground, only lifting our heads once we had that famous photo frame view. After everything you read and all the pictures you see of this magnificent building nothing prepares you for its beauty. This ultimate monument of love was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art" in India and is one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage. Wandering the grounds for hours we both knew that this was a special moment, a time in our lives that we would remember and cherish for as long as we lived. Upon leaving the grounds we then headed in search of an ATM, at which we bumped into our friends Andy and Gill who we had met previously in Udaipur. After a good catch up and discovering that we all had the same travel plans beyond Agra we decided to meet up later that evening for drinks before all catching the train to our next destination - Khajuraho. Arriving at the train station all rather sozzled we met another backpacker named John (also from England) who was enjoying a bottle of Whisky on the station platform and asked us to join him for a drink. All in high spirits we boarded the train and found our beds for the night and hit the hay.

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