Blogs from Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia - page 2

Our drive back to Jodhpur for our overnight train to Agra was such a contrast to the drive three days previously as it was Holi, and there were hardly any vehicles on the road... still plenty of cows and goats though. Our driver stopped at a beer shop saying that as it was Holi he should buy us a drink. He came out of the shop with a big bottle of Kingfisher beer, which is the local fizzy beer but this one was 7.5% proof and a little bottle for himself....I didn’t think we’d be drinking it during our drive....at 10 am..... Apparently the police are all on holiday so no rules apply and we had all day so didn’t have to gun it along the road. Back in Jodhpur to while away a few hours ... read more

The Taj Mahal ! What can I say? It really is the jewel in the crown! We arrived in Agra at 8.30 am and luckily the hotel let us check into our room straight away. After a rest we went out to explore. The hotel was literally five minutes walk away from the West Gate entrance of the Taj Mahal. It was already mid day so we decided we would go the next day nice and early to beat the crowds. The streets here are just as bad as in Delhi. Actually worse but as our hotel was just inside the area that was barriered off and guarded by police it was a little haven. We wandered up and down looking for somewhere to eat. A few places advertised rooftop restaurants with views of the Taj ... read more

It's time to leave Beijing to explore Agra via New Delhi. The journey to get there was not at all smooth, from Indian visa inspection to luggage check-in to immigration. It starts at Beijing airport. English is not only unspoken in the city, but it is also not spoken in the entire airport. Due to international flight visa inspection requirements, the airline company did not facilitate online check-in. I arrived nice and early without realising that this check-in won't end well. The desk sent me to a shop outside the airport where I needed to print my itineraries as they don't accept digital versions. An hour and a half later, I returned to the same desk with all documents printed out, but they claimed that I still needed to print more stuff, which were irrelevant. I ... read more

The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in honour of the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved third wife, who died in 1632 while bearing their 14th child. He poured his energy into creating for her the most beautiful tomb ever built. The complex also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself, and the Taj’s stunning architecture has made it one of the most iconic monuments in the world. It took around 20,000 artisans and 1000 elephants twenty years to build. The white marble stone is inlaid with floral details carved from precious gems. In places, the stone is carved into delicate screens called pierce work so that visitors can see into the next chamber. All of the floors are inlaid with patterned stone, and incised painting in abstract designs adorns the ... read more

Some of the most stunning architectural structures in India are to be found below ground, these are the stepwells, or ancient water stores. Stepwells are unique to India and from around the 3rd century CE were built throughout the country, particularly in the arid western regions. Over the past couple of weeks we have had the privilege of visiting several of these fascinating structures and today we visited the largest in Rajasthan, Aberhani Stepwells. It will feature in my next blog, but I though I’d give a little more information on just what a stepwell is..... Excavated in order to reach the water table, the purpose of a step well was simple - to provide water all year round. But they also fulfilled other functions. They offered pilgrims and other travellers a respite from the heat, ... read more