This morning we pile into our van for the two hour/60 km journey to Agra via Fatehpur Sikri. Of course of main goal while in Agra is to visit the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his wife Mumtaz.
But first things first....we go to visit a place where they make hand made carpets.
It's rather awkward as they serve us Masala tea and go to great lengths to tell us about the carpets. You almost feel like you need to make a purchase just to make them feel better but too much money at this point in our trip. We check in to our hotel and have a quick lunch.
The Fort is amazing. Only 30% is open to the public but that is huge. We have a guide who is very informative.
We leave the Fort and go for dinner. It's another rooftop restaurant which is very nice. It's off to bed early as we are going to see the Taj Mahal for sunrise.
We arrive at 6:00 a.m. but it's still dark. 6:30 the gates open but it's misty out, foggy with pollution so it's not great for pictures. Here is the whole group posing for an iconic picture in front of the Taj Mahal. What a great group we were!
Later on around 9:00 a.m. with the sun out the air clears and it's better for pictures. Lots of pictures as this is a beautiful structure. By 10:00 we're done and it's off to have coffee. It's delicious. Coffee has become a luxury.
We go back to the hotel to pack our things as we are leaving on the overnight train to Varanasi tonight. We have time to kill so Alanna, Danita and myself decide to go to the gardens that are located behind the Taj. It's very hot out and the tuc tuc ride is long. The driver did not understand where we wanted to go so we have been driving around and basically getting no closer to where we wanted to go. We finally get to the gardens but at this time of the year there's not much to see. Must have been beautiful back in the day.
But first things first....we go to visit a place where they make hand made carpets.
Beautiful carpets and I fully respect the work that goes in to each carpet but none of us are in the market for a carpet.
Such precise repetitive work...I don't know how they can do this all day!
It's rather awkward as they serve us Masala tea and go to great lengths to tell us about the carpets. You almost feel like you need to make a purchase just to make them feel better but too much money at this point in our trip. We check in to our hotel and have a quick lunch.
We then head off to see Agra Fort which is located on the banks of the Yamuna River.
Built in 1565 by Emperor Akbar it was originally constructed to be a military structure.
The Fort is amazing. Only 30% is open to the public but that is huge. We have a guide who is very informative.
We leave the Fort and go for dinner. It's another rooftop restaurant which is very nice. It's off to bed early as we are going to see the Taj Mahal for sunrise.
We arrive at 6:00 a.m. but it's still dark. 6:30 the gates open but it's misty out, foggy with pollution so it's not great for pictures. Here is the whole group posing for an iconic picture in front of the Taj Mahal. What a great group we were!
Later on around 9:00 a.m. with the sun out the air clears and it's better for pictures. Lots of pictures as this is a beautiful structure. By 10:00 we're done and it's off to have coffee. It's delicious. Coffee has become a luxury.
Fueled by coffee Vaughan is trying out the tuc tuc....possible new occupation?
We go back to the hotel to pack our things as we are leaving on the overnight train to Varanasi tonight. We have time to kill so Alanna, Danita and myself decide to go to the gardens that are located behind the Taj. It's very hot out and the tuc tuc ride is long. The driver did not understand where we wanted to go so we have been driving around and basically getting no closer to where we wanted to go. We finally get to the gardens but at this time of the year there's not much to see. Must have been beautiful back in the day.
The view across the water of the Taj Mahal is worth the visit.
They are doing an archeological dig at this site. These women carry the dirt they are removing. No wheelbarrows here. No matter what the women are doing they are always colorfully dressed.
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We head back to the hotel and Anjali joins us to find "the milkshake" place. So good! $7 though
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