Agra

Paula, Daniel and I were in 2AC, and Bridget and Andrew were in Sleeper Class. The train left late, and we arrived in Agra late. We needed to get two taxis to the hotel which is about a kilometer from the East entrance to the Taj Mahal. We have an excellent view from the hotel rooftop. We arrived at about 7:30 am and were able to check in to one of the rooms and leave our bags. We had breakfast at the hotel and decided to go to the Taj Mahal. I had read that there are 3 entrances, on the East, west, and south sides, and that at one of them the ticket office is about 1 km away. I asked at the hotel desk and was told that it was the eastern gate - our side. I headed in the opposite direction to the Taj, towards the ticket office. Tickets are 20 Rps of an Indian, but 750 Rps for a foreigner. We got there at about 11 am, which was a good time, because as the day wore on the crowds got bigger. We were also lucky with the weather - it was a tshirt day for us, but cool for the locals, probably around 20C. The buildings are amazing, and as you walk through the main gate and the Taj Mahal comes into full view, it is just breathtaking. Bridget had suggested that we walk through the gate with our heads lowered, and then look up to see the whole vista - just magic. We had also hired audio guides to listen to the information as we moved around the site. It was worth it to get some of the stories. Tonight we went to an Indian musical presentation of the story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal at Kalakriti. The costumes were great, the replica of the Taj Mahal used took 10 years to build (details at the link), and it was in Hindi, but we had IR headsets with an English translation. I woke up before sunrise so decided to go to the roof of the hotel to look at the view. The sun rose as a bright orange/pink ball, but had no real effect on the Taj. It just became easier to see. We had made arrangements with an auto rickshaw driver to pick us up at 10:30, so we had breakfast at the hotel and went outside to meet him. He drove us to Agra Fort which is the largest fort in India. Visitors are only allowed to visit 25% of the fort, as the other 75% is used by the Indian army, which has over 10,000 soldiers stationed inside. We engaged a guide at the entrance and  Lunch, then on to a handmade carpet store where we were shown a demonstration of how the carpets are hand tied, as opposed to woven like the Turkish carpets. We were then offered tea and shown a variety of colours, sizes and designs. Prices were very reasonable for a piece of art that takes 3 - 4 months to make. We decided to buy Bridget and Daniel one each for their birthdays next year. Bridget will be 21, and Daniel 18. We are getting them shipped to home, and now that we are registered customers, we are able to place orders from home, via the internet, without incurring an import duty. Back at the hotel Paula, Bridget and Daniel all had a body massage. Tomorrow we have made arrangements to meet Lucky at 6:00 am, to go to a place for the best sunrise view. He was waiting for us as we left the hotel and we drove about 16 km to the point on the opposite bank of the Yemana River, that showed a magnificent view of the entire north face of the Taj Mahal. The ride there was pretty cold, and tourists have to pay 250 Rps each to cross the river. The Taj is symmetrical in design and just awesome from any direction. We watched the sun rise at about 7:10 am, and stayed in the gardens for a while before heading back towards the hotel. Lucky took us at a small restaurant in one of the back streets, which was someone's house that also doubled as a restaurant, and we had a very nice breakfast. Then back to the hotel to pack and decide what to do with the rest of the day. We catch a train tonight that is scheduled to leave Agra at 19:25, and arrive in Jaipur at 23:50. So far none of the trains we have caught have arrived on time. Some have left on time, so we will see what happens tonight.