Day 5 - Agra/Jaipur

So, today started with an early start as we were up at 6.00am to get to the Taj Mahal.  It was only 10 minutes away, so we were there just after it opened.

We hired a photographer to come round with us. This was good, as the photos we selected are excellent, and he made sure people got out the way when we were taking our own pictures too, which was brilliant.  The Taj Mahal is surrounded by really nice gardens on a bend in the river, from where you can see Agra Fort (that we visited yesterday)

It's a bit surreal being here, it's such an iconic building that you can't quite believe that you're there.  It doesn't look real until your actually right up at it.

The Taj Mahal (and the seat that Diana sat on)

After visiting the Taj, it was back to the hotel for breakfast, before checking out.  Then it was back into the car and Fatehpur Sikri, another Moghul palace, which is HUGE!  The Emperor had married three wives, one Muslim, one Christian and one Hindu.  He was by all accounts, a bit of a philosopher, and thought all religions to be true, hence a wife from each of the three major religions.  This is evident in the carvings round the palace.  There are carvings representative of Islam, Christianity and Hinduism.

Each of the main three wives had their own palace within the main palace compound.  The rest of the wives lived in the harem.

There's a great story about him meeting a young boy, when he was travelling, and giving him one of his rings, saying "If you ever need me, come to the capital and I will help you".  

Years later the boy, now a young man, travelled to see the Emperor, but the palace guards, recognising the ring, thought he would be in for a bit reward from the ruler, so refused to let him enter until he promised to give them a share of whatever it was he received.  He duly agreed, and finally got in to see the Emperor.  The Emperor recognised the ring, and asked what he could give the man.  He asked for 100 lashes, so that the guards who had refused him entry, could share in his reward.  The Emperor recognised how smart he was, and gave him a position at court.

After the palace, it was back in the car, and onwards with the long journey to our next stop, Jaipur.

Apart from cows in the road, stopping for lunch, and to get a couple of pics of a temple, the journey was un-eventful.

Statues outside a temple on the road from Agra to Jaipur

Day 4 - Agra

After making friends with Kingfisher last night, 6.30am was a bit early to be getting up, but as we were leaving early for Agra, I had to bite the bullet.

After breakfast, it was time to check out and meet the driver in the lobby.  Karen and the luggage got in the lift, and I took the stairs, and Karen and the bags got stuck in the lift, but fortunately only for a minute.  Soon, the road trip was underway.  Sort of.  We got caught in a massive traffic jam.  To be honest there's not much difference between the traffic jam and regular Delhi traffic, except you get cut up less, and move slower.

We stopped for a comfort break in a middle of nowhere place that probably only exists to extract money from coach parties.  Fortunately there was a small bus in, so we didn't get the hard sell.  We just had a couple of drinks, which surprisingly, were pretty reasonable, so that was ok.

Back on the road and through the countryside and small towns.  Cows on the road, donkeys on the road, and monkeys on the side of the road.

Once we hit the outskirts of Agra, we picked up the local guide at Sikandra.  It's a Mughal tomb, which once again, was started in the rulers lifetime, but he died before it was completed, so his son finished it.  The shows up in the fact it was made in two different styles.  Then it was on to the hotel and time to check in.

After checking in, I did a personal first, and ordered room service.  Mainly to save time, as once I'd eaten, it was back out and on to Agra fort.

Built by a Mughal Emperor - the same one who would go on to build the Taj Mahal as a monument to his favourite wife.  The fort is really impressive.  There's a huge harem and some superb battlements.  The fort was never taken by force.  Some of the building sport some damage they received from canon fire.
The Emperor ended his days as a captive of one of his own sons, who had killed his brothers in a bid to seize power from his father.  The Emperor spent eight years as a captive in his own fort, albeit in rather plush settings.

From the fort, we headed to the "Baby Taj", which was basically the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.  It's also situated on the same river as the Fort and the Taj Mahal.  From there, we got a stunning view of the sun setting over the city of Agra.

Sunset over Agra

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped off to see a marble workshop.  Some really nice stuff, just way to big/heavy to bring back.  Very nice, very interesting and very expensive.

Back at the hotel, we headed to the rooftop restaurant for dinner.  Great food, and the music of choice was classic rock.  During dinner, we were treated to The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd and Aerosmith among others.

Now, it's time for a (very) early night, as it's been a long day, and we're up at 5.00am to get to the Taj Mahal to see the sunrise there, then it's on to Jaipur.