We arrived in Agra for one purpose only and that was to see the sight of the Taj Mahal. You could feel the excitement radiate off us all and even though Agra itself is a dirty, smelly crazy place, there sit’s one of the wonders of the world. Our first vision was from the roof terrace of our accommodation The Shanti Lodge. There was no peeping allowed as we all wanted to see at the same time. Quite childish but maybe that’s the effect it has. You see pictures as you grow up in books and when it comes to the moment you lay eyes on it you think it can’t be as great as your imagination pictures.
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| This looks like a good place to stay |
Well it was everything that we imagined and more. The giant white Mosque sitting in the mist as dusk settled. No words were spoken. You just stare and say nothing. It was just amazing to finally be here after all the build up. You visit India and a must is the Taj Mahal.
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| Not a bad first sighting! |
The alarm goes beep and its 5am. Full of energy and excitement the four of us jump in a rickshaw and head out into the cold to the south bank of the river to watch the sun rise over the Taj. It was so peaceful and magical to watch it come alive, coming out of the darkness into a glowing pink. We headed back to Shanti for breakfast which was another experience, being driven by the rickshaw driver’s son. He must have been learning his trade because he definitely didn’t have a license yet. We even managed to see people taking there early morning bowel movement squatted at the side of the river in a long line. I found this very amusing to the amusement of the driver and his son. Happy Days.
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| The Sun Rising over Agra for the Sun Rise Crew |
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| The Taj Mahal appears. Definitely worth getting out of bed at 5am... |
Breakfast with the Taj sitting over my left shoulder was a surreal experience before we headed to the West Gate to gain entry into the site before the tourist crowds arrived from Delhi.
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| Thats the West Gate but where's the Taj gone. It was there earlier! |
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| Artfully sketching out my high tech signs |
As we passed through the main arch you could see the Taj as if it had been framed. It was jaw dropping, amazing, beautiful, and perfect. I could go on and on. We spent hours just walking around taking pictures and some funny ones at that. I couldn’t resist saying a big hello to the Different World Drinks Co (DWDCo) team back at home, and my mum who’s always had a dream to see the Taj Mahal.
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| Not that Big Really! |
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| Hi guys, wish you were here |
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| Well here it is Mum xxx |
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| Some funny ones!!! |
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| Ouchhhh!!! |
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| That's a nice one |
Everything would have been a downer after the Taj in Agra. We did head to the Red Fort but it was closed. Just says it all so I suppose the next question was how to get out of here! Nobody seemed to know. We had 10 different bus times from 10 different people.
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| The Red Fort from the outside of course, closed! |
We aimed for a time around the middle and hit the bus stand at 5am hoping for the 6am bus to Khajuraho, which we had heard was another bumpy journey from hell. This time we weren’t surprised to be told that there was no bus today. Then we were told there was a bus at 8am. With nothing to lose after some early morning chai we waited until 8am and the bus did actually arrived. But to our amazement the bloody bus driver with a smirk on his face was the same gentleman that informed us that there wasn’t a bus. You see this is why travel in India is so difficult. Even the drivers don’t know that there’s a bus!!!
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