Agra ...

We were both a little worried about our 2nd class train journey on the Indian train, but we shouldn’t have been! Not after travelling on the train all throughout Europe, Russia and China….nothing will beat the 13 hour Vietnamese train from hell. This was not bad, even the bathrooms were bearable, which is hard to say about other trains around the world. The second class wagon has AC and is quite comfortable as far as sleeping wagons go, we even had some sleep that night! The train was only an hour and a half late so we got to sleep in the next morning until 05:45! We were lucky because right across from us were a couple of Japanese girls with their tour guide who spoke English who let us know when to get off the train since there are no announcements where the train was stopping so either you know or you don’t. We also met a random Indian man who like all the other Indian men in India have an opinion about everything and are also always correct (even though this one got Canada mixed up with Australia and thought that 80 yen would pay for a tour of India). We also met a few urologists who were travelling to a conference. We got into Agra at 7 in the morning and we waited by our wagon for our guide to pick us up…they specifically said “DO NOT LEAVE THE TRAIN STATION”, we can just imagine past travellers leaving the station wandering the streets of Agra looking for their guide. He was there right away and took us to the Trident Hotel which was a beautiful new hotel. We were also greeted by the same friendly driver we had in Delhi, Mr. Kandu. We had just enough time to freshen up and have a gourmet breakfast with the most amazing coffee we’ve had so far in India, and then we were off to THE sight…if the only sight to see in India…the TAJ MAHAL. Our guide and driver picked us up from the hotel and drove us most of the way and then we took a Tonga ride which is a small carriage pulled by a horse up to the gates of the Taj. One of the reasons we took the Tonga ride is that no cars are allowed within a kilometer of the Taj Mahal. The Indian government even closed all of the factories within the city and surroundings so that this very popular tourist site would not be covered in smog and pollution. All the people in this area now rely on tourism and cottage factory manufacturing instead of industry to feed their families.

Taj Mahal

Little needs to be said about the Taj Mahal: this architectural wonder which is always the sole reason for every tourist's visit to Agra. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. It took 22 years to be completed and was designed and planned by Persian architect Ustad Isa. Apart from its stunning design balance and perfect symmetry, the Taj is also noted particularly for its elegant domes, intricately carved screens and some of the best inlay work ever seen. It is said that Shah Jahan had plans to complete a symmetrical building in black marble on the other side of the river as a mausoleum for himself. He was overthrown by his son and held prisoner in the Agra fort for the last years of his life. The existing Taj is amazing and it is truly inspiring to imagine what it would have looked like with its mirror image in black across the river.
It is so peaceful to walk around the Taj Mahal, we were lucky that there weren’t so many visitors at the time we were there, it was quiet and really let us take it all in. Of course we had a ‘local guide’ take our camera from us to help us take the ‘obligatory’ tourist photos.

After the Taj Mahal, we headed across the river to the ‘Baby Taj’ built by the father of Shah Jahan. This monument is further away from the touristy areas and is difficult to reach without your own car. When we arrived there was only one other tourist couple visiting and several local couples lounging on the grassy area around the mausoleum. The baby Taj has beautiful inlay work in the marble, much more detailed colorful and intricate than in the Taj Mahal. The grounds are a peaceful break from the other tourists and hawkers and we spent a short while relaxing on one of the benches in the compound.

After a quick lunch we were off to the Agra Fort, which was built by the famed Mughal emperor Akbar in 1565 AD, the fort is predominantly made of red sandstone. Ensconced within is the picture perfect Pearl Mosque, which is apparently a major tourist attraction. However our guide told us that as non-Muslims we wouldn’t be able to enter. We think that he simply wanted the day to be over quicker and told us this to cut the tour short. The fort lies on the bend of the river Yamuna, almost in the heart of the town and overlooks the Taj Mahal. It was in this fort that Shah Jahan was imprisoned to look across the river at the Taj Mahal until his death. The fort is still in use by the Indian Army and nearly 70% of the area has restricted access.

When we came back to the hotel after our day of sightseeing we were surprised to find our room to be very chilly. Apparently we left the AC on when we left and now, as the temperature was dropping with nightfall, our room was only 19 degrees. We tried to use the thermostat on the wall, but found out that it is only for AC, not heat. Looking through the amenities guide for the hotel, we found that you can call room service for a space heater! We were all over that and within a short time we had a toasty little oven in our room to keep us warm through the night. Who would have ever thought you’d need a heater like that in India!

Agra, India