Headed out on the highway and shrouded in fog for most of the journey. Driving on roads in India is worth a post of its own which hopefully I will manage shortly.
We arrived at Agra at about 13:30 and checked into our hotel - the Hotel Clarks Shiraz. Once again Sharon has made an excellent selection - this is a very English Raj style hotel with timber panelling and marble floors. It also included both dinner and breakfast so that was also good.
This hotel, like our hotel in Delhi, also has bag scanners and metal detectors on site. I am not sure when these became a standard item over here but it is presumably related to incidents such as this:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks
Check-in took a while but we were able to drop our gear off, freshen up and head back out to see the Taj Mahal about 14:20. Somewhere along the way we picked up a freelance tour guide who obviously had some form of working relationship with our bus service. He turned out to be very helpful in a number of ways, speeding up queues, providing historical info and taking photos.
In order to protect the Taj from pollution the entire surrounding area is emissions restricted. This means you part your car a fair distance away and take a electric cart down to the entrance. Foreigners pay 750 rupees ($15) for access, locals pay 20 rupees (40 cents). However the foreigners get a better deal with:
* electric cart ride
* bottle of water
* shoe covers
* MUCH shorter queues
We were there on a Sunday and it was packed ! You could not describe it as a place or serenity or reflection (largely because of the number of people) - but there is no questioning it's beauty, magnificence and architectural significance.
You can learn more about it here:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_mahal
But, in a nutshell it was built by a Mughal (Mongol) Emperor as a mausoleum to demonstrate his love for his deceased third wife. He spared no expense, and, as a result, was effectively overthrown by his son and placed under house arrest for the last eight years of his life.
So I guess one man's uncompromising tribute to love and beauty is another mans nutbag vanity project!
Still, the world is a richer place for it and I am grateful it has survived many threats since its construction almost 400 years ago. It continues to face ongoing environmental challenges such as pollution and damage to the underlying water table.
After this we headed off back to the hotel around 17:00 for dinner and bed.
Location:Agra, Uttar Pradesh
The Taj Mahal is stunning. Glad steps are being taken to prevent pollution damaging it.
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