Hotel Ganga Ratan Agra

... there were a reasonable number of groups as well. We had to wear these booties over our shoes when going inside the mausoleum and while photos were strictly prohibited, all the Indians in there were taking pics. Watched the sunset there and went to the museum (nothing there) then back for rest and cold drink. This morning is free morning and im going to wander around and relax a bit before we get on the train to Delhi this afternoon.

... Taj in white marble for his beloved, the maharaja set out to build a second one in black (obsidian?) for himself. Before construction got underway, he was imprisoned by his son in a coup and the plans were nixed. I don't recall which wife said son was from, but seeing as the original diverted the entire empire's supply of slave labor for 22 years, to speak nothing of the mind-boggling amount of marble used, I could see why junior wouldn't want to ...

... the fort and palaces which were built between 1569 and 1585. The approach to the mosque entry is picturesque as you wind up a steep hill and then up very steep steps to the Great gate with domed towers and through this is a massive courtyard with cloisters on all 4 sides , the largest courtyard of all Indian mosques. At the centre is a beautiful marble mausoleum where a sufi saint is buried, Sheikh Salim Chishti was an advisor to Akbar and Fatehpur Sikri was built in honour of ...

... ride down the river.<br>about ten minutes after we set off, we were forced to the river bank when the guide spotted a rhino basking in the water up ahead.<br>"can we go any closer?" asked the girl who was with us.<br>"do you want to die?" said the guide. he then pointed out that me and briggs had, for some reason, both opted to wear red shirts that morning, making us a very visible target for an agry rhino. he told us that if the thing decided to chase us, we would have to run as fast ...

... spruiking outside his shop. Sab Kuch Milega- 'Everything is possible' in India.<br><br>A couple of quotes trying to sum up the beauty of the Taj Mahal:<br><br>'a teardrop on the face of eternity' - Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore<br><br>'the embodiment of all things pure' - British writer Rudyard Kipling<br><br>Agreed.<br><br>Tomorrow we are back on the train to the capital Delhi where our Indian adventure began 10 months ago. <br><br>We are as they say in India 'Enjoying The Life'<br><br>

... I really didn't want his help. <br><br>After the Taj we went home and took showers, dropped off some laundry that will be done tomorrow (we hope) and then we went to dinner. At dinner we actually met some people that we had stayed with in New Delhi (a guy from Brazil and a girl from Poland), so that was nice. Throughout our meal the power kept going off, so that was pretty interesting and funny. <br><br>That's about it for Agra! One thing to note ...

... that some visitors had previously tried to remove the semi-precious stones from the inlays. As we enter the park and have our first view of the Taj, we admit that it is pretty inspiring. Our guide explained that the Taj was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631-and is entombed within. The decorations contain over 1,000 pounds of gold and the site was completed ...

... is she your boss?" and he said "yes!". For the rest of the day, anytime someone came up to them he said "no, she's the boss, you have to talk to her", and they did. It was hilarious, especially in this seriously male dominated society.<br><br>I finished my shopping, we had some lunch on a rooftop patio and went home. It was fantastic! <br> <br><br><br>I spent my last couple hours at ...

... sure wasn't easy but it was enoromous fun. I must just quickly add an anecdote I heard from an English couple staying in my hotel in Ochar. They spend six months of the year in India collecting what they call 'hippie ****' and the other six months in England selling it to people at festivals. An ingenious way to make a living. Anyway, we were discussing all the mosquitoes in our hotel and they told me about a friend of theirs who tried some 'new and ...

... driving Indians pay only 10 rupees.<br><br>The owner of our guesthouse was very alarmed at this price rise. As he rightly pointed out, people only come to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and if they know it costs so much to get in then the only tourists coming to Agra will be the rich ones. Institutions like his and those of many others will simply be unable to stay afloat. To make matters worse for him, the authorities have banned any development in Tajganj. He felt that he and his ...