Rose Hotel Agra

... if the light was shining on it. And the king’s 3rd wife was buried in there. He made a huge place just for his wife. And he made one dome over the other so it was like a dome over a dome and his wife was buried in there. He did that because one building was bigger and he didn’t like that so he built one dome over top so that it would look like they were both the same size. The Taj was nice because there were two buildings beside it and ...

I took a train from Delhi to Agra this morning arriving around 9am. Took a Rickshaw straight to the Taj Mahal. Agra is just as appaling as Delhi, but when you get your first glimpse of the Taj it's incredible. I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful-its like a giant castle made from a marble countertop, which feels amazing on your barefeet. Its really no ...

... clocks are refusing to shift and we are awake around 5 every day so the early start wasn't a problem - the non arrival of the taxi however was. After 15 minutes we decided this wasn't just late it was a non arrival when a couple came downstairs looking to check out to catch their flight. With no cash they were looking to pay by card - oops - they went a little bit hysterical as the business card said pay by card - but I guess it is on their to do list as they had only been ...

... Agra's sights, starting of course with the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal itself wasn't as crowded as I'd expected, but we had to run a guantlet of hustlers and beggers and touts and want-to-be tour guides just to get close to the gate. Entrance fee: Indians, 10 rupees - foreigners, 750 rupees! We also had to go through tight security - no flashlights or tripods or (inexplicably) stuffed animals allowed in the Taj!

The grounds ...

... he queue, anxious to get in. it was already getting towards daylight.
i walked through the metal detector, and was patted down by a guard. after taking a ood look at my wallet and phone, he proceeded to rummage through my bag, pulling various items out, asking me in an angry tone, "whats this? whats this?" eventualy, he found my earphones, and turned me away, pointing me towards the lockers.
i stomped the five minute walk, cursing all the way, constantly looking at the ...

... more pressing it began to look even worse through brown tinted glasses. Compared to the Golden Temple-that I loved-it was overpriced, overrated and overrun. Then once my stomach gurgles became audible to passers by I knew it was time to head home. As I was pretty sure that once I unleashed this monster there was no telling when he was going to get back in the closet.

Oh how I laughed at the irony as I sat on the toilet looking at the Taj. I should have ...

... of the posh hotels for G&Ts in the evening (this is becoming a favourite pastime of Chris, Adam, Ruth and I's), overlooking the Taj Mahal (which we couldn't see because the power was off, ho hum) which was just lovely.

The next morning we all hauled ourselves out of bed at an ungodly hour to see the Taj at sunrise... but it was well worth it. The Taj is a mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his ...

... the three hour general boarding train ride.. worth the hefty entry fee... worth suffering through the heat of India... even worth waiting over a quarter of a century to see.

After the initial shock fades, the Taj (which is a memorial to a lost Bride) still commands respect. We even had to wear covers on our feet, kinda like shoe condoms...or shondoms... no ipods are allowed... no Frisbee either ...

... by sunset. It was amazing in person and even more beautiful than I ever expected. At one point in planning our trip, I thought wrongly, that we could skip this place as surely one could see India without visiting this building. I am so glad I was persuaded otherwise. It is my favorite place so far. The gardens were beautiful. From pictures, I always thought the building was ...

... coming from the direction of the roadblock and I realised the police were conducting a lathi charge (that is, indiscriminately hitting anyone in their path with their heavy bamboo sticks). The crowd surged the other way and we fled, as fast as we could, through the crowd and in the direction we thought our guesthouse lay. People were flailing out at one another in the stampede and I was forced to get rough with a few (fortunately weedy) Indians who seemed to be trying to block our ...