Zee Hotel Agra

... top was 30 feet tall. The whole thing I’m guessing was 300-400 feet. When you stepped on the marble in the light it felt like just regular floor, but if it was in the shade it felt really really cold. It froze my feet. It is way better if you take off your socks and shoes, because that way you can feel it, so that you can know that is marble and it feels really good on a hot day. It’s like ice cold under your feet. It’s crazy that ...

... 16 platforms away near platform 1. Even as we were walking up the stairs towards our holy grail we were followed by ever more desperate cries of 'it has moved - i show you' etc etc

And then we had to go it alone...

6.15am on the 11th saw us optimistically awaiting our express train to Agra. And for all the doubters out there (more than one I believe) who said it couldn't be done in less than 3 hours - 2 hours and 15 minutes thanks v ...

... the train went anywhere lol.

The train journey was good I enjoyed it immensely but the best thing was the mini tea kit. About 20 minutes in to the journey a little man came around and gave us a little tray - curiosity for sure got the best of me and I was shuffling around the contents as soon as he had moved on. There was a little paper packet with 2 teabags - sugar and whitener - 2 little sweets - and a mini packet of 2 Marie biscuits (but no butter)!! 5 minutes ...

... to the rooftop restaurant and saw our first glimpse of the Raj Mahal by moonlight, you could only see the outline but it looked pretty amazing already. We had a massive feast of curries and nan bread and Kingfisher beer which was great then we hit the hay ready for sunrise at the Taj.

We got up at half 4 in the morning, had a freezing cold shower (we are starting to forget what it's like to shower in hot water) and headed out in the dark ...

... which certainly beats 10C and raining at home. 35C is a bit warm, but we are in an air conditioned car between sights. I keep telling our driver that we are low maintenance when he asks if we need anything, but that is obviously in relation to a North American or European or an Oceanic, etc. We would prefer to walk around a bit more and absorb the culture, but the sights are a bit spread out and we stick out a bit. Plus, we don't have an idea where ...

... saw people getting refused entry for having mobile phones, so i wasn't taking any chances.
the admission office was deserted. in fact, the whole street was. i waited there in silence until about five o'clock, when in the distance, i heard somebody start up a tannoy. at first, i coldn't figure out what it was. then i realised: it was the mosque. a few seconds later, another one started up at the other side of the city, and over the next five minutes, two others joined in. as i ...

... foolish photographs like the jump for joy and lining up shots so it looked like we were lifting the top off the main dome of the Taj as though it was a butler's serving plate, lame really.

The Taj Mahal is actually a sad tribute to love, it's a mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their 14th child. Poor Jahan apparently had some serious karma debts to pay and not long after the Taj was finished, he was ...

This is an investigative blog. No cute little anecdotes, no inspiring tales, no expressions like "heartbreaking“ or “emotional rollercoaster ride". The internet is full of such stuff and Germans are not exactly the world's greatest entertainers to begin with. At the end of the day, I believe research can ultimately spoil any romantic story. (In case you didn’t know, William Wallace didn’t really knock up the ...

... and walked through the walled sandstone complex hiding the Taj Mahal from prying eyes. You approach the Taj through a large gate to the south, the early morning sun casting shadows across the giant marble surfaces. The Taj has a strange perspective that makes it look a lot smaller than expected, but it wasn't until you saw the people standing at the foot of the huge building looking like scurrying ants you saw how big it actually ...

... suspicion. We are invited to the hotel rooftop to smoke and get the lowdown on smoking etiquette in India (no smoking at all on the streets, particularly not by a lady!). Heading downstairs for veg kofta we hear drumming from down the street and see a group of men practising for an upcoming festival. We are warned not to approach as there will be lots of men and drinking and it would be not in our best ...