Agra and the Taj Mahal.
Trip Start
Jan 17, 2007
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6
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Trip End
Jul 20, 2007
Agra,
India
Monday, January 29, 2007
After finding our hotel, located between a dump and a leprosy institute, we piled into auto-rickshaws and headed towards Agra's Red Fort. Arriving there we were instantly plagued with touts and beggars - something to get used to in Agra. The Red Fort was very impressive and in very good condition. The Palace inside the Fort is magnificent and the history of the Mughal Emporers who built it makes the whole place come alive. The Fort was constructed by four generations of the same family. Shah Jahan, the third Emporer to live there, built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife who died giving birth to her 14th child
Our trek group arriving in Agra.
. There is a fantastic view of the Taj from the Palace even though it is a fair distance away.Next stop was the Taj Mahal itself. After another fight to get through the touts and beggars we made our way to the East Gate of the Taj complex. The first sight of the Taj is breath-taking, we don't think pictures can accurately show how beautiful a building it really is. Although there were loads of other tourists there, there was a certain peace to the place and we enjoyed relaxing on the grass as we watched the sun set and the building change colours from bright white through to a warm pinky hue.
Amazing!
To round the day off we popped into a carpet factory. Agra is famous for its handwoven carpets because the government encourage the locals to refrain from pollution causing industries that taint the marble of the Taj Mahal. We watched how they make the carpets, from design to stitching and finishing - a process that takes over 6 months to complete a six ft sq carpet! We were very tempted to buy one, they were really nice but we're already over our weight limit!
The next day we got a 'deluxe' bus to Jaipur - 6 hours sitting very close to some loud and sweaty local men!
Lots of love,
Jilly and Laurie
