Agra,
India
Thursday, December 8, 2005
There is not much to comment on about Agra except for its main attraction the Taj Mahal. Seeing this incredible mausoleum was the highlight of India for me and it looks more amazing in life than the pictures. It was completed in 1653 for an Emperor who had it built as a mausoleum for his 2nd wife who died giving birth to her 14th child. A massive marble building with intracite semiprecious stones inlaid to the marble all built for love! It really was just beautiful! There were tourists galore both forigners and Indian too. Indians pay only 20 rupees entry and forigners pay 750 rupees which is a whole lot on Indian standards but I was quite happy to pay that crazy amount. Of corse the seat directly in front of the Taj where the famous pics of Princess Diana were taken was the most crowded spot in the whole area surrounding the Taj. We didnt have the patience to wait our turn to sit on the seat but were lucky enough to meet a nice groundsman who showed us to his fav pozzy for pics, just to the side of the seat, in front of the water pond where the Taj is reflected in the water - what a great pic (will load it on asap when we get to London). The groundsman told us about the facial pack they give to the Taj to clense off the yellowish pollution and keep it pure and white looking - they paste cereal, milk and lime mixture to it and wash it off and apparently they have been doing this since the 16th centry! For me, seeing the Taj was the highlight of my Indian trip and a good note to finish up on.
There is not much else to say bout Agra. It is another one of those nasty dirty Indian towns
