The Taj Express
Sunday 17th May
So we left Chandigargh at 6:30pm then made our way to Delhi again for a quick stop, in at 11pm and up again at 5am to get to Agra about 3 hours away.... and the famous Taj Mahal by morning.
Monday 18th May
Getting into the Taj was pretty expensive by Indian standards Rs 750 which is about AUD$22. Good news is that there wasnt to many people around as its the low season here... no lines! There are a number of red walled gardens and gates you need to negotiate before you get a glimpse of the Taj. Finally you walk through a large Mughal gate... the sun is blocked out, everything is black, and then there it is..... shining kind of greeny white in relief to the silhouette of the gate. Karly and I just kind of shuffled to the right of the gate and sat against the wall in silence, probably one of a handful of moments in my life were i was actually speechless. It is a total must see for anyone... no really!!
We walked around taking pictures for a while, then I realised I had forgot to charge the camera!!!! It was like a cruel joke....at one of the most photogenic buildings in the world and I had a flat battery so we conserved what power we had and got the shots we really wanted, so it was all fine in the end.
The inside of the Taj the milky white marble is inlaid with precious stones that form beautiful pictures of Lotuses and other patterns and flowers. There is an intricately carved screen surrounding the actual sarcophogas, but there is no-one in there, they moved the husband and wife down underneath the main area, so its not their actual graves your looking at. The Taj is perfectly symmetrical and the same on all four sides. The red buildings either side are also identical, one is a mosque and the other was probably built back then for travellers visiting the mosque.
The other reason to go to Agra is the Red Fort just up river a bit from the Taj, interestingly the emperor that built the Taj was overthrown by his son who locked him in a tower of the Red Fort with a window that looked over the Taj (the resting place of his wife) which is kind of nice I suppose. Anyhow the fort was much like all the other forts in India, if you have seen one you have seen them all... plus it was crazy hot so we sat in the hall of public audience at the fort which was the only cool place we could find and waited until we could brave the sun to get to somewhere cool for lunch.
I suggested to Nick we hit the Bellevue restaurant, housed in the Oberoi 'Amar Vilas' Hotel, described by Lonely Planet as not only the best Hotel in Agra but possibly the best in India. Nick was worried about going there because we are a pair of dirty backpackers after all, but I thought, who cares? Its the low season they will want our money! Well the Oberoi was beautiful, with spectacular views of the Taj to top it off (sorry, camera was dead by now). The cool opulence was exactly what we needed to soothe our frazzled, sunburnt nerves. The restaurant was mostly empty and the other people eating there clearly weren't too fancy either, it was obvious other people had the smart idea to escape Agras heat there too. We had a delicious two course lunch, with bread and drinks for about AU $100. It was so worth it! We took our time and managed to kill two hours there enjoying our view and the food. Seated next to us were a british couple who were visiting a relative of there's who works at the British high commission in Delhi. They were great to chat with and compare 'Indian experiences' with, Nick pointed out to them that we'd been on the train, at the Taj, the Red Fort and lunch with them!
We caught the night train to Varanasi from Tundla, just outside of Agra.... stay tuned for Varanasi blog.........
So we left Chandigargh at 6:30pm then made our way to Delhi again for a quick stop, in at 11pm and up again at 5am to get to Agra about 3 hours away.... and the famous Taj Mahal by morning.
Monday 18th May
Getting into the Taj was pretty expensive by Indian standards Rs 750 which is about AUD$22. Good news is that there wasnt to many people around as its the low season here... no lines! There are a number of red walled gardens and gates you need to negotiate before you get a glimpse of the Taj. Finally you walk through a large Mughal gate... the sun is blocked out, everything is black, and then there it is..... shining kind of greeny white in relief to the silhouette of the gate. Karly and I just kind of shuffled to the right of the gate and sat against the wall in silence, probably one of a handful of moments in my life were i was actually speechless. It is a total must see for anyone... no really!!
We walked around taking pictures for a while, then I realised I had forgot to charge the camera!!!! It was like a cruel joke....at one of the most photogenic buildings in the world and I had a flat battery so we conserved what power we had and got the shots we really wanted, so it was all fine in the end.
The inside of the Taj the milky white marble is inlaid with precious stones that form beautiful pictures of Lotuses and other patterns and flowers. There is an intricately carved screen surrounding the actual sarcophogas, but there is no-one in there, they moved the husband and wife down underneath the main area, so its not their actual graves your looking at. The Taj is perfectly symmetrical and the same on all four sides. The red buildings either side are also identical, one is a mosque and the other was probably built back then for travellers visiting the mosque.
The other reason to go to Agra is the Red Fort just up river a bit from the Taj, interestingly the emperor that built the Taj was overthrown by his son who locked him in a tower of the Red Fort with a window that looked over the Taj (the resting place of his wife) which is kind of nice I suppose. Anyhow the fort was much like all the other forts in India, if you have seen one you have seen them all... plus it was crazy hot so we sat in the hall of public audience at the fort which was the only cool place we could find and waited until we could brave the sun to get to somewhere cool for lunch.
I suggested to Nick we hit the Bellevue restaurant, housed in the Oberoi 'Amar Vilas' Hotel, described by Lonely Planet as not only the best Hotel in Agra but possibly the best in India. Nick was worried about going there because we are a pair of dirty backpackers after all, but I thought, who cares? Its the low season they will want our money! Well the Oberoi was beautiful, with spectacular views of the Taj to top it off (sorry, camera was dead by now). The cool opulence was exactly what we needed to soothe our frazzled, sunburnt nerves. The restaurant was mostly empty and the other people eating there clearly weren't too fancy either, it was obvious other people had the smart idea to escape Agras heat there too. We had a delicious two course lunch, with bread and drinks for about AU $100. It was so worth it! We took our time and managed to kill two hours there enjoying our view and the food. Seated next to us were a british couple who were visiting a relative of there's who works at the British high commission in Delhi. They were great to chat with and compare 'Indian experiences' with, Nick pointed out to them that we'd been on the train, at the Taj, the Red Fort and lunch with them!
We caught the night train to Varanasi from Tundla, just outside of Agra.... stay tuned for Varanasi blog.........
4 comments:
Hey my loves,sounds like the Taj was amasing, I guess by now your in Deli almost winding down on your Indian adventure and soon to be in Vienna, wow that will be a culture shock but one im sure you'll cope with. Not much to report here.. My kids at bero school are doing starstruck, i remember a certain little princess doing starstruck when she was in primary school. The teacher i help at bero used to be a sweet valley reader...all for now love muma jacq xoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Ok so I totally have subscribed to your blog. AND I'm completely and utterly jealous of the two of you haveing a fabulous holiday while I remain tethered to the homeland. But not for long!!!!
Keep writing so I can keep reading.
Mel
PS Angora bunnies seem to be enormous. I feel like one of them could easily be the Easter Bunny.
such a beautiful time youse guys are having over there , experiencing so much,,.. was the taj nice and smooth or all gently carved? ian xoox
Actually it was inlaid with precious stones so it wasn't completely smooth.
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