10th APRIL
Yesterday we left Jaipur and headed to Agra. Before leaving we obviously settled our account. We had booked for B&B. We stayed 3 nights, and had a great meal each night with as much to eat as we wanted. We also had lunch one day. Three G&Ts, beers and 2 bottles of wine were on the bill, and we also had a load of washing and ironing sorted. Total cost - just under £110!
We said goodbye to the three "young ladies" who were staying there. If they read the blog they will understand the quotation marks! One of them was from Lancaster, and she and her sister knew Poulton-le-Fylde, knew Staining and in particular knew Senior's fish and chip shop, apart 2 miles from our home.
The journey to Agra was tame in comparison with previous journeys, as there was a good and relatively new road most of the way, although we were still slowed down by huge "sleeping" policemen and and traffic chaos. At one stage we had to slow for a cow sauntering in front of us, and veering to the left came face to face with a motorbike with 2 passengers. We found our way through the gap with at least 2 inches to spare on either side.
We stopped on our way and visited Fatehpur Sikri, the short lived capital of the Mogul empire between 1571 and 1585. It contained three palaces, one for each of the kings' wives - one was Hindu, one was Muslim and one was a Christian.
The King Consulted from the top of this ornate structure, surrounded in each corner by his ministers.
Heading on we arrived in Agra, and while looking for our hotel nearly took,out an auto rickshaw, but no damage done. Our room has a view overlooking the Taj Mahal. Shortly before 5 we set off to see one of the 7 wonders of the world, and justifiably so. It is described as the most beautiful building in the world, and it must be impossible to view it without being awestruck. Made of marble, it takes on different colours at different times of the day and in different weather. The colours and patterns in the marble are not paintings, but gems fashioned to the shape of the pictorial and then embedded into the chiselled out marble and set in place with a secret glue which hardens in 10 minutes.
The Taj Mahal is in part a wonderful love story, being the mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal, the third wife of Shah Jahan, who died in childbirth while giving birth to their 14th child. It is also a family tragedy as well. Not long after he built the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son, who also killed his three brothers, and was thrown into prison in Agra Fort, where every day all he could do was gaze at the monument he had built to his wife, until he died 8 years later. He was reunited with his wife in The Taj Mahal.
Carved from a single piece of marble with gem stones inset into the chiselled out block
I know it's corny, but it had to be taken!
On return to our hotel we had one of the best Indian meals we have ever eaten. We had the tasting menu, and the tastes, textures, smells and colours of the combination of soup, kebabs (prawn, fish and chicken), and three main courses of lamb and two types of chicken, along with garlic nan, plain nan, roti and dal was exceptional. We could hardly manage the ice cream and 4 small deserts that were included.
Tomorrow, off to Agra Fort, a lazy afternoon and then a 12 hour overnight train journey to Katni on our way to 6 days safari, and hopefully tiger viewing.
The King Consulted from the top of this ornate structure, surrounded in each corner by his ministers.
Heading on we arrived in Agra, and while looking for our hotel nearly took,out an auto rickshaw, but no damage done. Our room has a view overlooking the Taj Mahal. Shortly before 5 we set off to see one of the 7 wonders of the world, and justifiably so. It is described as the most beautiful building in the world, and it must be impossible to view it without being awestruck. Made of marble, it takes on different colours at different times of the day and in different weather. The colours and patterns in the marble are not paintings, but gems fashioned to the shape of the pictorial and then embedded into the chiselled out marble and set in place with a secret glue which hardens in 10 minutes.
The Taj Mahal is in part a wonderful love story, being the mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal, the third wife of Shah Jahan, who died in childbirth while giving birth to their 14th child. It is also a family tragedy as well. Not long after he built the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son, who also killed his three brothers, and was thrown into prison in Agra Fort, where every day all he could do was gaze at the monument he had built to his wife, until he died 8 years later. He was reunited with his wife in The Taj Mahal.
Carved from a single piece of marble with gem stones inset into the chiselled out block
I know it's corny, but it had to be taken!
On return to our hotel we had one of the best Indian meals we have ever eaten. We had the tasting menu, and the tastes, textures, smells and colours of the combination of soup, kebabs (prawn, fish and chicken), and three main courses of lamb and two types of chicken, along with garlic nan, plain nan, roti and dal was exceptional. We could hardly manage the ice cream and 4 small deserts that were included.
Tomorrow, off to Agra Fort, a lazy afternoon and then a 12 hour overnight train journey to Katni on our way to 6 days safari, and hopefully tiger viewing.
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