Agra - the Taj Mahal

Hi All,

The Taj Mahal is a breathtaking work of art. It exceed both of our expectations with it’s gleaming marble dome and beautiful inlay work which pictured intricate flowers and passages from the Quran. We arrived at 5:30 to watch the sunrise over the crown palace (‘Taj’ translating as crown and ‘Mahal’ to palace) built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, as a monument to his wife who died during the birth of their 14th child. We both thought it would be wonderful to see but it was far more impressive than can put into words.

We hired a guide to learn more about one of new 7 wonders of the world. He explained how although the four pillars surrounding the central mausoleum appear to stand upright, they in fact tilt slightly out so in the event of an earthquake would not crush the beautiful dome and the tombs within. The entrance gate features 22 small domes to portray the 22 years the monument took to build by over 20,000 workers - whose accommodation on sight is still visible. When stood at the north of the Taj Mahal looking across the river, a low circular platform is visible; our guide explained how these are the foundations of the back Taj Mahal that the emperor had planned on constructing for himself in black marble to mirror his wife’s white marble masterpiece.

This impressiveness is more than could be said for the disgusting hovel of a hotel we managed to book for the night. It was by far the worst place either of us have ever stayed in. The huge, dusty fan contraption wafted stale air into the hot, dirty room. The plug sockets hung from the wall, exposing dangerous live wires; not to mention the bulb less light fittings and filthy bathroom walls. When booking the hotel we saw it had a brilliant view of Taj Mahal from the rooftop restaurant which persuaded us to book it. True to our expectations the view was wonderful, especially when monkeys posed in the foreground. On the other hand, the ‘restaurant’ was a collection of garden furniture bundled into the roof; standards which matched the hotel room itself. Next time we’ll look more closely into the internal finish of the room rather than basing our booking on the view!

Despite our awful accommodation, our visit to the Taj Mahal more than made up for it! A trip to Mama Chicken was also incredible! This was our first meat feast since we’ve been here. Tandoori chicken, mutton kebabs and chapatis went down a treat. The only way we can describe it is as a huge street food stand crossed with a DJ booth, surrounded by tandoor ovens, which wouldn’t look out of place at Glastonbury!

Next we’re off to Varanasi, subscribe by entering your email address (if you haven’t already) to hear what we get up to.

Love R and D Xxx