Our day began at 5am. The plan was to get to the Taj Mahal as soon at it opened and beat the crowds so we could get pictures with no one in the shots. Our hotel offered us a free tour with a guide from the hotel. We were ready and waiting downstairs but the guide was 20 minutes late. He was however able to save us time at the ticket line so we were still on schedule to catch the sunrise. The walk from the entrance to the actual Taj Mahal Mausoleum took 20 minutes and at our speed we were able to get ahead of most people. Our guide had lots of interesting facts to share about the Taj and also knew where and how to get the best pics. We paid a little extra to go inside the iconic tomb and spent around an hour touring the grounds. Having the guide made a huge difference. There are no signs or plaques inside so without him we wouldn’t have learned as much. He was also a big help getting the best pictures for us.
As amazing as it was to be there and see and touch this famous icon of India I am still blown away by the filth and the fact that no one cares at all about it. There’s a river that runs behind the Taj and it is filled with waste and sewage that smells horrific. Everyone, even our guide just drops their garbage on the floor wherever they want. This is the countries most famous attraction and from the outside you wouldn’t know where you are. No signs, garbage everywhere, thieving monkeys and a mine field of cow crap. We see men peeing in the streets every day. Lines aren’t labeled and it’s not tourist friendly. Even in the poorest of places in SE Asia, they know enough to make the big attractions shiny and alluring to outsiders to give them an experience worth coming for. On a positive note, it only costs $13 to get in. Maybe they should raise the price and use the extra money to clean the place up a bit. Inside the grounds were immaculate. Sad thing is we were told that things are nicer than normal right now because the G20 summit is here soon so the government has spruced up the path the politicians will be seeing. So much potential in India just going to waste and a society that doesn’t seem to care.
Another World Heritage site and bucket list item checked off the list. If you can get past the insane filth it is definitely worth the visit as the Taj was simply spectacular. From the perfectly symmetrical layout of the grounds and the buildings to the finest of details in the designs on the walls. No paint was used at all. The colors are all gems cut and placed into the marble to create designs.
From there we headed to the Red Fort. We hadn’t planned for a guide but we ended up hiring one for $10 once we got inside. Again nothing was labeled here so at first it just looked like a big, really big red fortress. We knew there must be more to it and didn’t want to leave disappointed. So glad we got the guide, he was friendly and had so many stories to tell. He showed us little things we would never have found on our own. Plus it was nice to have a photographer who knew the best shots to get.
Both sites lived up to the hype and it was the perfect way to end our time in Agra. Between today and Holi yesterday we are exhausted and looking forward to a couple of days rest in New Dehli at a more western hotel. We will be exploring New Dehli with my friend Paul before heading to Rishikesh in the Himalayan foothills along the Ganges River. Be back in a few days and thanks for all the comments. Sharing stories and answering your questions is why we do this.
