We arrive in Agra at about 8.30 and head to the hotel to freshen up before our visit to the Taj Mahal. We travel there by coach and when we transfer to the electric buses for the final km before the Taj, we are pestered by hawkers - many with alarming deformities and disabilities (elephantiasis, leprosy etc etc). They are selling guidebooks, postcards and other cheap goods - starting at grossly inflated prices, but soon dropping to more realistic levels. They are generally excluded from the sites themselves but are ever present as you queue to get in - and around the coaches as you arrive and leave. They are incredibly persistent - and blight much of the rest of our "sightseeing" holiday.
The Taj itself is an amazing sight - but exactly as you see it in a 1000 photos and guidebooks. Slightly disappointing was the lack of water in the ornamental lakes - so no romantic reflections in the photographs. Inevitably, it is incredibly busy with thousands queuing to see inside the main tomb. Its also pretty hot .......
The symmetry of these places is absolutely amazing !!
We returned to our hotel for room allocation and to freshen up, and then later in the afternoon visited the Agra Fort.
Shah Jahan, who had the Taj Mahal built for his wife (who died giving birth to their 14th child!), was eventually imprisoned in the Agra Fort, and spent the last 6 years of his life gazing at the view below .....
On the way back to the hotel, we visited a workshop to see how Indian marble can be inlaid with precious stones - a fascinating process. Unfortunately, the visit turned into another high pressure retail opportunity - rather taking the edge off the experience.
The evening meal was disappointing - little choice and lukewarm food. The attitude of the staff did not help!!
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