We got up at 5:30 am, took a shower, grabbed a cup of coffee and a cookie and boarded our buses for the train station. On the way to the train station we stopped to view the Bahai Temple in Delhi which looks like a huge lotus flower.
Then we headed to the train station and boarded the ‘Gatimaan Express’ to Agra for a one hour and forty-five minute, non-stop ride to Agra. We were provided with a box breakfast of fruit and pastries to eat on the train. The train traveled primarily through urban and suburban areas of Northern India. We passed multi-storied shanties that covered blocks and blocks. In the agricultural areas we passed, we saw tent cities and shacks made of sticks and thatch. Everywhere there were people walking up and down the tracks or sitting on the tracks …
Upon reaching Agra, we were taken directly to the Taj Mahal … Along with thousands of tourists and Indians alike, we approached the huge red sandstone gates to the Taj Mahal complex. As we entered the gate we caught our first glimpse of Shah Jahan’s spectacular monument to his love for his dead wife … The Taj Mahal.
The Taj Mahal is surrounded by red sandstone walls with huge gates. These surround the the Taj Mahal itself, the gardens and fountains, a red sandstone mosque with white marble decoration and dome which is to the left of the Taj Mahal and an identical structure to the right of the Taj Mahal which is only there to balance the presentation. The Taj Mahal itself is built of white marble inlaid with precious stones which are used to create the images of flowers which decorate the building.
After spending and hour wandering through the Taj Mahal and its grounds we went to the Akbar Mahal Hotel for another Indian buffet. We were then taken to a marble factory to see how Indian artisans inlaid marble with precious stones …
Then we were bused to the Agra Fort. This is an immense fort. Construction of the fort was begun by the Shah Akbar, Shah Jahan’s grandfather. Construction was continued by Shah Jahan’s father and finished by Shah Jahan himself. The fort was constructed because Agra was the capital of Mughal India. However after the death of his wife, the Shah Jahan built a new capital in Delhi. Ironically, at the age of 62, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in the Agra Fort by his son. From his chambers in the fort the Shah could look upon the monument he had build … the Taj Mahal.
After the Agra Fort, we again boarded buses and headed back to Delhi. We went by way of a new super highway between Agra and Delhi. This highway cut though agricultural land and, as the sun set we could see green fields with workers tending them. Super highway or not the drive back to Delhi took three and a half hours …
