August 1 - India: Agra, Upper Pradesh

We left Jaipur and our lovely hotel at 7:00 this morning to hit the road for Agra.  The drive was a long one, particularly because we made some stops along the way.

Breakfast - "Redrum?"

After a few hours, Vinod stopped so we could get breakfast.  We stopped at a large hotel - still in Rhajastan - that was clearly built for the bird-watching community.  It was very expansive, with fountains and benches and situated very happily on lake.  The only problem is that there was no one there!  It was just us and the staff.  Winter is world-class birdwatching time in India, but there isn't that much to see in the summer.  So here we were, in this large beautiful hotel that was completely deserted.  We felt like Jack Nicholson should come running around the corner with an ax yelling, "Heeeeeere's Johnny!"

Bharatpur

We stopped in Bharatpur, which has a world-reknowned bird sanctuary.  Of course, there are hardly any birds that migrate here in the summer except the birds indigenous to this part of India.  But we decided to take a rickshaw ride in to see it anyway - but just for an hour.  Our rickshaw driver was about 70 and pedaled his heart out so we could see some birds, although he tried to get us to stay longer since he was paid by the hour and we were probably his only fares for the day.  We didn't see an awful lot, but we did enjoy the scenery and the experience.

Indian Egrets

Fatephur Sikri

Fatephur Sikri's Palace of Jodh Bai is known as a "ghost city" and was once the capital of the Mughal empire between 1571 - 1585.  It was quickly abandoned later on, but its beautiful sandstone buildings remain in good condition.  I'm sure it was a wonderful city for the 10 years it was at its peak.

Courtyard in Fatephur Sikri

Next to the city is a HUGE mosque called Jama Masjid and also known as Dargah Mosque.  It has some very impressive gates and a lovely view over Fatephur Sikri.  It also has a very large courtyard (at least one football field) that separates the gates and the mosques.  We made our way to the other side of the courtyard by walking along the perimeter in the shade, but we were running late by this time.  So we had to hurry across the courtyard to the main gate.  Of course, we had taken off our shoes because we were in a mosque and the red sandstone of the courtyard had been in the sun all day.  So we started walking... and then skipping.. and then running across the courtyard on feet that were burning.  But we made it out safely.

 Agra Fort

Agra Fort is a large fort begun by Emperor Akbar in 1565 and added to by later emperors.  It acted as both a fort and a palace depending on the ruler.  It actually had a moat!  We wandered around the fort for about 45 minutes, but we really wanted to see the piece de resistance of India - so we left to go to.... THE TAJ!

The Taj Mahal

The Indian Government has raised prices to the Taj Mahal to be exorbitantly expensive for any non-resident visitor.  Entrance was a whopping $20 for foreigners.  But when you've come all this way, you're not going to turn down the Taj.  So we arrived at 5:00 and had to battle our way through the throngs of touts selling postcards, pens, anklets, t-shirts, and the kitchen sink.  But it was worth it!  Anyone who ever says that the Taj Mahal is anti-climactic is on drugs.  It was beautiful!

The Taj Mahal!

It was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, whose death in childbirth in 1631 left him heartbroken.  It's said that he was so devastated that his hair turned white overnight.  Construction of the Taj began in the same year and wasn't completed until 1653.  It took 20,000 workers to complete, and it's said that some later had their hands and fingers amputated so the perfection of the Taj could not be repeated anywhere else. 

We went inside the tomb on the main floor (which is the only floor that is open) and hired a guide to show us around.  The entire inside is made of marble inlaid with semi-precious stones: ebony, lapis lazuli, tiger eye, and jade - just to name a few.  The marble is all hand-carved, some of it 3 inches thick and made from one stone.  Stunning.