I can think of no better way to describe the Taj Mahal than a diamond in the rough. Only in this case, it is a beautiful marble palace surrounded by a city of garbage.
We took an overnight bus from Jaipur to Agra which arrived on Agra at 5:00 AM. The bus driver told us we had arrived, but it didn't really look like a bus station. We seemed to have stopped on the side of the road where the only other people around were rickshaw drivers. I should have realized then that we were being scammed but I was not fully awake yet. One driver suggested that we get a hotel room so we could shower and leave our bags until our bus in the evening. I didn't want to leave the bags unattended in the rickshaw so I sent Nick to take a look at the room. Not only was the hotel 6 km from the Taj Mahal, but it was a complete dump. The driver assured me that all the hotels near the Taj were much more expensive which was completely false according to the Lonely Planet, but again, I was not fully awake. There was no way I was going to take a shower in this dump, but after locking all of our bags together, I decided they were safe for the day.
Our first stop was the Taj Mahal itself. And, even though at this point we were both fully aware that we had been scammed, everything was forgotten once you entered the grounds. The palace really is deserving of being one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. From a distance the Taj is awe-inspiring but even more so up close. Once you get right in front you realize how much work went in to the construction and how much Shah Jahan must have loved his third wife, Gauhara Begum, to honor here with this place.
After oohing and aahing at the Taj for some time, we decided to grab a bite to eat before heading to the Agra Fort. The Fort is just across the river from the Taj and offers some nice views, which is unfortunately, the only views of the Taj that Shah Jahan had of his palace after he was overthrown by his son and imprisoned in the Fort. Once we got our fill at the fort, we decided to take a bus the 40 km to Fatehpur Sikri. Although, or perhaps because, the bus was extremely hot and crowded, I found I had trouble keeping my eyes open for the hour-long journey. (That being said, I've found that if you can avoid looking out the window while in cars, buses, or rickshaws without getting motion sickness, I recommend you do so.)
We had a bit of trouble finding the ruins in Fatehpur Sikri, but what would you know, a nice gentleman was happy to show us the way. He assured us that he was not a tour guide and that there was no cost to his service. Although, after he showed us around and explained some of the history to us, he requested we tip him. And we did, but apparently we did not appreciate his service as much as he thought we should.
Once back in Agra, I think that both Nick and I were ready to head to Delhi. Unfortunately, we came to learn that our bus was cancelled and that they had arranged a taxi to take us. This was good in that it would drop us off directly at our hotel, but bad since it did not include a bathroom or food as was expected on the first class bus we arranged. We also came to quickly learn that our driver was not familiar with Delhi and circled for quite a bit before I finally had to direct him using Google Maps to get to our hotel. But at least we were guaranteed a good night sleep before exploring our last stop on our whirlwind tour of India.
We took an overnight bus from Jaipur to Agra which arrived on Agra at 5:00 AM. The bus driver told us we had arrived, but it didn't really look like a bus station. We seemed to have stopped on the side of the road where the only other people around were rickshaw drivers. I should have realized then that we were being scammed but I was not fully awake yet. One driver suggested that we get a hotel room so we could shower and leave our bags until our bus in the evening. I didn't want to leave the bags unattended in the rickshaw so I sent Nick to take a look at the room. Not only was the hotel 6 km from the Taj Mahal, but it was a complete dump. The driver assured me that all the hotels near the Taj were much more expensive which was completely false according to the Lonely Planet, but again, I was not fully awake. There was no way I was going to take a shower in this dump, but after locking all of our bags together, I decided they were safe for the day.
Our first stop was the Taj Mahal itself. And, even though at this point we were both fully aware that we had been scammed, everything was forgotten once you entered the grounds. The palace really is deserving of being one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. From a distance the Taj is awe-inspiring but even more so up close. Once you get right in front you realize how much work went in to the construction and how much Shah Jahan must have loved his third wife, Gauhara Begum, to honor here with this place.
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| View of Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort |
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| Fatehpur Sikri |
Once back in Agra, I think that both Nick and I were ready to head to Delhi. Unfortunately, we came to learn that our bus was cancelled and that they had arranged a taxi to take us. This was good in that it would drop us off directly at our hotel, but bad since it did not include a bathroom or food as was expected on the first class bus we arranged. We also came to quickly learn that our driver was not familiar with Delhi and circled for quite a bit before I finally had to direct him using Google Maps to get to our hotel. But at least we were guaranteed a good night sleep before exploring our last stop on our whirlwind tour of India.
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