Today is Saturday here. It is hard to keep up when we are so far away and the time is so different. I think we are going to be so glad we planned the trip the way we did, with all the touring on the front end with the national parks the last week. I think the quiet and wildlife will be a peaceful respite after the hustle and bustle of the cities and places that are India. There are so many people everywhere and it is hard to put into words what we are seeing. Driving down streets with huge water buffalo or cows lying down in the medians of major thoroughfares, people cutting hair on the sidewalks, so many motorcycles with whole families riding on them, ladies and men both working in the rice paddies-the women in saris, goats everywhere, tuktuks packed full of people all over the place, traffic that is impossible to describe, abject poverty and yet happy people, people who greet each other as friends whether they know each other or not. It is all just so interesting and something we will see in our minds' eyes but no photograph can do justice.
We started out the morning by going to the Taj Mahal early. It was a misty day so it was hazy and not easy to see too much at a distance early on. But as the sun peeped through and shown on the Taj, the majesty of it appeared. It is a very mystical experience to see it and the fog added to it. There are the parakeets everywhere and they are loud and beautiful. I never tire of seeing them. Our guide Limon pointed out an Egyptian Vulture who was roosting up near one of the domes. Oh my, what a bird! There was a line to get checked into security-as in all places here, there are two lines-one for women and one for men and you get a pat down before entering. Then there was a line for entering the main chambers and you can't take photos inside. The inlaid marble work is just exquisite though. Limon knew the best places to get photos, down to the squares to stand on in the tile. He took us to every angle and was terrific. The grounds are just gorgeous and it certainly is a special place to visit.
From there we went to Fatehpur Sikri which is massive and beautiful as well-it is a deserted old town.
It was 23 miles from Agra so was a nice drive in the countryside. On the way Limon spotted a Blue Bull or Nilgai which is the largest antelope. It was a pair near one of the fields by the side of the road so we stopped and chanced it to run across and get a picture. I am sure we will see more but every first is special. We saw peacocks as well.
Then we went to the Agra Fort. Again it was a long drive back from the other place and on the way traffic came to a standstill because they had closed the road due to the governors visit and he was heading back to the airport. It reminded me of when the president visited Atlanta. Ok this is where we had one of our adventures. Rishi and Limon are not the most patient in terms of just sitting in traffic so apparently they got out and told the vehicles around us that the lady in the car had not used the bathroom at the Site we had just left and needed to go so they cleared enough for our car to turn around and go the wrong lane back so we could go an alternate route. I am just glad I did not know what they were saying! They were laughing about it once we were on our way.
We also visited an inlaid marble shop and saw how it is done and it was actually quite nice. And we know from past experiences that those places always have free Cokes and free NICE restrooms....
In both the Taj and the Sikri, cars have to park in a carpark a good way away. So we took a tuktuk /and another time a bus to and from. The bus going to the Sikri was packed like sardines but thankfully, we were the first on and so had seats and were as comfortable as we could be in a hot crowded bus. Coming down it was virtually empty!
The breakfast this AM was good and thankfully, here at the Trident, they let us serve our own plates and carry our plates to the table and all, and still had great service. lol
We started out the morning by going to the Taj Mahal early. It was a misty day so it was hazy and not easy to see too much at a distance early on. But as the sun peeped through and shown on the Taj, the majesty of it appeared. It is a very mystical experience to see it and the fog added to it. There are the parakeets everywhere and they are loud and beautiful. I never tire of seeing them. Our guide Limon pointed out an Egyptian Vulture who was roosting up near one of the domes. Oh my, what a bird! There was a line to get checked into security-as in all places here, there are two lines-one for women and one for men and you get a pat down before entering. Then there was a line for entering the main chambers and you can't take photos inside. The inlaid marble work is just exquisite though. Limon knew the best places to get photos, down to the squares to stand on in the tile. He took us to every angle and was terrific. The grounds are just gorgeous and it certainly is a special place to visit.
From there we went to Fatehpur Sikri which is massive and beautiful as well-it is a deserted old town.
It was 23 miles from Agra so was a nice drive in the countryside. On the way Limon spotted a Blue Bull or Nilgai which is the largest antelope. It was a pair near one of the fields by the side of the road so we stopped and chanced it to run across and get a picture. I am sure we will see more but every first is special. We saw peacocks as well.
Then we went to the Agra Fort. Again it was a long drive back from the other place and on the way traffic came to a standstill because they had closed the road due to the governors visit and he was heading back to the airport. It reminded me of when the president visited Atlanta. Ok this is where we had one of our adventures. Rishi and Limon are not the most patient in terms of just sitting in traffic so apparently they got out and told the vehicles around us that the lady in the car had not used the bathroom at the Site we had just left and needed to go so they cleared enough for our car to turn around and go the wrong lane back so we could go an alternate route. I am just glad I did not know what they were saying! They were laughing about it once we were on our way.
We also visited an inlaid marble shop and saw how it is done and it was actually quite nice. And we know from past experiences that those places always have free Cokes and free NICE restrooms....
In both the Taj and the Sikri, cars have to park in a carpark a good way away. So we took a tuktuk /and another time a bus to and from. The bus going to the Sikri was packed like sardines but thankfully, we were the first on and so had seats and were as comfortable as we could be in a hot crowded bus. Coming down it was virtually empty!
The breakfast this AM was good and thankfully, here at the Trident, they let us serve our own plates and carry our plates to the table and all, and still had great service. lol
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