Agra

My hotel room in Agra at the Karmal hotel was good. Actually, it was fabulous - hot water can change the status of any grotty hole!

As I was checking in, I met a girl from Australia called Yirus. I had only planned to spend the night in Agra, when she said she was going to Faterpur Sikri the next day. I wanted some company and was feeling a little sick so decided to spend two nights in Agra and do the day trip with her the following day.

That afternoon, we went to the Agra Fort which is incredible. Again, writing about it won't do it any justice. The entrance is an overwhelming red, Islamic style wall. It is beautiful and so intricately carved. Large red walls that are so beautifully shaped surround the building inside. It is just magnificent, and you can walk around for hours looking at all the detailed carvings on the walls, and trying to imagine what it might have been like all those centuries ago. I was so excited at the view from the fort of the Taj Mahal. It is magificent from a distance...and it made me so excited for my visit!

The next day we took the trip to FS, and I am SO GLAD I stayed to do this.
We had to get the bus there, so Yris and I decided to take a bicycle rickshaw.
Most of the bicycle rickshaw men are old. They wear rag-like jyotis and are very poor. Tired of the relentless auto-rickshaws, we decided to risk a bicycle rickshaw and do some good.

Bad idea.
When we asked the guy to take us to the bus stand, he gladly said "no problem"

40 minutes later, 8 kilometers later we arrived. We didn't realise that the bus stand was so far from everything. But he gladly cycled with us through the traffic, dodging busses, camels, cows, and motorbikes. (I was freaking out because it feels so dangerous).

We felt so guilty that we doubled his initial request for 35 Rps (about 30p). We gave him 70 Rps and he literally jumped for joy, holding our hands and blessing us.
It was such a humbling experience.

We caught the government bus to Faterphur Sikri - which was a good trip and we managed to get on alright. On the bus we met 2 Austrian guys, Carl and Roland who spent the day with us.

FS is an incredible little village. The entrance of the village has a red brick clock tower that is so cute. And then you enter a labyrinth of roads with little stalls lining them. This is what I saw
- kids, running through the street, playing with tires pushing them along the dust road
- most stalls sell vegetables. Cabbages, red carrots, aubergine, beans. These are weighed on an old scale using weights. I question how these people make a profit when almost everyone owns a vegetable store
- I saw a kid selling vegetables, weighing them whilst talking on his mobile phone. Again, everyone has a mobile.
- Camels and cows walk through the tiny lanes
- A feast of colour lines the roads as women wear vibrant saris, and shawls
- kids get so excited at the sight of a camera. I had about 20 kids surround me, and pull on my asking for "photo madam, photo"

The village for me really was a highlight. But most tourists visit to see the fort.

Fatehpur Sikri was built in honor of Sufi saint in 1571 by Mughal emperor Akbar.It's a World Heritage Site and is made up of numerous palaces, halls and masjids.Influences from Hindu and Jaina architecture are seen hand in hand with Islamic elements. It is truly magnificent. Each building is so detailed. It's incredible how they managed to construct this so long ago.

We spent the day going through the buildings and walking through the gardens. The Austrians were great company - they were going by the guide and reading us the detail around each building (something I have stopped doing as you get saturated with all the detail).

After our tour we had a long lunch at one of village restaurants of chicken curry, chapatti, tomato masala, raita...finished off with delicious rice pudding (so good) and chai.

We then spent the rest of the afternoon lying on the grass in the sun, reading. It was wonderful.

Yris and I said goodbye that night after watching an Indian wedding!
There were about 20 weddings in Agra that evening - apparently the stars predict a good wedding season, and we were in the thick of it!

Large marquees are set up with make shift scaffolding and fabric. Lots of lights line the canopy giving the inside a bright but romantic feel. The walls are decorated with bright, colourful fabric. Pinks, yellows, blues, reds....
There is a stage at the front of the marquee with two thrones for the couple. These are decorated too in elaborate metallic designs.

Hundreds and hundreds of people arrive at the wedding and are served a snack of sorts. At one of the weddings they were giving out icecream and kheer (a mushy rice pudding) in ceramic cups. Kids run around excited, girls stand in clusters dancing, men huddle together talking...It's really a celebration.

Suddenly there are drums rolling and people all push towards the entrance of the marquee to await the arrival of the groom. Ornately dressed he arrives on a white horse and is lead to the stage to his wife. There is a lot of singing, almost chanting, drumming, more singing. Both look really nervous as thousands of eyes are set on them.

We were welcomed to the ceremony and spent a bit of time just gawking at how different it is from a western wedding. It's wild!
I left early as I wanted a good rest for the next morning -- my visit to the Taj Mahal.

* * * * * *

The Tāj Mahal is a mausoleum in Agra. It was commissioned by the widowed emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife , Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was complete in 1648.

Just this story alone was enough to make me want to make the journey to Agra to see this great architectural masterpiece.

I woke up before sunrise and took a walk to the East gate. It was a cold, hazy morning so not a lot of people were around.

Walking through the Eastgate to the Taj Mahal was an incredible experience. The had just risen over the surrounding wall, catching the magnificent building in the distance. And what a sight it is! I have seen so many pictures of the Taj but nothing compares to seeing it in real life. It is truly awesome.

The entire building is made from white marble. And at sunrise the marble turns from a greyish colour, to pink, to yellow, to blue and then to white. From a distance it is magnificent but the closer you walk to it, it becomes even more extraordinary. Nearly every surface of the entire complex has been decorated. The detail in the marble work is remarkable. Tiny gem stones create an ornate floral pattern in Persian style. The stones were imported from all over the globe to decorate the building.

I spent hours just walking round the building and really enjoying the time to examine the detail and decoration. It was a wonderful experience. The building is such a great sign of one man's love for his deceased wife. It really moved me.