Delhi and Agra (Taj Mahal)

Our typical day in Delhi would start with fruit pancakes and tea at Shelton Hotel, followed by  a walk to whatever attraction we  had decided on such as the National Museum Janpath or National Gallery of Modern Art or India Gate.

India Gate

National gallery of Modern Art, Delhi

These walks are always disrupted by touts or tuk-tuk drivers trying to steer you to some shop or shopping center or to a 'government tourist office' which is actually a front for a travel agency. We would then head to a market for fresh fruit, bread, and various other food items for supper.


Buying parathas for supper in Delhi

Once the shopping is done we make our way to one of the many great restaurants and splash out on a $5 meal and eat until we are full as ticks. Then a walk or tuk-tuk back to the hotel for a siesta and some internet. After that we mostly took a casual walk through some of the local neighborhoods until we get tired of dodging traffic and cow pies and  go back to the room for a homemade meal. Some nights we would go out after dark but the place is pretty chaotic and the crowds get a bit much after a while.

Took our first side trip out of Delhi to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Agra is just 2 hours to the south east on the Shatabdi Express.

The trains in India are really nice

Conversation seemed more important that watching the road!!!!!

Local traffic in Agra

 We booked the Hotel Sheela for one night, great hotel with a nice restaurant and very friendly and helpful staff. They are also right next to the Taj Mahal. Our plan was to spend the night and go to the Taj Mahal at first light to get some sunrise photos. We spent the rest of the first day exploring the area including the Taj Mahal's back yard and a really nice nature park nearby.

Back yard of the Taj Mahal

There were nice alternative views of the Taj Mahal from the park and lots of birds, squirrels and one quite big Indian rat snake!

Hot day in Agra

Hot day, cool wall



Side view of the Taj Mahal from near our hotel

 The Taj Mahal at sunrise is a spectacular sight. The marble glows pink in the sunlight and is really a special thing to see. Our first impressions of the Taj Mahal is that it is a lot bigger than we expected and there are a lot more really nice buildings within the complex that are seldom shown on photos of the place.

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

The white marble glows pink at sunrise

One of the obvious secrets to how well the whole complex has aged is that nothing is painted. The rock used in construction is very uniform in color and all decoration, no matter how fine, is done by inlaid stone, carved to fit with great accuracy. This allows for very little maintenance.


Stone inlay detail

 Some wear is visible on the outer walls of the complex but there are several craftsman busy carving away at stone replacements for the crumbling areas. The inside of the Taj Mahal is sparse but also nicely decorated with precious stone inlays.


Our train back to Delhi was delayed by several hours which gave us time to experience the beggars and rats of Agra. The station was pretty grubby and was occupied by many homeless people. The beggars homed in on us and made things a bit uncomfortable until a policeman armed with a stick showed up. He gave one woman a really mean jab in the ribs with his stick which sent most of them running for cover. There was also an army of rats living on the tracks. We couldn't decide if this was a good or bad thing as any trash (and there was lots of it) that was thrown on the track was immediately devoured or carried off by the rats.

Next: Jaisalmer, fort, camels, and desert...........