Our train journey from Jaipur to Agra was surprisingly lovely and relaxing! We had booked our tickets in advance, reserving seats in the 'Seat Carriage' where, if you get the morning departure, you receive breakfast with piping hot tea in a flask...I was in my element and thought it was Christmas following experiences on previous train travel in India!!
We made our way to our 'homestay' named, The Coral Tree. Owned by an Indian couple, where a vibrantly colourful house with a peaceful (as far as you can get in India) garden where we sat and drank tea and relaxed. The property was a 5-10 minute walk to the gates of the Taj Mahal so it increased our curiosity and excitement when we spotted the famous domes over the treetops.
As it is so hot currently in Agra (average temperatures of 48'C daily) it is out of tourist season so rickshaw drivers spot you exiting the accomodation grounds and run at you from the end of the street shouting "Excuse me sir, you want tuk-tuk? Only 50 rupees". It is as if they are competing in an Olympic race for their country.
On the second day, we get a rickshaw, driven by a man named Salem and his English speaking interpreter/deal maker; a 14year old boy named Vickky. We negotiate and barter good rates for certain travel and end up using them for the remainder of our Agra trip, one day they took us all around the city, waited for us whilst we visited 2 forts/monuments, had dinner and safely returned us for a mere £6! We got to know Vikky and Salem during the few days in Agra, Vikky's dream was to one day own a rickshaw of his own, we told him if we won the lottery we'd contact him and buy him one.
The day came of visiting the Taj Mahal. We set our alarm for 0445 hours to get there for 0515 as sun rise was at 0527. We were both looking forward to witnessing first hand one of the wonders of the world but not overly excited after already seeing forts and temples etcetera, but how naive we were.
We walked through the gates, only a dozen or so people ahead of us, to be tantalised by the awe-inspiring site of its beauty! It took us both by surprise at how incredible and amazing a building could be. Incase you are unaware, it was built by Emporer Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. It was finally finished in 1653, where not long after, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his own son and he was imprisoned in Agra Fort where he could only gaze through his cell window at his creation and where he died in 1666.
We were one of the first people to reach the famous 'Princess Diana' bench where pictures are renowned for their copies of celebrities that visit, it is magical and even breath taking! We watched the sun rise over its white silhouette where it turns a gold colour with the glow of the warm sun. We spent just shy of 3 hours examining it's beauty before heading back to our home stay for our Indian style breakfast!
The following few days were taken up by wondering around Agra visiting various cites and places we had read about. For example, we visited a Café named 'Sheroes', set up to help rehabilitate acid attack victims (quite a common crime in india) and enable a better and more confident life following their atrocious trauma. The café is run by the victims themselves who are becoming stronger through the support, they vary from a girl (Neetu) who was attacked by her father when she was just 3 years old. Most of her vision was lost due to the acid when she was too young to understand any of what was happening...to a girl named Chanchal who declined a mans proposal, so as revenge he threw acid in her face. An interesting website; www.sheroeshangout.com
We visited Agra Fort, according to the guidebooks, 'One of the finest Mughal forts in India'. A red sandstone Fort designed and erected by numerous Emporers, started by Emporer Akbar in 1565, primarily started as a military structure but eventually used as a prison. Whilst here we were looking over to the Taj Mahal and noticed what looked like rain coming. It gradually but quickly moved towards us so we took shelter in one of the Forts rooms, it quickly became apparent that it wasn't rain. A wall of sand was getting closer and our eyes starting to sting from the sandstorm which ensued. Luckily, this didn't last very long and we continued with our exploration of the Fort.
Our final night in Agra we researched a place to eat named 'Joneys', it was renowned for amazing food and even more amazing mango juice, which we watched being blended using a number of peeled mango's...it lived up to its name! Prior to that we found a rooftop bar which overlooked the Taj Mahal so we ordered 2 ice cold beers and watched the sun go down. The waiter, a 74 year old gentleman named 'Honey' joined us at our table whilst we 3 chatted and enjoyed the disappearing light. On over a dozen nearby rooftops, we watched children fly kites, which filled the sky before the moon appreared, a memorable evening to finish on.
Tomorrow, off on a 4 hour train journey to Delhi!
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