Indian Trains, Red Palace, Taj Mahal

Thank goodness for our guide and the fact that we booked a tour. I worry that I would never be able to navigate the train system without help. Our Intrepid guide, Chimme, took us deftly through the Delhi station and onto our train seats. Thank goodness they booked air conditioned cars with breakfast included as well as local newspapers.

Peggy reading the paper on our luxe train.

Breakfast on the train...dal, chapati, wheat bread, juice/ They also pass out water and tea or coffee.

The Agra Fort, Tragedy on the Road in Agra

Off the train, we piled into a tour bus...we are after all on a tour. Unfortunately for me I was looking out the window at the display of garbage, cows, tuk tuks, bicycle rickshaws, motorcycles and dogs. On the side of the road was a dog who had just been hit by a vehicle yelping at the top of its lungs. I am still haunted. Since people are not really cared for here, what hope did that dog in its agony have of any relief. This is a topic to meditate upon. the visible suffering everywhere is hard to take.

The Agra Fort, built by a Moghul ruler in the16th century, provided some distraction. 

Entrance to the immense fort. It has two moats...the water moat contained crocodiles and the dry moat tigers.

View of the Taj Mahal from Agra Fort. Note the pollution...dangerous air quality everywhere.


One of many vistas in the fort, this was the space where the sultan gave audience to his subjects.

I was quite taken by the many images of flowers in the Fort, more specifically bulbs. I couldn’t identify all of them, but this is definitely a daffodil!

The Taj Mahal

Finally it was time to see the Taj Mahal up close. First we were shuttled to the grounds where we boarded an electric jitney which took us just outside the gate. From there, we walked with hundreds of people into the main gate where traffic stopped as those in front began to take photographs, even with the obstructed views from the crowds. As we finally got into site of the Taj, it seemed hopeless to actually get an unobstructed photograph. I ended up kneeling down and pointing the camera upwards to get photos.

As our visit progressed, we were treated to many other vistas. The Taj Mahal is stunning, even with the throngs of tourists. Many of the tourists visited in full native dress. For example, there was a Thai contingent dressed in traditional Thai garb and I saw a Chinese contingent. And of course there were thousands of Indians, many dressed to the nines.

We sprung for a visit to the inner sanctuary to see the actual grave, but it was quite a disappointment as we could barely move in the space and not much was visible.

We waited past sunset to see the Taj Mahal in darkness. From the photographs I took, you could not really distinguish the progression of dusk, so this is the best I could do.