it was a nice early start today, 5am leaving the hotel to the train station! i had a very different image of this in my head too...crowded platforms, ppl pushing and shouting and ppl hanging off over crowded trains...yhere was none of this! the station was very modern (reminded of wimbledon st) and we had a comfy 2hr journey to Agra (we even gpt a hot omlette for breakfast!!) First impression of Agra was that it was smelly and seemed poorer than Delhi - lots of ppl begging! we headed starigjt to the hotel to freshen up and then to the Taj Mahal! it is the most beautiful building i think i have ever seen - not only does it look impressive from a far the attention to detail in the stone work is incredible. allthe flowrr patterns, calligraphy has been hand cut out and then laid into the marble...beautiful! we got lots of piccys and then headed to lunch...probably about 40degrees and very sweaty! back to the hotel to freshen up (and a hunt for chocolate and tea was suddenly very important!!!!) and then to Agra Fort - very much like the Red Fort but nicer grounds and mpre beautiful buildings - it is where Shan Jahan (the emperor who built the Taj) was held in prision by his son so he could see his masterpiece of the Taj frpm his prison cell :( then off to see the sunset behind the Taj...breathtakingly beautiful x So...i wrote the blog before we actually went to see the Taj at sunset...on our way from the fort to the sunset we had our most exciting tuk tuk ride! after wizzing through th e narrow streets, almost going down a ditch at the side of the road we hit a massive traffic jam! people kept edging closrr and closer together until after about 45mins there was a break and er squishrd pas a very important looking car! in that time there was LOADS of honking, ppl staring at us, heat rising, monkeys watching the caos from the wall and the sun srting quickly! we made it just in time only to realise the sun wasnt seting directly behind the Taj as we fist thought! haha typically India..anyway it was beautiful to watch as the sky and building changed colour. then it was back on the tuk tuks, past loads of local villages... i just want to explain how the people are...they have so little provided to them but are always workong so hard, getting on with daily life and generally look happy in their little volages...they are free to do whatever they want to do. the children run around the streets happily and thr women always look so stunning...it is just inspirational! if i lived in a shiity, dirty, dusty village with little water etc i can imagine i would look exactly like i lived in a dirty dusty village - but the women are always dressed in their beautiful, colourful, embellished saris looking absolutely stunning. they have so much repect for themselves and i admire that about them...especially against all the odds.
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