Agra

Monday 27th October. Delhi was a city like nowhere else I have been - dirty, chaotic, crowded to the nth degree, but fantastic. I have never seen so much poverty. After 3 mindblowing days there and a long (6 hour), but interesting coach journey I have now arrived in Agra where we are staying at The Gateway Hotel. This afternoon had my first view of the Taj Mahal. Amazing. We were taken through miles of back streets, past no end of 'hovels' alongside the street, to some gardens called Mehtab Bagh which are across the Jamuna River at the back of the Taj Mahal. The name Mehtab Bagh means 'Moonlit Garden'. It is believed that the emperor Shah Jahan, who built Taj Mahal for his queen, wanted an identical one for himself at Mehtab Bagh and the garden was designed to offer the perfect view of the Taj. The joy of being there is that there are not thousands of other people spoiling the atmosphere. The river was low so reflections were not good, but a friendly camel came along on cue to make one of my photos interesting!
Tuesday 28th October. Got up at 0430 this morning in order to be at the Taj Mahal for sunrise. We made it well before dawn and the gates opened at 0630. I cannot really describe my first impression. I am not a 'spiritual' person, but I found my first view of the front of that magnificent building, reflected in the lake, a very moving experience and I was not the only one to shed a tear. It did not seem too crowded at that early hour, but by the time we left a couple of hours later there must have been thousands of people there. But that didn't matter, just being there was an experience I will never forget - it even beats the pyramids!
In the afternoon we visited Agra Fort. http://www.aviewoncities.com/agra/fort.htm Situated on the banks of the Jamuna River this fort was built by Emperor Akbar between 1565 and 1573. The imposing red sandstone ramparts encompass an enormous complex of courtly buildings and palaces. The barracks, hidden behind the tall front ramparts, were built by the British in the 19thC. We spent some time exploring the various buildings, somewhat 'gobsmacked' by the intricate decorations and brickwork. Emperor Shah Jehan also ruled from there. (The mosque in Woking is called the Shah Jehan Mosque, so this name is very familiar to me).
We returned to the Taj Mahal for sunset. This time we did not enter the tomb itself, but were just happy to sit and watch the beautiful white marble turn pinky-orange as the sun set and just soaked up the atmosphere.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at an embroidery picture showroom and also a factory/showroom where marble inlay work is done - as in the wonderful marble at the Taj. This was very interesting and intricate work, and these visits turned out to be the first of several 'shopping opportunities' arranged by our tour guide!
Today was a wonderful day.

Wednesday 29th October. Today we visited Fatehpur Sikri, a Mughal walled city built by Emperor Akbar. Never before have I been so hassled by street hawkers and beggers. They are really 'in your face' there and are not to be deterred. Inside the city itself Vijay (our tour leader) employed the services of two friends of his to act as guards and send the sellers and children away by waving big sticks! They were two lovely men and I am pleased to have photos of them, and gave them quite a hefty tip (by Indian standards) at the end of our visit as they served us really well and made the visit more pleasurable.
Alongside the city is the Royal Complex which contained the private and public spaces of Akbar's court, including the harem and treasury. A beautiful place where, fortunately, hawkers etc are not allowed as entry had to be paid for (no fee to enter the city so they are allowed in).
Interesting 10 minute History Channel Film on Fatehpur Sikri: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHMfc4eo1io
Later in the day we visited Sikandra, Emperor Akbar's mausoleum.