Agra

It was an early wake up in Delhi as we had a 6am train to Agra. The train was a new experience in itself and unfortunately not a good one - train stations are well known in India as shelters for the homeless so it was horrible to see all the families sleeping rough and begging in the station. Again another moment when I felt unbelievably grateful for everything I have in life. 

It was only a 2 hour train ride to Agra but we got breakfast for free on the train which I thought was pretty good! Agra as a town isn’t actually that big but it is most well known for the Taj Mahal - obviously the most visited landmark in India. 

When we arrived in Agra our first visit was to the Agra Fort - it was a beautiful red building and from here I got to see my first glimpse of the Taj Mahal (photos didn’t turn out well) where we were going to spend the afternoon. We spent around an hour wondering around the Fort looking in all the rooms. It was also home to around 100 monkeys so they were often seen jumping across the rooftops! 

Next it was time for lunch - this time it was South Indian food, so I had a vegetarian Thali which was really nice! Probably my best Thali I’ve ever had. It was also a nice change to not eat Paneer after having 3 Paneer curry’s in the last 2 days! 

After lunch it was time to visit the Taj Mahal. Of course this was one of the things I had been looking forward to most on the trip - one of the 8 wonders of the world! 

When we arrived at the Taj Mahal entrance I really couldn’t believe how busy it was - there was people everywhere! It was a Saturday so I thought maybe that’s why it was so busy but my guide said it is always this busy! Apparently around 6-8 thousand people visit the Taj Mahal everyday in high season - absolutely mad! 

I spent around 3 hours at the Taj Mahal wondering around and taking endless photos. Also there was lots of tourists who wanted photos with me (still can’t get my head around this but anyway!) I went to see the famous bench where Lady Diana once sat and I also went inside the Taj Mahal. I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed by the inside, the outside was far more beautiful! 

We stayed at the Taj Mahal until sunset before heading to our hotel and out for dinner. This time I had a Pizza Hut, bad I know but Agra isn’t best know for its food and there was a Pizza Hut next to the hotel so I thought why not! The next day we were heading to Jaipur which is where we were going to before New Year’s Eve.