Delhi/Agra, India Day 3

I was awake at 6 AM.

I saw that missed a call from Petrea. I returned her call. She and my mother were questioning necessity of listing the house in Victoria Square on the probate paperwork for my step-father's estate. We had a brief discussion as they were getting ready to eat dinner.

We left the room early for breakfast and met Dale and Jenni also going down for breakfast early.

We had breakfast at the hotel.

I will note that Bob feeling really good and is very mischievous. I am so thankful that he is not in pain and remains in sinus rhythm!

After breakfast, we returned to our room to pack.

We checked out of the hotel. I am hoping that our next hotel is mold/mildew free.

Our guide mentioned us visiting his house since he lives in a village close to Agra. As the group met in the lobby before departing for Agra. The conversation turned to the topic of the visit to Raj's house. Several of our group thought that this is a major imposition. I mentioned that Raj saying that he needed permission from the tour operator could serve as his out if he did not really want us to visit his house.

We boarded the van for the drive to Agra.

The drive to Agra is 3-4 hours through countryside where we saw many small villages.

We arrived at Agra. Raj's wife is a teacher at a public school in Agra. We were fortunate enough to be able to visit the school. The conditions of the school are rudimentary but the children seem to be very happy. After a brief tour and photos we continued to the heart of Agra.

We stopped for lunch. This restaurant was again delicious.

After lunch we went to a rug manufacturing shop. Here we had a demonstration of how rugs are constructed, finished and washed. We were shown to the showroom and given the opportunity to purchase a rug. Some of our group was not happy with spending time shopping and comments were said under one's breath to the effect that we are here to sightsee not shop. Group dynamics are interesting.

Our next stop was at the Agra Fort.

The Agra Fort is a World Heritage Site. It is where Shah Jahan was imprisoned for the last years of his life, peering dolefully out at his masterpiece - the Taj Mahal. The Agra Fort was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638 and one of the finest Mughal forts in India. The imposing red sandstone fort combines both Hindu and Central Asian architectural styles. Walking through courtyard after courtyard of this palatial red-sandstone and marble fortress, our amazement grew as the scale of what was built here begins to sink in.*

From the Agra Fort, we were afforded our first view of the Taj Mahal.

After a short visit of the Agra Fort, we boarded our van for a quick drive through Agra. Our destination was a parking lot on the opposite bank from the Taj Mahal. From the parking lot, we took an electric cart to the entrance of a viewing area. We then walked under a bird filled tree canopy until we were given a spectacular view of the Taj Mahal as the sun was setting. We took time for photos before returning to our van.

Once in the van, our guide mentioned that we would be going to a textile shop. After the previous comments from one of the guests, I told Bob that we probably should not take much time browsing.

After a short time in the textile shop which resulted in no purchases, we drove to the hotel.

I was looking forward to a mask free night of sleep which I was blessed to experience. Unfortunately, the air conditioning did not work. We were glad that we had packed our travel fans.Read more