Gautam Buddha Nagar

Yesterday, we checked out of the Marriot early in the morning and took a flight from Cochin Airport to Delhi and checked into the beautiful Le Meridian Hotel. We were very fortunate to receive a wonderful tour guide who has 36 years' experience – Davinda Singh – who was not only a great guide, but a wonderful teacher of history and the Indian culture.

Today, we began our overland in earnest, checking out of the hotel and traveling by motor coach to Agra, located about 4.5 hours south of Delhi.

We traveled through the city and out to the countryside. The broad, sprawling rural land consisted of vast fields, small towns, and many smokestacks churning out bricks for local construction projects. The expressway was fast and long. We enjoyed seeing the occasional shanty village complete with overcrowded tuk-tuks, mopeds and hundreds of commercial trucks. We have two important destinations today: Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal.

After checking into the Jaypee Palace in Agra, we proceeded to the Agra Fort.

Agra Fort, a UNESCO site, is located next to the Yamuna River, adjacent to the even more famous Taj Mahal. Built on 92 acres, this powerful walled city fortress of red sandstone encloses the once imperial city of the Mughal rulers. We entered through the Delhi Gate, considered the grandest of its four gates, and a masterpiece of the time. We enjoyed about two hours here.

We then drove to the Taj Mahal to view one of the world’s most beautiful and iconic structures. It takes your breath away. It is a beautiful white marble structure with a vast number of inlaid semi-precious stones.

After our afternoon visit, we visited to a marble store where descendants of artisans who worked on the Taj continue to make marble pieces using the same techniques and tools of their ancestors. We bought a beautiful plate for our Utah home.

Returning to the hotel, we had dinner and were treated to a Kathak dance performance. Stylistically, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, adorned with small bells (Ghungroo) and the movement is harmonized to the music. Kathak dance originated from Uttar Pradesh (U.P) in North India. During the whole dance, the dancers narrate stories through their eyes and expressions.もっと詳しく