India & Sri Lanka 2019

Up super early again as we hurried out, eager for our sunrise at the Taj Mahal. We hopped in an Uber, but there was an ominous fog around. By the time it dropped us at the eastern gate, and we'd caught a cycle rickshaw to the entrance (petrol vehicles aren't allowed within 500m of the monument), the sky was growing light but the fog was going nowhere.

Got inside the gates around 6:45 ahead of a 7am sunrise, but the fog was still very heavy and visibility was probably about 25 metres. We wandered around the grounds, but you could barely see the main mausoleum until you were underneath it! Very impressive size, but disappointing that you basically couldn't see anything. We'd paid a little extra for access inside the mausoleum (remember the Taj was built as a tomb/monument for the emperor's favourite wife), which was thankfully quite nice inside. Very impressive detailing, with carved marble everywhere, intricate inlaid patterns and tiles, and lots of other beautiful stuff.

After about 90 minutes and no sign of the fog lifting at all, we headed out fairly disappointed. Grabbed some breakfast at a place Max our host had recommended just near the southern gate - warm Indian spiced tea with some eggs and toast which lifted our spirits a bit. About 9:30 by the time we left here and although still foggy, it had cleared slightly, up to maybe 150m of visibility. We tried going back in the southern (exit-only) gate, but the guys with machine guns said you could only re-enter within 10 minutes of exiting.

So we headed back to the hotel to warm up a bit and reassess. Had a nap and then headed out again at midday for some lunch nearby - Shandos had a thali while I just had some naan.

We pressed on for the other main attraction in Agra - Agra Fort. As with the Amber Fort in Jaipur, it's really more of a palace than a fortification. Lots more beautiful Mughal buildings on display here, with the intricate Islamic style on display everywhere through throne rooms, audience halls, mosques, harems, bath-houses and much more besides. Beautiful water features and manicured gardens too, and we had a thoroughly enjoyable few hours wandering around. I remarked to Shandos at one point that we really need to get ourselves to Iran and central Asia (where the Mughals originally came from), to trace their story and see their original influences.

We left here around 3pm, and of course it was just completely blue skies now (well except for the smog haze). Figured that the Taj was only a 15-20 minute walk to the western gate and that we should head that way, try to find a vantage point. There's a well-trafficked one across the river but we didn't feel like paying for a cab each way plus a $6 entry fee when it might be a crappy distant view anyway.

The walk was a bit longer than expected, though made more enjoyable with Indian ice cream (creamier but harder than Western ice cream). Took a slightly wrong turn at one point and ended up in the middle of a Hindu religious service or something that was totally chaotic and not particularly in a good way. People were definitely staring, and although I didn't feel unsafe I certainly felt uncomfortable.

Anyway we got to the gate and couldn't see any of the Taj at all. Since we'd come all this way, I suggested just showing the online tickets from my phone and trying to bluff our way in if they came up as having been used. I was well prepared for an argument and to play the indignant foreigner, but to my surprise the tickets scanned with no issues and the guy waved us through! They're single-use, and our ticket specifically said we had to enter before 9:30am, so who knows! If we'd bought paper tickets from the window in the morning, they would've been clipped with a hole punch and we wouldn't have been let back in - lucky us. Though honestly, we were probably both leaning towards paying a second time.

But no matter, we were in! It was super crowded now, much more than earlier, but we got fantastic views of the Taj. It's incredible from a distance, gleaming white in the sun and reflecting in the pools, and as you get closer you can see more and more detail. The Farsi script that surrounds the entrances. The marble carvings underneath the archways. The floral gemstone inlays around the arches. Incredible Islamic patterns covering every single inch of it that just hadn't stood out in the morning gloom.

We spent a long time here taking photos (and competing with others to take photos!), and we ended up going inside again (our "high-value" ticket allowed us access to the marble platform that the Taj sits on). But even just sitting up on the marble area was nice, since most of the locals don't go up there (at 200 rupees it's a massive extra cost on the 50 rupees they pay to enter, whereas for westerners it's insignificant compared to the 1100 you've already paid!).

We stayed all the way until sunset at about 5:45 then caught a tuktuk back to the hotel. Had dinner nearby at a western fast food restaurant, where I had a chicken burger and Shandos bravely had a mutton kebab burger. Both very tasty, and no ill effects to report!Read more