After a fairly uneventful flight and a train ride that was actually on time, we arrived in agra. Home of the famour Taj Mahal. Our guest house had a distant view of it from the rooftop, although the smog and haze blurred the lines of the beautiful white building. That night and into the morning we were welcomed with thunderstorms and rain. Thankfully it let off by mid morning and we were able to spend the day wandering UNESCO sites.
Turns out the taj is closed on fridays but we saw the outside of it from just about every angle. Including a lovely garden on the opposite side of the river that was built in 1520 with the intention of being the site for the black taj...which never happened.
We wandered thru the agra fort which has seen many a battle over its control. There were grand marble buildings, sweeping courtyards, hidden stairs, and ornately carved archways.
The town itself is tired and filthy (despite actually spotting a recycling bin program). There are all kinds of rules and government signs to appear like they are trying to clean up these cities but practice and reality are very different. (In fact the hospital in Hyderabad didnt even have an incinerator for bio waste.)
However, our guesthouse was pleasant and we enjoyed our stay.
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