The Taj!

After our amazing tour of Jaipur the team received even more pampering with a day in Agra and a tour of one of the World Wonders. Sacrifice must always be made in times pampering and we all woke up at 5:30am to leave for 6am to Agra. However, a six hour car ride in a very crammed jeep, upon which only the most talented of sleepers could catch some rest on, was worth it.

After a very bumpy and noisy roadtrip the team arrived in Agra ready to sightsee. First on the list was, of course, the Taj. Locals get into the Taj with a mere fee of thirty rupees, while foreigners are hit with a 750 rupee charge. However, a sixteen canadian dollar fee to see one of the most beautiful sights in the world is certainly more than worth it.

When we walked into the area everybody was at a loss of words. It is even more beautiful in person than in the photos. Not only did our tour guide fill us in on this structure’s history but he also knew all of the coolest angles to take pictures from and showed us the way in which the Taj would light up in the moonlight due to the white marble and carefully selected stones embedded into this structure. Seeing a large, symetrical, marble structure built in the name of love is certainly one of the highlights of this entire trip.

As all of our eyes were fixed upon the Taj, the locals’ eyes were fixed up the four white girls in our group. Apparently we are more beautiful than the Taj because they seemed to be snapping more shots of us than the structure itself. We all took many pictures with the locals hesitantly and I am pretty sure I made at least one woman’s dreams come true when I agreed to take a photo with her and her two children. India sometimes- it’s so random!

After seeing the Taj, the team chose a very traditional Indian meal to have for lunch- McDonalds. It was very tasty. Some of the girls had the Maharaja Mac while others indulged in the McSpicy Paneer burger. One thing always remains the same with McDonalds worldwide- the fries!

Agra Fort was last on our list to see. This certainly is comparable with Amber Fort. It too is absolutely breathtaking and walking through this palace you can’t help but get lost in India’s very distinct history. The guide told us about how the King gave all of his mistresses their own room in his palace because the palace was too large for his Queen to ever know…what a player! Agra Fort overlooks the Taj Mahal so standing on the top of this palace and looking out one is torn as to where to look because both structures are intensely beautiful. Some of the girls said they preferred the Taj, while others preferred Amber and Agra Fort. At the end of the day we were all privileged to have seen three of the most beautiful sights of India.

We ended the day with another six hour car ride in the very same crammed jeep. As we headed to Delhi we all realized that we will have travelled through three cities in one day- not too shabby!