Contiki Eternal India: Agra and the Taj Mahal

We just had the most incredible day, visiting the Taj Mahal. Just typing those words give me goosebumps. I just saw another of the 7 Wonders of the World!

Our day started in Delhi where left our hotel after waking up. I decided to skip breakfast and try to further set my new phone up while I still had wifi. We boarded our bus at 8:15 AM and headed directly for Agra, making a few quick pit stops along the way.

After about 5 hours, we pulled into Agra and our first stop was Agra Fort which was stunning in its own right. It was built by the Emperor of the Moghul Empire in the 16th century. Built mainly out of sandstone, the fort was quite imposing and different than the marble clad forts I've seen in other places. The story I took away the most was that there was war of succession where the son, Aurangzeb, imprisoned his father, Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal as a palace for his wife, who died before its completion (it ultimately became a mausoleum for his wife). When he was imprisoned, the father was in a corner of the fort that had a view of the Taj Mahal, so he saw it every day.

After we finished up at Agra Fort, we drove to our hotel to drop our bags off because it was time to change into our ethnic wear for the Taj Mahal!

We arrived at the bus parking area where we hopped into shuttles to take us to the entrance. After you enter, you have a bit to walk before you go through an arch to walk directly to the Taj Mahal. The grounds were spectacular which made the Taj Mahal even more impressive.

Yuj knew exactly where to go to get our photos and had a whole strategy to ensure each person in our group got the iconic photo in front of the Taj. It consisted of the rest of the group playing crowd control to ensure an orderly line without random people cutting the line. Yuj then set himself up to take pictures with his professional camera. It was a well orchestrated effort resulting in epic photos.

After our photo shoot with over 25 people, we started walking towards the Taj Mahal stopping for a full group photo on the way.

Once we got to the entry area, we put boot covers on (like what nurses wear) and climbed a very steep staircase to the main area. No pictures were permitted inside the mausoleum, but the marble work was so meticulous and impressive.

We then walked outside, regrouped and headed out to just take in the beauty of the Taj Mahal for about 45 minutes. I didn't realize until I visited it that the Taj Mahal had entrances / exits just as grand as the main view on every side. The juxtaposition of the beautiful building with the sounds of birds chirping was so calming. We also had the opportunity to take more pictures and soak in the views of the Taj Mahal at sunset. It was beyond stunning.

With the sun almost set, it was time to head back to our hotel to change out of our clothes for a quick turn around for a buffet dinner. As it has been so far, the food was fantastic.

Bellies full, it was time to head back to the hotel for an early night.