Taj Mahal - you might have heard of it?

My first trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra was back in 2004, I really can't believe it was 7 odd years ago.... and I don't feel that much older.

Back then I caught the train that left at 6 am which was efficient and good, this time I couldn't get a ticket on the train so drove, leaving at 6am. I braced myself as there are horror stories of the road trip taking hours and hours and hours....... thankfully leaving at this early hour on this particular morning was a breeze (with a pillow and iPod in the back of  perfectly comfortable car!). After only 3 hours we arrived in cold, foggy, smoggy Agra.

Agra must be very grateful for the Taj otherwise not many people would be visiting, it's not the prettiest place on the planet but it does have one of the prettiest buildings.

My sister and I got dropped off at the carpark and you get the choice whether to go by electric car or by camel to see her. I left the choice to my sister and the next minute we are in a tray on the back of a camel.

'Romantic' mode of transport

Got to love a good old grumpy smelly camel! Soon Rob and I were at the entrance to the main event. I had to take a picture of the 'cattle lanes', apparently in place to stop people jumping the queue - very effective as an average sized person can barely fit through!

 

Do not overtake!

But all that fades into insignificance when you see this ....

 

No matter how many times I see this building on a postcard it really doesn't compare to the real thing and postcards can't provide you with the 'Princess Diana' moment!

Fact for the day: clever things built the Taj so the minarets all lean slightly out in case there is an earthquake they fall outwards.

 

I can also highly recommend a visit and perhaps lunch at the new Oberoi in Agra - views are amazing!

Then it was time for the drive back..... slightly more hairy that the drive down there and also took two hours longer. The drive back was hairy, who would have thought a truck driving along with a truckload of bricks loosely piled on the back, not tied down would fall off at random intervals and come crashing onto the road. Of course you didn't want to be in the car that might decide to overtake at just the the wrong moment. Thankfully it didn't happen to us, I then decided to match the rest of the trip back to my iPod soundtrack and hope for the best. It helped.