Day trip to Agra

Our trip to Agra started out at  6:15 a.m. on India Railways.  It is a 2+ hour trip to Agra from Delhi, and the train was by far the most economical way to go as well as the most cultural.  Our “luxury class” tickets were about $6 US and included breakfast and a newspaper (picture below).  They definitely love their tea here in India, and the breakfast included a “tea kit” and your own personal jug of hot water.  We’re happy to report no Starbucks withdrawal symptoms yet (but then again, we are still jetlagged and wide awake at about 3 AM)!  The train ride allowed us to see several other sides of India… the beautiful farmlands dotted with huts and palm trees, worked by men and women dressed in bright, colorful clothes… the bustling, industrial areas on the outskirts of Delhi… and, sadly, the poverty evidenced by crowded shantytowns along the tracks. 

Once in Agra, we were met by a driver and tour guide for the day. First on the schedule was the Taj Mahal.  Needless to say, we were absolutely stunned and pictures don’t do it justice.  It truly is much more impressive in person… and incredible that such a structure was built hundred of years ago without heavy machinery (and looks impeccable to this day)!

Next up was the Agra Fort and then Fatepur Sikri.  Admittedly, we didn’t pick up a whole lot of history and background on these places… our guide was a little difficult to understand and we found ourselves doing a lot of nodding.  :)  We vowed to read up on these places later on wikipedia (to fulfill our duty as good tourists) and to do a better job of preparation for later stops on the trip (India is the one country for which we have no guidebook!).  Here are a few pictures anyway… including a our first monkey sighting and our first squat toilet!

 

Our train left Agra  at 8:30pm and we finally arrived back at our hotel at about 11pm that evening, totally exhausted!