We arrived into Agra Fort station at 7.15am on Wednesday morning and did the usual haggling with a moto tuk-tuk driver to take us a few kilometres into the town centre.
We checked out a number of different hostels before settling on one with a roof restaurant with fantastic views over the Taj Mahal. It was superb to finally see the Taj Mahal in all it's majestic white marble splendour. We were determined that we would make it to the Taj Mahal on our travels and here we were! The 500 year old building did not disappoint and it is all it is made out to be. We both said it is one of the most beautiful buildings we have ever seen and it was very memorable to be sat enjoying our chapattis and curd breakfast with views straight to the palace over all the higgeldy-piggeldy, derelict rooftops of Agra. 
After a well earned 'bucket' shower we took a brief walk around Agra and the outside gates of the Taj. Agra itself is not an atractive place, looking decrepid and somewhat run down. We returned to our hostel where we had arranged to hire a moto tuk-tuk driver for the afternoon. We had decided to see some of the more further afield historical sites of Agra and hiring a driver was recommended as the best way to do it. Our first stop was the huge Jama Masjid mosque, built in the 16th Century and situate
d near to the station where we arrived, before wandering a local market and marvelling at the piles of spices, fresh breads and chapattis being cooked and tiny, narrow alleyways which we squeezed through to look at the small shops selling jewellery, trinkets, soap and cosmetics. When we returned our tuk tuk we were a little earlier than our driver expected and he had a head full of henna which he proceeded to then leave on his hair for the rest of the day! He was going to see his girlfriend in Kolkatta the following day and wanted to cover his greys! Our moto driver then took us 13km outside of Agra to
Sikandra, the last resting place of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great. It is a beautiful, red sandstone mausoleum and was quiet, isolated from the main tourist trail and after wandering the huge tomb we sat in a shady spot and relaxed for a while. We returned back to Agra, crossing the main Yamuna river and stopping in to see the small, Persian decorated tomb of Chini Ka Rauza. 
From here we travelled along the river bank to Itmad-Ud- Daulah, otherwise referred to as the 'Baby Taj'. Like the Taj Mahal, it is a beautiful white marble tomb, just on a smaller scale to the Taj itself. From here we also had excellent views across the river to Agra and up and down the banks. We continued onwards to the gardens of Mehtab Bagh, directly opposite the Taj Mahal and on the opposite side of the river. The views to the Taj we exceptional and would have been a perfect place to sit and watch the sun setting had it not been for the pestering children... Ash got to practice his 'ne chella!' ('go away!') but we got fed up in the end and decided to head back to our hotel roof terrace for a sunset in peace!We returned tired out but happy from our day's sightseeing and sat in the rooftop restaurant and watched the sunset over the Taj Mahal. We had expected to see the Taj turn a shade of pink and red as the sun set, but it was not quite so.. it more went yellow and then dark as the light faded. The building was not lit up at night as we had thought it might be. We had an early dinner and were in bed by 8pm, exhausted after our long day and long train journey.
We arose this morning at 6am and headed down to the East Gate of the Taj Mahal. After paying the obscene 10 pound each fee entry (well, a comparatively obscene amount for India) we made our way through the queue and security and entered the sight of the Taj Mahal. 
It was stunning. As we walked through the central gate, the picture postcard view of the Taj, the icon of India and one of the 'new' 7 wonders of the world was reflected in the water right in front of us. 
Ash got extremely snap happy with his camera and we spent the next hour walking around the beautiful palace, watching it change colour as the sun rose and capturing lots of different photos. 
We walked inside the huge white marble monument and saw the tombs of the king, Shah Jahn and of his wife for which the Taj Mahal was built, Mumtaz Mahal before returning to the sight of the famous postcard view and sitting for a while to soak it all up.... with a million other tourists of course!
From the Taj Mahal we hired a rickshaw driver to take us to Agra Fort. The huge red fort is more like a walled, palatial city. It is the most important fort in India. The great Mughal maharajas lived here and the country was governed from here. It contained the largest state treasury and mint and was visited by foreign ambassadors, travellers and the highest dignitaries who participated in the making of history in India. The fort is beaut
iful inside, ornately carved and with wide courtyards and sweeping views over the city, river and towards the Taj Mahal. We spent a couple of hours walking in the heat, through the huge stone gates, marble palaces and narrow passages before returning to the area around our hotel. 
On the way back the rickshaw driver jumped off and let Ash have a go pedalling uphill with Bi and the driver in the back!
We arose this morning at 6am and headed down to the East Gate of the Taj Mahal. After paying the obscene 10 pound each fee entry (well, a comparatively obscene amount for India) we made our way through the queue and security and entered the sight of the Taj Mahal. 
It was stunning. As we walked through the central gate, the picture postcard view of the Taj, the icon of India and one of the 'new' 7 wonders of the world was reflected in the water right in front of us. 
Ash got extremely snap happy with his camera and we spent the next hour walking around the beautiful palace, watching it change colour as the sun rose and capturing lots of different photos. 
We walked inside the huge white marble monument and saw the tombs of the king, Shah Jahn and of his wife for which the Taj Mahal was built, Mumtaz Mahal before returning to the sight of the famous postcard view and sitting for a while to soak it all up.... with a million other tourists of course!
From the Taj Mahal we hired a rickshaw driver to take us to Agra Fort. The huge red fort is more like a walled, palatial city. It is the most important fort in India. The great Mughal maharajas lived here and the country was governed from here. It contained the largest state treasury and mint and was visited by foreign ambassadors, travellers and the highest dignitaries who participated in the making of history in India. The fort is beaut
iful inside, ornately carved and with wide courtyards and sweeping views over the city, river and towards the Taj Mahal. We spent a couple of hours walking in the heat, through the huge stone gates, marble palaces and narrow passages before returning to the area around our hotel. 
On the way back the rickshaw driver jumped off and let Ash have a go pedalling uphill with Bi and the driver in the back!We spent the remainder of the day chilling out in cafes because we can afford to eat and drink to our heart's content and using the internet in order to pass time before our night train at 6:20pm to Udapiur in Rajastahn, north-west India. We are both looking forward to the train ride!
