23rd February, 2016. Day 5 Ganges River Cruise and Fly to Agra and Visit Taj Mahal and Agra Fort
/We commented in the previous post about the viweing of sunrise and then the ritual bathing and purification ceremony in the River Ganges.
The bus delivered us back at the hotel for breakfast and then to transfer to the Airport for our mid day flight to Agra where we are staying at the unbelievably beautiful - The Oberoi Armavilas, Agra.
We arrive on schedule and we were the last flight out prior to hold ups with Prime Minister's flights back to Delhi.
The afternoon is then used to relax and to take in the majestic Hotel and resort and its superb facilities. Ken has a beer in the main bar sitting looking out directly at the Taj Mahal in the distance beyond the distant green fields. Every room has a view out to the magical Taj Mahal. We relax, Jeanette has a sleep and Ken takes photos. This is probably the best resort we have stayed in anywhere in the world. It is so hard to describe.
We dine peacefully alone and also get our laundry right. Tomorrow a visit to the Taj Mahal and then later drive to the Red sandstone Agra fort , a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We wake to a perfect morning of clear blue skies with no breeze and a large moon disappearing. A small group go out to see the Taj Mahal at Sunrise where it takes on a pink tinge. We decide to wait. But there is already a significant sense of expectation.
At 8.45AM we depart and arrive at the Taj Mahal outer gates some 10 minutes later. We then walk through the entrance gateway and take in our first sighting of the spectacular Taj Mahal in awe of its majestic beauty. You do not realise the symmetry and beauty highlighted by the beautiful garden and associated Mosque. We had group and individual photos taken and they will be excellent momentos.
Our guides then break our group up into several groups of 8-10 and we enjoy a stunning guided tour through a beautiful site on a perfect morning. We put our protective coverings over our shoes and walk through the exterior entrance ways and into the central ceremony areas where the various tombs were displayed. The colours and beauty are undescribeable and every movement of the sun's rays gives a different perspective.
We are in awe and our guides create the perfect viewing scenario with both a history and a socio politic description of its beauty and relevance. The photos fropm many angles are worth a million words. Just wonderful.
We meet at about 10.50AM having enjoyed a spectacular visit and are grateful to our guides for their work. We are transferred back to the hotel for a time to pick up our wallets and other cameras etc, which we couldn't take into the Taj Mahal. we meet and board our Orange Tauck
bus and now depart for the 10 minute drive to the Agra Fort.
Now this is also a stunning experience because we see this beautiful dynamic mmmoth Fort built between 1565 and 1573 and it is a gargantuum size of 2.5 KM by 1.2 km and studded with separate Castles and chambers. Today over 2/3 of the total site is still a working Army base.
We then proceed to have a guided tour lasting some 90 minutes. It is simply amazing to see the size, scale and clarity of the design. the various architectural styles incorporated are simply stunning as is the quality iof the finish.
The Red Sandstone is amazing in everyway..
Agra Castle is certainly a Wonderful UNHCR World Heritage site of immense international significance, demonstrating every facet of the strength, skill and capability of the artisans back in that time frame.
We are free after lunch hence the opportunity to begin to write our diary and blog with just some of our details. to date it has been an amazing holiday.