We woke up at 4:30am to catch a train to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Once we arrived in Agra, we realized that Liz and Sam would get the true flavor of this country...cows, monkeys and slums included.
First stop was the impressive Akbar's tomb, a giant mausoleum honoring the greatest Mughal emperor....
Giant wasp nest!!!
View of the Taj Mahal from our hotel...
We first went to the Taj Mahal at sunset (minus Greg who was very ill back at the hotel). Pictures in no way capture the scale, beauty and detail of this massive mausoleum. After walking through the main gate, your view of the Taj is hidden. Then suddenly you are hit with a full view as it is revealed through the second gate...
Liz was a tourist attraction as much as the Taj...
We woke up at 4:30am again the next morning to see the Taj at sunrise. It was a gift that Greg was feeling 100% better because we got to see the Taj Mahal with NO other people there! We were the first ones to walk through the gate! It was a very special moment that we can imagine only a few people get to experience.
Can you spot Liz?
Then we had to share the Taj with everyone else as the crowds rolled in...
The Taj Mahal was beyond any expectations we had and seeing it fulfilled one of Greg's life-long dreams. It is completely appropriate that this was the last monument we saw in India, because not much else could compare. It is also the final marker for our time in India which evokes a flood of many emotions. We are happy to move on but our experience here will always be a part of our consciousness. We won't realize the effects until we are back in our day to day lives at home.
Watch how go...
Ian and Greg (and Liz and Sam)
