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Our SE Asia Tour 2013
Early start at 7:00. Met our driver Vijay (who is Nepalese) with our vehicle for the tour. The car, a Toyota Innova, was great with 2 comfortable seats at the back and lots of leg room. Vijay also proved to be a better driver than the one from the airport who was a graduate of the usual way of Asian driving, ie. get into 3rd gear (or even 4th) as soon as you can without getting the revs up. So the car chugs along with awful groaning noises before we build up some speed. By which time one has to slow down again because of the traffic but we do not change out of 3rd or 4th gear so the groaning begins again. Vijay at least got the revs up to a reasonable level before changing gear.
Being fairly early, Delhi traffic was not too bad and we were soon at the Yamuna Expressway (which I suspect was built for the Commonwealth Games). Not very much traffic which made it a quick run to Agra. The Expressway was excellent with good toilet facilities conveniently located along the way. Much appreciated.
The whole journey was conducted in a haze from the kilns of the numerous brickworks which lined the surrounding countryside.
We were met by our guide for the day at the hotel and after a quick lunch we were off to visit Agra Fort. We had missed the Red Fort in Delhi (closed on Mondays) but Roger confirmed that the Agra Fort was better. It is a magnificent structure now a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is more of a walled city. The current fort is attributed to Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal.
Despite having lived in India until I was 16 I had never visited the Taj Mahal. So here I was at last. I had heard a lot of conflicting accounts of the Taj but I have to say it is a majestic work of art. Despite the large number of visitors we were still able to appreciate it and find quiet places to just sit and enjoy the view. It is a stunning building and a fine example of Mughal architecture. It is built of white marble inlaid with semi precious stones. The interior containing the tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, was a bit of a crush and photos were not allowed.
We stayed until sunset to watch the effects of the changing colours on the building.
Being fairly early, Delhi traffic was not too bad and we were soon at the Yamuna Expressway (which I suspect was built for the Commonwealth Games). Not very much traffic which made it a quick run to Agra. The Expressway was excellent with good toilet facilities conveniently located along the way. Much appreciated.
The whole journey was conducted in a haze from the kilns of the numerous brickworks which lined the surrounding countryside.
We were met by our guide for the day at the hotel and after a quick lunch we were off to visit Agra Fort. We had missed the Red Fort in Delhi (closed on Mondays) but Roger confirmed that the Agra Fort was better. It is a magnificent structure now a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is more of a walled city. The current fort is attributed to Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal.
Despite having lived in India until I was 16 I had never visited the Taj Mahal. So here I was at last. I had heard a lot of conflicting accounts of the Taj but I have to say it is a majestic work of art. Despite the large number of visitors we were still able to appreciate it and find quiet places to just sit and enjoy the view. It is a stunning building and a fine example of Mughal architecture. It is built of white marble inlaid with semi precious stones. The interior containing the tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, was a bit of a crush and photos were not allowed.
We stayed until sunset to watch the effects of the changing colours on the building.
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