Our drive to Agra from Ranthambore took us through scenic countryside and great little towns and villages and proved to be one of the best things that we have done in India - just because there was so much to see!

Everywhere you turned, all day, there were things going on and plenty of 'only in India' moments! Trucks overloaded beyond belief with food, people or animals (and combinations thereof!), festivals, people lugging things around on their heads (mostly women), pumping water from wells, kids playing and the world's tiniest barber shops (quarter size shed!), to name but a few. You could fire a camera in any direction at any time and capture something interesting happening. It was almost a shame when we got to Agra.

Agra itself is nothing to write home about - quite a small, modern and industrial town but, as it's home to the Taj Mahal is clearly India's major tourist draw. For those that don't know the story of the Taj Mahal, it's terribly romantic! Shah Jahan (the 5th Moghal Emperor) was so devoted to one of his wives that he broke custom and tradition and she went everywhere with him. Mumataz Mahal (the wife) sadly died whilst giving birth to their 14th child, at the age of 39 and on her deathbed asked the Emperor to show the world how much they loved each other (everybody say Aaah!). So he built the Taj Mahal.

Our visit was another early start as we set off at 6.30am to catch the sunrise - and were not disappointed. Seeing the Taj Mahal lives up to all the hype that you could possibly attach to it. We arrived in time to see the mist rise and clear from the Yamuna River and the sun come up. It really is as beautiful as you imagine and - once up close - much, much bigger! As well as the famous marble outside, the inside of the tomb (no pics allowed) is intricately decorated with ivory and marble inlayed with precious stones. Overall, a great place to see and spend some time just sitting and gawping at.

Whilst here we also had a brief wander around town (before concluding that there was nothing much to see) and did a drive by of Agra Fort and some of the surrounding sights (feeling too lazy to bother exploring) and visited Akbar's tomb, before our onward drive back to Delhi and flight out.

Although we have hardly begun to scratch the surface of India we are really glad that we changed our plans and decided to come. We have had a great time here, seen some amazing sights and loved just being here and trying to take in all that is thrown at all of your senses at once!