Leaving on a train at 7AM, I began my day trip to Agra. Arriving around 11AM I hired a rickshaw driver, called Vikram, for the day.

The Taj Mahal was nothing short of spectacular. Rudyard Kipling described it as 'the embodiment of all things pure.' Its creator, Emperor Shah Jahan, said it made 'the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.' None of my countless photos can do it justice. Truly a wonder. The architectural design is amazing in itself, but the level of detail is astonishing. The Urdu script on the vertical panels gets bigger as you look up, creating the illusion that there is an uniform writing size.

I then visited Itimad-ud-Daulah or the 'baby Taj' across the Yamuna river. It didn't have the same awesome beauty as the Taj but it was much more delicate in appearance and much more peaceful. Monkeys casually sat on the wooden benches and ate seeds and nuts from the trees.

My driver then showed me some great viewpoints of the Taj for some photo opportunities. After, I walked around Agra fort before buying some nice souvenirs near the bazaar.

On my train back to Delhi I was pleased my trip worked out that I could see the Taj. It's something you have to see with your own eyes. I looked forward to getting into the swing of Diwali the next day.