Day 4 Tue 30th October Taj Mahal, Baby Taj & Mehta Baghdad at sunset, the Taj gardens & Roof Top Surprise birthday meal

AJ has organised 4am wake up calls for us all, he literally does everything for us!
I was awake nearly every hour but easily get up at 4 for the day ahead with Russ taking a little longer to wake up! No time to open any cards but whilst I shower Russ has covered the room in birthday confetti and banners!

In the dark we ride to the short distance to the Taj Mahal shuttle point. AJ loads us on a couple and we ride down the gates of the Taj. He has explained 3 times of what we should take with us, basically just our cameras, no bags, there is tight security and if they find anything that is prohibited then it will be taken off us and we won’t get it back. Ladies queue one side and go through separate security point. We are searched and my camera goes through for X-ray . Monkeys are playing on the outer walls of the Taj. It all feels like a dream still! Once through security we queue with our tickets handed to us by AJ in separate queues again and at 6am the gates are opened. We are one of the first groups in. The whole experience, just being there, one of the new 7th Wonders of the World was magical. We of course do the tourist bit and have photos. AJ also has organised for a group photo complementary of Kouni and the photographer will take individual photos for just 100 Rupes a photo, bargain, at Alter Towers it would cost £7 each!! So we say yes and we laugh so much as he gets to do different poses! Leaving him we head to go inside the enormous dome where the 2 tombs sit. I am not sure what I was expecting but it is literally just the 2 tombs inside the splendid marble structure.

The Taj was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal who dies in 1631. It’s perfect proportioned and exquisite craftsmanship have been described as “a vision, a dream, a poem, a wonder”.

This sublime garden tomb an image of the Islamic garden of paradise cost nearly 41 million rupees and 500 kilos of gold. About 20,000 workers laboured for 12 years to complete it in 1643.

Russ and I walk around taking it in and stand behind the Taj looking at the misty river with cormorants, herons and water buffalo. Locals beneath us shout at us as they walk along the river for us to take their photo, we don’t as AJ warned us they will expect money to be thrown below. The tomb has 3 large identical gate houses in red sandstone at each of its side. At the back, the south side over the other side of the river are foundations which is believed where if he had not been imprisoned would have been a matching gate.

At 815 we meet back up with AJ and head back to the hotel for breakfast and a 2 hour rest. The first time we have had time to think! Russ and I grab our swim stuff, cards and presents and head for the pool. After opening my lovely cards and small presents I have bought with me we have swim and I start my blog which didn’t save, not happy so I had to start it all again which I only had time to do on 3rd November!

We meet back up at 1130 where we are back on the road for the rest of the days tour. We head for Agra Fort, a massive red stone structure where only 20% of it is open to the public the rest occupied by the milatry and government.
It was built between 1565 and 1573 by Emperor Akbar along the river front which surrounded its high walls. Even the 20 % was enormous, layers upon layers. AJ continues to tell of the history taking us around the large buildings. There is a palace, lots of halls, courtyards and galleries unusually underneath the palace were dungeons where people got tortured. In the palace gardens there is a massive marble pool which according to legend used to be filled with thousand of rose petals so the Emperors could bath in its scented waters. In the courtyard colonnaded Islamic arches provide stunning view of the hall used for the Emperors public audiences

AJ continues taking us through the history of India and the fort, he times everything perfect, a little talk, 10 mins free time to take photos, another talk and so on. Not too much and not too little. The heat is so strong and we all enjoy the coolness of the palaces and buildings.

We left the fort at 13:30 passing monkeys on the streets playing and hunting for food and called at Costa for a coffee and cake. We then made our way to the Baby Taj, a replica built of the Taj Mahal. It is very quiet and only a few other visitors here. It’s real name is Itimad-ud-Daulah’s Tomb described as the jewel box in marble. It is the tomb of ITimad-udDaulah, the Lord Treasure of the Mugal empire and built by his daughter and took 6 years to complete. The tomb is a combination of white marble coloured mosaic stone inlay and lattice work. It is the most innovative 17th century Mughal building and marks the transition from the robust red sunstone architecture of Arkbar to the sensious refinement of Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal.

We then drove to the gardens the other side of the Taj Mahal for sunset. We saw a slight change on the right hand side of the colour as bright red sun set. The Rambagh of Aran Bagh (Garden of Rest) is believed to be the earliest Mughal garden laid out by the Babur, the first Mughal emperor.

Back at the hotel I find our room decorated by the house service staff, a beautiful bunch of red roses and and a birthday cake. They have even filled the bath for me with fresh rose and pink petals. All of this was kind of spoilt at the beginning as I walked into a pool of water which had come from the air con unit! So whilst I only had one hour to get ready and even though the staff came to see to it immediately getting ready was a bit of a rush for Russ’s surprise meal and we jumped into a taxi to another hotel in Agra where there is a Sky Roof restaurant. The service and food were tremendous, we had one to one attention and the roof top to ourselves. Another cake and more red roses were produced :)

Returning after full stomachs of wonderful tasting dishes we joined some of the others who were still up having a drink.

A memorable day for sure made perfect by my fabulous husband, a birthday I shall not forget!