The Big and Beautiful Taj Mahal

We took a day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, which was a 3.5 hour train ride each way. Our first train trip proved to be pleasant and surprisingly uncrowded because we took first class (as recommended by our friends and other blogs), which was $20 one way. If we had planned ahead, we probably wouldn’t have done a day trip (to avoid the roundtrip cost) and would have continued our journey to Delhi or something from Agra.

Sitting on the train

Second Class – this class is so bursting with people that some sit on the roof and hang outside!

Our stop was at Agra Fort, where the Agra Fort was conveniently located. As soon as we set foot outside the station, we were bombarded by tuk tuk drivers asking us where we wanted to go. It was also quite stinky (a mix between cow poop, sewage, and garbage), and extremely crowded. We got out of the area ASAP and took a walk and a look around the fort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To avoid tuk tuks, we walked in the opposite direction of traffic flow (suck on that tuk tuks) to the Taj Mahal which took about 1 hour. Yeah,we were still suffering from Bangalore, and we’d rather walk an hour than have to deal with tuk tuks.

So. Many. Tuktuks.

We knew we made it to the Taj Mahal once shop vendors started approaching Bill and asking him to “see their shop”. They were pretty aggressive, but we managed to escape and entered through the South Gate. Tickets cost Rs. 1000 each ($20 CAD), which included a free 500mL bottle of Bisleri water, free shoe covers, and a tour guide. We didn’t take the guide (never take the free tour guide). We found out that you can’t bring in laptops to the Taj, and there were no lockers at the South Gate, so we had to make our way to the East Gate to check our bag into a locker.

Once we entered through the gates, we were speechless. The Taj Mahal was so beautiful! It’s such a pristine white structure, glistening in the hot sun. It really looked surreal, like a painting. Words can’t describe how amazing it is, so take a look at the photos below!