Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and Agra

Yes guys, I really have seen it, in all its glory, cascading above the trees like it was flating on the clouds. Unfortunately, so have the other million people we were there with, and there were no clouds that day which made it steaming hot.

Saturday morning called for an early wake and a 4 hour coah journey to Agra, the home of the world famous Taj Mahal. It is exquisite, and like many things, is one place you have to see in your lifetime. I am just sorry I did not make it for sunrise, as the way the light hits the marble is meant to be beautiful. I instead, was sweating like a pig. It puts you in the mind set whereby you don't really give a crap where you are, you just want to sit down.... so after waking through the gates, having around a thousand photos in the poses like 'put your hand out and perspective will look like you are holding it' .... and the 'diana bench', I made my way upto the taj itself, as quick as possible, and sat down. Don't get me wrong. If it were empty and you could sit in its cool inside, lay on the stones, and look and watch the incredible view it may be one of my favourite places in the world. However after entering the actual mosoleum you were pushed in one direction to move around the tombs in a clockwise fashion, will sweaty people puching and showing, and whistles constantly being blown, it really does destroy he peace and serenity for which it is supposedly famed for. I am sure, had the creators known of this development for the Taj, they would, to put it bluntly, be turning in their graves.

We did learn however, that it was built by the mughal emporer Shah Jehan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mehal. In the centre of the mosoleum is the tomb of his wife, and to the left is the emporer. They had 14 children, although 8 died, and 4 boys and 2 girls survided. On the Taj Mahal are 14 chapters of the Quran for the children. One of the sons took over afer the emporer and when it was attempted to build a black marble Taj Mahal on the other said of the river by the creator of the original, the soon put his father in prison in the red fort, where he spent the rest of his life, being able to see the Taj from his window, but never being able to visit it again.

I shall update later, but I have just had my work experience day and I am really tired, so I am going to go and have a nap in my freezer of a bedroom beore hopefully going to India Gate tonight where there is Indian dancing and fun ... apparently. (i.e. that is what I have been told by an Indian man, and may indeed be rubbish, as many things have turned out to be, but as long as you have a good sense of humour and a little faith, things tend to turn out for the best!) xxx