Taj Mahal - Celebrity for a Day

I distinctly remember the first time I laid eyes on the Taj Mahal. We were several miles away at the Red Fort of Agra walking across the drawbridge. Even from several miles away the Taj captured my eye and imagination, I couldn’t wait to get there and see this monument to love up-close and personal. It was hard to focus on the monument I was looking at because I knew the Taj was so close.

Finally it was time! Our driver dropped us off a little ways away from the actual Taj gates and we boarded an electric bus for the final mile or so. There’s an exclusion zone around the Taj that prevents pollution spitting motor vehicles from getting too close. The electric bus dropped us off near the gates and we gave our gels, liquids and mobile phones to our tour leader for storage at a hotel. There are some interesting rules about what you can and can’t bring in with you. The good thing is you can bring in one bottle of unopened water. We queued up through a metal detector then search and were in the door of the east gate.

Stepping through the gates for the first time you’re instantly blown away, it’s almost a pinch yourself moment, you’re actually at the Taj Mahal. We started our visit by having some photos taken of us and our group. There are many “professional” photographers there who are more than happy to take your picture, you pick them up later and pay 100 rupees ($2 USD) each for any picture you want, no obligation to buy. Following the photos we were off to explore the Taj. All the while people were stopping us to get their photos taken with us or of us. I’ve never felt like more of a celebrity in my life, in some cases someone would ask to take one picture, then another and another until you were surrounded. It was good fun for a while, then kind of annoying. For just one day we got a small glimpse of what celebrities have to go through on a daily basis.

Following a large photo session we dawned some plastic shoe covers and made our way onto the marble platform which lies the Taj Mahal. The building itself is encrusted with colorful designs made from thousands of semi-precious gemstones. There is a mausoleum housed inside the Taj but the line was way too long and hectic for us to go in. We stayed outside and took many pictures while walking around the complex. The sun went down and the picture opportunities stopped.

Getting Here
The Taj Mahal is in the town of Agra. Visitors from Delhi can easily catch a train or luxury bus to Agra. There are plenty of hotels and tour companies in Agra. We stayed at the Royale Residency Hotel, it was the nicest amenity-wise of all the hotels we stayed at in India. Unfortunately there was a construction project going on next door and we were kept up with the sounds of generators, hammers and people chatting.

Just a small warning if you’re planning on visiting the Taj Mahal. Agra itself is one of the most polluted places I’ve ever been, at least it was the day we were there. I could taste the dirt in the air and visibility was very-very low thanks to all the pollution. The Taj Mahal in some of our pictures looks like it’s shrouded in clouds, unfortunately those were clouds of smog. Just keep this in mind if you’re planning a visit. A scarf or bandana over the face helped in breathing and anyone with a hint of asthma should have their inhalers around.

All the pics from our visit to the Taj can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/TajMahal?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Cheers for Now -

Pamela and Dave