Sikri part of Fatehpur

Fatehpur-Sikri, Agra

The Taj at Dusk

Antelope like creatures on the grounds of Akbar's Mausoleum

Akbar's Mausoleum

September 26, 3009 (traveled to Agra)

On the Delhi -Agra road, stopped for breakfast at a hotel. Good breakfast, bad restrooms. These boys in traditional Rajasthani garb, one playing a single string bowed instrument and the younger one in blue performed a traditional folks dance that involved moving of the neck and the eyes and the chest with nice arm movements.

The Fulbright House

September 30, 2009

The Fulbright House is in a very nice section of the city - Connaught Place. It looks like an embassy except no Marines. We have spent the last 5 days in a one bedroom apartment with a private cook who makes us breakfast daily. The room has two air conditioners and a ceiling fan -- both of which are much in use.

Room comes with a balcony -- too bad there is no furniture in the balcony as its a nice place to relax in the mornings and evenings.

Arrival in India and Stay in Delhi

September 30, 2009

Arrived in Delhi, India on September 25th. Been staying in nice accommodations in the Fulbright House. Not one but two air conditioners in our room + a ceiling fan and its much appreciated!

Five day world wind tour of Delhi and Agra. Visited famous sites in Delhi such as Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar, and Rastrapathi Bhavan (President's House). In Agra, visited the Agra Fort, Fathepur-Sikri, and of course the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is everything you imagine it to be, and more. We arrived at the Taj late in the afternoon. We were lucky because although the sun was hot there was a good breeze blowing. The sky was cloudless and the wind swept away any smug. The Taj is so large and so white that under the bright sun a glare comes off the domes. We paid extra for a guide and stayed until sunset. As the sun sank below the horizon the sky turns from bright blue to dark blue. You know the time of day, after the sun sets and before the gray of night arrives the sky is a dark blue. The change in light really changes the color of the Taj. The building became a very clean looking shade of white, with a semi-transparent quality to it.

Other thoughts and observations about the Taj. It is very crowded and unruly people make the experience less pleasant then you want it to be. In the final analysis, it seems to me to be a lot of fuss over a dead chick.

They say that for a few nights per month, the Taj opens at night only during the full moon phase. We can only image how the moonlight makes the marble glow.