We start early in the morning around seven AM, before any breakfast, towards the Taj Mahal. We have chosen a hotel in walking distance from the Taj and that is what we do even though many rickshaws and guides stop us along the way trying to convince us that it is far too difficult to walk the few hundreds meters to the entrance.
On the way we also have time to wonder on the signs along the way, there are many celebrating the G20 meeting that happened in 2023. Likely it was such a big thing that the signs were not taken down yet. There are also signs at the entrance warning us about the monkeys, at this point we are old hands at handling them, we hope.
The tickets that our driver has bought work just fine and soon we are in and at the magnificent entrance to the mausoleum area. And as we pass through we see the Taj Mahal in the distance, a beautiful view in the morning sun even though there is still smog in the atmosphere creating a fog like effect.
After passing the entrance gate is one of the famous viewpoints of the Taj. We do our best to avoid the crowds when taking photos but that is sometimes impossible and sometimes we just want to remember the masses of people that are visiting the Taj in the morning already.
Surprisingly there are quite a few birds in the gardens, we see doves and rose-ringed parakeets just rolling in the grass. They are quite fun to watch and relaxing before continuing towards Taj Mahal proper.
In the middle, between the gate and Taj Mahal, and right next to a water feature is another popular photography point. We manage with difficulty to snap a few photos ourselves before walking towards the museum to visit it. Unfortunately it is closed and it opens at 9 AM according to the sign so we decide to return after our Taj visit.
We want to get it over with in a way as it the line is already quite large and we are not sure what awaits us inside. But first we have to find some foot coverings, it takes a bit before we find one of the points dispensing them and even so we find only reusable ones. That is surprising as all the other foreign visitors have one time foot coverings but we have no idea where they were actually getting them.
Slowly the line is approaching the entrance, the line moves fast enough actually but it is slow because it curves many times before reaching the entrance proper.
On the way as we stay in line we enjoy the views of the long walk from the entrance to the Taj Mahal, full of tourists and more and more of them every minute seemingly. And closer to us we see multiple Egyptian Vultures enjoying the nice day on the minarets surrounding the Taj Mahal.
As we approach the Taj Mahal itself we take some time to admire the famous inlay marble for which Agra and especially the Taj Mahal are famous for. And then we are inside where we are herded at a fast speed around the tomb in the middle and then out. If you stop the guards will shout at you so it is quite efficient even though there is not enough time to enjoy the interior for which we had to pay quite a bit extra to enter.
Outside we spend some time glancing through the windows back in and enjoying the delicate details on the exterior of the building. Here for the first time we are not hurried along the queue so we can enjoy the building, it is quite smart actually that afterwards you can just take your time exploring the exterior of the building.
From the back we can also see the sacred Yamuna River, the tomb was built right on the river’s edge with the gardens on the other side. The water is full of ducks and shorebirds even though it is quite poluted in our understanding.
We spend some time watching the river flow by before continuing exploring the surrounding area, mostly the two side mosques. Unfortunately they cannot be entered for some reason but you can still take a look from the outside of course.
Then we move to the other side of the Taj for some magnificent views and to also visit the second mosque, they are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the Taj.
The second mosque also cannot be entered but at least we can see it from the outside, it is quite scenic and it would have been fun to be able to walk through the arches but no luck today.
We then walk around the Taj and reach the museum which should be open based on the schedule. And of course it is not open still, now there is another sign saying that it is closed undefinitely. So we give up and decide to return towards the entrance as the crowds become quite large at this hour.
It is actually quite difficult to exit the grounds with the crowds blocking the entrance access and especially the entrance gate as they take selfies or generally enjoy the view. However we make it through and then it is time to return back to our accomodation, shopping for souvenirs along the way.
Now it is time to eat our breakfast which also doubles as our lunch. It is quite good and then we have time to unpack our trophies from the shopping spree and relax before our driver comes for our trip into the outskirts of the city to visit Akbar’s Tomb.
