The drive from Delhi to Agra takes about four hours, so we decided to leave fairly early to allow us enough time to see a few of the sights in the afternoon. It took us a while to get through the Delhi’s traffic, but the rest of the route to Agra was actually pretty quiet and the road in a surprisingly good condition.
The scenery changed from smoggy city to smoggy countryside as we drove past brick factories, potato fields and various other industrial and agricultural sites. Following the suggestion of our driver, we booked a guide for this afternoon to show us around Agra.
Camels working in a brick factory where bricks are made entirely by hand
After a quick bag drop at the hotel, we met up with our guide, Sandy. Sandy’s first stop was lunch… As is customary in India, guides normally get commission when they bring paying customers to restaurants and shops so we weren’t surprised at this suggestion. Derek was already shaking his head to indicate we were not hungry, but (unfortunately for him) I recognised the restaurant’s name from various guide books and travel apps about eating out in Agra and was not going to miss out on this gem!
One of the best! Pinch of Spice was our first stop in Agra
The restaurant, ‘Pinch of Spice’, came highly recommended and Lonely Planet even called it a “superstar”! What’s not to like? We sat down and I immediately ordered the guidebook’s recommendation of paneer lababdar (cottage cheese in a rich curry gravy), as well as a side dish of lentil dahl and some naan for good measure.
Derek ordered… mac ‘n cheese. No, really!! After seeing chickens and goats on the streets of Delhi, he had decided he was now vegetarian. Not wanting to end up with Delhi belly on my own, I followed suit hence ending up with cottage cheese!! While I was enjoying my curry and (rather dodgy) fruit juice cocktail, Derek was contemplating how this vegetarian thing would work out. (Nick, he never stopped talking about that steak at the Cow & Pig!!)
The traffic in Agra was just as bad as Delhi… or perhaps even worse!
Fed and watered, we were ready for the start of our tour and first up was Agra Fort. Agra Fort is one of the finest Mughal forts in India and walking through courtyard after courtyard of this palatial fortress of red-sandstone and marble, the scale of what was built here began to sink in. The maze of buildings are just magnificent and together formed a city within a city, including vast underground sections.
The Emperor’s bathtub, of course. It was made out of a single block of stone.
One can easily imagine what it looked like during its heyday, with jewellery-clad men and women walking the grounds, sipping tea while listening to musicians playing on the lawns. Sadly, many of the structures were destroyed over the years and even today much of the fort is used by the military and off-limits to the public.
My favourite place in Agra Fort was the large lawn and sprawling terrace which was used for domestic government business and also has a throne room where the emperor listened to petitioners. I on the other hand, rather imagined the space used for amazing open-air champagne parties on the terrace!!
Who wouldn’t want to organise a party on that terrace?!
Like most other travellers, our big draw to Agra was the Taj Mahal. We wanted to see it at sunset and sunrise and our driver suggested first viewing the Taj from the back for the best sunset view. However, we had time for one more site – Itimad-ud-Daulah, or nicknamed ‘The Baby Taj’. While not necessarily magnificent in view, this was the first Mughal structure built completely from marble and the detail of the structure, particularly the marble lattice screens, is pretty amazing.
We arrived at the Taj an hour before sunset and walked through the beautiful gardens to the edge of the river. Quite a few tourists received the same advice as already a crowd was already forming.
Seeing the Taj for the very first time is unimaginable. For me, it was a lifelong dream come true as I have always, since I can remember, wanted to come to India to see the Taj Mahal. We could not tear ourselves away from the view and soaked up the atmosphere with the sun slowly setting on this magnificent mausoleum.
To get the best sunrise view, we wanted to get up early and beat the queues. Again, most other people had the same idea so we ended up standing in queues for an hour anyway! But no amount of queueing could take away from the incredible sight that greeted us when we walked through the gate.
Even though we’ve seen the Taj from a different angle the evening before, seeing it again this morning upfront – the way we’ve seen it in books and magazines a million times before – was indescribable. A soft mist (or smog perhaps?!) hung low over the mausoleum and everything looked mystical. Unfortunately for us they were cleaning one of the minarets at the time, hence the construction around the one tower. But regardless, it was absolutely beautiful.
After spending about two hours in the grounds, we headed back to our hotel for breakfast. Tonight we would be staying over in Bharatpur, a town some hour’s drive from Agra so we wanted to get on the road.
Saying goodbye to the crazy traffic of Agra
On our way there we had a pit stop at Fatehpur Sikri – a fascinating city that was also the short-lived capital of the Mughal Empire. The emperor at the time decided to move the capital here, but due to water shortages it was abandoned only about eight years later.
In addition to its history, the city is famous for its massive mosque, Jama Masjid. Inside the courtyard of the mosque is the stunning white marble tomb of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti – who predicted the birth of an heir to the Mughal throne. To this day, childless women come from all over India to visit his tomb and tie a thread to the jali in the hope of his soul granting them children.
Local men and women gather outside the tomb, keen to say a prayer to the saint
On our way out I looked over my shoulder and there was my husband – posing with three Indian men like he was the saint himself!! They were grinning from ear to ear standing next to this tall, white giant. I now regret not taking a photo of the scene. Perhaps, with his grey hair, they thought he was George Clooney. It was not the first time that locals had asked us for photos either. In Delhi we thought it might be some sort of scam. But it turns that the locals from the small villages don’t often see white men that are double their height and they needed proof to show their friends!
Dressed for the occasion!
Derek as a vegetarian? Was never going to last. Well, we’ll have to have round two at the Cow and Pig or fire up the braai on your return.
Both PLEEEEAAAASE!!!! He is moody without meat. Plus, your braais are legend!!! Cannot wait.