Home of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal
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Today we took the train to Agra - this time in general class. This is the way the majority of the locals travel. There are no reserved seats, it's first come, first served. There's quite a frenzy to get on, but I handled it like a pro. The seats are wooden benches and there are a couple of metal shelf-like sleeping bunks above. I can't imagine it's very pleasant for long journeys, but ours was only 4 or 5 hours, so it was okay. Unfortunately as the day wore on, I felt worse and worse. Apparently I got dehydrated in the deserts of Rajasthan and it was taking it's toll on my body. I developed a fever and stomach troubles. Once we got to Agra, I was done for. Sanjay was nice and got me some rehydration powder and glucose at the pharmacy  before catching his train back to Hyderabad where he lives (did you know that some people work? - oh yeah, i used to do that...hehehe ) That was it for me. I went to bed and stayed there the rest of the day and night.

Fatehpur Sikri
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The next day I was feeling much better, so I took a tour to the sights of Agra. First we set out to Fatehpur Sikri, which was the Mughal empire's capital for a few years in the 1500's, during the reign of Akbar. On the way there, our bus got a flat tire. It took about 6 men to change it. There were two at a time jumping on the lug wrench, trying to get the lugs loose... but they finally made it and we continued on our way. Although Akbar was a muslim, he had wives of three faiths... a muslim wife, a hindu wife, and a christian wife. The christian wife got the biggest palace, because she bore him a child. Until then he didn't have any. There's also a Parchesi Courtyard, where he played parchesi using slave girls as pieces.

Fatehpur Sikri
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Next we went to Agra Fort. It's built from the red sandstone that's common to the area. You can see from the photos (that I haven't posted yet) that it's quite impressive. There was even a nice view of the Taj Mahal from one of the areas in the fort.

Last, we went to the Taj Mahal. You don't see it until you walk through this archway and then suddenly there it is... in all it's magnificence. It's quite an amazing structure. It was built by Emporer Shah Jahan as a memorial to his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. (That would kill anyone). The tombs of the wife and child are inside the mausoleum, which is the building everyone recognizes. There are actually some additional buildings that make up the Taj Mahal as well.

Fatehpur Sikri
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Later that night, I caught a train... where I'll be for the next 24 hours... going to Hyderabad, where my friend lives. He wants to make sure I'm well before he sends me out into India alone. It's nice to have friends.