On the Road to Agra

Isn't it the way of things? There I was in New Delhi, with time on my hands after a day's work and being in the slum, just before dinner and filled to overflowing with words to write and no Internet access... Now I am home and I have access in the lounge and in the kitchen and sitting on my bed...but no time. Well, that's a not exactly correct. I have time, but having spent the day typing and editing and reading and writing, I'm not always up for another few hours of writing at the end of the day!

I'm starting to pick through my photos and can tell you a little more about day 2 and our visit to the Taj Mahal...

On the road to Agra
This was as much a part of the adventure as the work in the slums! Along the way we saw elephant, cows, monkeys on chains and a camel train.
I found the smog incredible. It was one of the things that I would keep commenting about, the air pollution. For pretty much most of the day, you can see the air. We left Delhi for Agra at 7am and it was closer to 11am before the air was clear and by then we were some miles away from Delhi.

As we approached Agra, we picked up our guide for the Taj Mahal and Red Fort. We had to leave our vehicle a mile away from the Taj and catch an electric bus, to prevent exhaust fumes from getting close to the buildings. This struck me as pointless with the levels of particles in the air as it is.

I have a number of snaps of the Taj, and you know the scenes, but this is one of the first views you see as you approach.

I won't bore you with loads of Taj Mahal pictures, but it was a fascinating building to see and learn about and is really, very impressive. Keep an eye on the photo blog, I'll add a few more there.
After the Taj, we headed for a nearby fort, the Red Fort, if I recall correctly. Again an impressive structure, this time built in a red sandstone. If I can persuade other members of the team to add to this blog, maybe one of them will give you some of the history! I kept taking photos of the Taj, now seen from across some fields.