We had a great night’s sleep at the Aman Home Stay and woke early for our tour at the Taj Mahal. Our tour guide picked us up at 6:20am to walk over – we then jumped in a golf cart & he helped us get through the lines quickly. We were outside looking at the Taj Mahal by 6:50am in time for sunrise.
We felt so lucky to be at the Taj Mahal – it’s such a majestic building! It was a gorgeous morning & our guide was fantastic. We learned all about the history of the Taj Mahal – how the king built it for his favorite wife (his third one). Everything is symmetrical & all of the elements have a meaning. He was so sad after his wife died giving birth to their 14th child so he built it to honor her. There are over 20 precious stones within the detail of the inside. It took them 22 years to build. Our guide took so many fun pictures and the boys loved it!
We then headed back to our hotel for a home cooked breakfast. It truly felt like you’re at someone’s home. Lots of backpackers, it felt like a hotel the boys will stay at when they travel with friends after college. We headed over the Agra Fort which was fascinating.
After Agra we left for Jaipur – the trip took much longer than expected…probably 5 hours vs. the 3 1/2 we expected. We stopped at the same well as Mimi & Poppi which was fascinating during the drive.
Traffic here is insane no matter what time of day. Its sad to see how dirty the sides of the roads are – they don’t pick up any trash. You see lots of skinny cows which are sacred, crazy drivers on mopeds with young kids and tuk tuks. We arrived around 7pm and had a delicious kebab dinner at our hotel. We had veggie/lentils, naan & rotti bread, chicken and lamb. We ate our first 2 desserts – a banana ice cream and donut type dessert…both were great. The boys are not allowed inside the bars since they are under age 25 so we played cards outside by the pool for a bit and went to bed.
Ahearn Adventures 