Agra, a city that thrives off its visitors and as I saw it, an inevitable tourist trap of India. Regardless of the scheming locals, there is no doubt that the Taj Mahal is one of the most awe-inspiring spectacles that man has ever created; not for religion but for the only other thing to make men spend wheel barrows full of money.. a woman. Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved third wife of a 17th century prince rests there in most spectacular fashion.
Enjoying the view!
The city itself is not so impressive, but not nearly as bad as some made it out to be; although, we did arrive at night. Of course, we had to negotiate the rate for our tuk tuk ride, but the man must have been tired or our bartering skills had improved because he agreed to a price right away.
Booties…!
We woke up very early the next morning, before the sunrise and linked up with our driver from the night before. We asked him to take us to a place where we could watch the sunrise over the Taj Mahal. Wizzing through the backstreets, dodging cows and people alike, we arrived at a small hotel just before the sun broke. Up the stairs onto the roof and majestically and boldly standing in midst of the morning fog was the Taj Mahal. We stood there and marveled at its presence. We snapped some photos and stood silent, admiring the wondrous monument but weren’t quite satisfied yet and moved in for a closer view.
We made an exception, broke the bank and bought tickets, 750 rupees each to be exact, 3800% more than what Indian citizens pay, yes 3800 Percent! After putting things in perspective we got over the outrage of inflated prices and just laughed about it. Plus our ticket was fancy, real scrap book material, and along with that we got a goody bag with slippers and a water.
Gorgeous detail!
As soon as we got in, we realized it was well spent money. The Taj Mahal was jaw-dropping! A stunner! Beating the crowd and the heat was well worth getting up at 6 a.m. Everyone was scrambling to get the perfect picture in front, and the paid tour guides were hilarious and annoying at the same time – making everyone else get out of the way so they can take pictures of their clients in 20 different poses. They had no concerns for being rude or pushy. Nevertheless, Brad and I still managed to get some beautiful photos and admire the view. The closer we got, the more we noticed the immaculate details on the building, and as the sun got higher and higher into the sky, the Taj Mahal slowly started changing colors with it.
Inside was just the tomb. Nothing special to look at, but quite an honor for the 3rd wife he built it for. 100% recommend everyone to see the Taj Mahal if they get the chance! It’s inspiring and breath-taking…and the monkeys hanging around remind me of Aladdin, which brings back happy nostalgic moments 
Back on the train…
It certainly must have been an amazing experience that you will treasure forever.It is beautiful but like auntie Carla that is a place which is now beyond us.