Dawn at the Taj Mahal

Another Early Start

We got up while it was still dark and walked the very clean streets to the Taj Mahal, which was close to our hotel. I had to wake our neighbours, since they're all retired and don't use alarm clocks anymore. 😄 Jane has done this visit many times, and she chose the West Gate, which is the one most locals use.

Queues and Rules

There was a queue at the gate, and Jane lined up for our tickets. Foreigners have their own ticket line, which was short. Jane had warned us to bring nothing but our cameras, as there are strict X-ray checks and bag scrambles, and she didn't want us to be held up. The gates open about half an hour before sunrise, so we went in while it was still dark, through the very impressive entrance gate.

First Sight

Crowds weren't too bad. As we came in, we saw the Taj Mahal in the distance, and you want to stand there until the sun rises. But Jane told us to get moving, so we'd get to the monument before the crowds. 🕌

Sharing It With Daniel

By chance, Daniel and I connected on WhatsApp, and I was able to share the Taj Mahal with him on a video call. It was a very special moment I stayed on the call until it was time to go into the mausoleum.

The Story Behind the Taj

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum, not a temple. Emperor Shah Jahan built it for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631 giving birth to their 14th child. He began it in 1632, and about 20,000 workers laboured for roughly two decades. It's made of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, and its walls are carved with verses from the Quran. Inside the chamber, you see two cenotaphs, Mumtaz's and Shah Jahan's. These are symbolic, and the real graves are in a plain chamber below. Photography isn't allowed inside. ❤️

Photos and Reflections

Afterwards we wandered around and took more photos, including group shots and the classic reflection across the water.

The Marble Inlay Workshop

Then we visited a marble workshop, where we watched how the famous inlay work is done. It's the same craft, called 'pietra dura', that decorates the Taj Mahal. We learned about the stones they use, including jade, turquoise and lapis lazuli, plus paua shell from New Zealand. We saw how the marble is carved out to hold the inlay, and how much time and craftsmanship goes into it. One craftsman was shaping tiny semi-precious stones to fit into the marble, and he'd learned the craft from his father. It's a skill passed down through generations. Many Agra families say they descend from the artisans who built the Taj. 💎 Of course, I came away with a treasure for home.

Idli on the Road

On the coach back to Delhi, we stopped for lunch at a food court near the city, and I finally tried idli, a fermented food I've wanted to taste for a while. Idli are soft, round, steamed cakes from South India, made from a batter of ground rice and split black lentils (urad dal). The batter ferments overnight, and wild bacteria and yeast make it rise, which makes it light and slightly tangy. It's served with sambar (a lentil and vegetable stew) and chutneys. I'm always trying to try different fermented foods.

Home to Delhi

It felt like coming home. When we first arrived in Delhi, our hotel seemed chaotic, dusty and not the cleanest, but now it feels like coming home, especially as I was assigned the same room again🛏️

No Tigers, but Birds Galore: Ranthambore to Bharatpur and Agra

A Dawn Start in Ranthambore

We were up early to leave at 6 for our safari in Ranthambore National Park. It began as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955, became one of India's first Project Tiger reserves in 1973, and a national park in 1980. The whole reserve covers more than 1,300 square kilometres. Besides tigers, it's home to leopards, sloth bears, sambar and spotted deer, nilgai, wild boar, crocodiles, hyenas, jackals and langurs. 🐅

Zones and Vehicles

The park is divided into 10 zones, and which one you get decides your chances. Some zones use jeeps, and others use big open-top trucks. Some people come for three or four safaris, in different zones and at different times, and morning is said to be the best time for tigers.

Not a Whisker

Unfortunately, we didn't see a tiger:-( A hotel guest in a different zone saw tigers, and she couldn't believe how big they were in real life. We did see the remains of four forts and gates, which were very cool. 📷 photos by Richard Passy, who was allowed to bring his professional camera But no phones for the rest of us.

A Big Breakfast

Back at the resort at 10am we had a lovely breakfast, with an omelette made to order and pancakes with real maple syrup. We ate lots, which was a good as it turned out, because we didn't eat again until about 9 that night.

A Bird Paradise at Keolade

On the way to Agra we stopped at Keoladeo National Park, also called the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. The wetland was created in the 1700s when Maharaja Suraj Mal dammed two rivers, and it later became a royal duck-shooting preserve. It's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covers about 29 square kilometres, and has more than 370 bird species. We drove along the flat roads in an electric tuk-tuk. 🦆

A Guide With Eagle Eyes

I'm not really a bird watcher but our guide Sanjy was amazing. Every so often he'd stop our convoy and set up his telescopic camera, and we'd see these birds clearly, though goodness knows how he spotted them some of them.

- White-throated kingfisher

- Oriental darter (snake bird)

- Purple heron

- Green bee-eater

- Asian pied starling

- Brahminy starling

- Spotted owlet (two, one tucked into a tree hollow)

- Pond heron, with its yellow eyes

- Black-necked stork

We also saw monitor lizards, flying-fox bats, a jackal and an antelope. 

The Snake BirdI loved the snake bird, named for its long, snake-like neck, which sticks out of the water while it swims. It spears fish with its sharp bill, and a kink in its neck works like a spring. Its feathers aren't waterproof, so it swims low in the water and stands with its wings spread to dry. 🐍

My favourite was the Kingfisher with beautiful teal tail

Sunset From the Tower

The sun was setting, and it gave the birds a magical glow. We climbed a big bird tower to look across the wetland, and it was a lovely, nature-filled day.

Through the Fog to Agra

We drove on to Agra through fog, which reminded me of home in the Waikato, with its wetlands. We arrived a bit hungry at about 9 pm, had a quick bite, tomorrw we are up early again - now we're in the city of the Taj  Mahal.

Elephants, Mirrors and a Tiger Dad: Jaipur to Ranthambore

An Early Start at Amer Fort

We got up early in Jaipur to beat the crowds. The bus took us to the bottom of Amer Fort, where we caught a jeep, then walked the last bit up. It's a rigmarole, but the views of the fort over the lake were pretty amazing. Work on the fort began in 1592 under Raja Man Singh I. 🏰

As we approached, we ran the gauntlet of people selling things, and the haggling got annoying. It continued inside. It's an interesting approach to selling. There was a snake charmer and a puppet show, which were fascinating to watch, but the implied obligation to pay often meant you couldn't enjoy them. In Europe the show is given freely, as is the koha. Here, people have their hand out constantly.

Near the entrance we saw a group of girls in their school uniforms, and they were so pretty. I loved them. 

Elephants and a Platform

Inside we saw about 20 elephants taking people for rides around the courtyard in processions. The riders got off onto a raised platform so the elephants didn't need to kneel, which was quite funny to watch. The elephants must have started early, walking up from below. 🐘

The Painted Gateway

We went in through a painted gateway, and the paintings on it are roughly 400 years old. They're beautifully detailed. 

 close-up of the paintings

Mirrors and a Garden

Our guide was great, full of stories, and we took lots of photos. My favourite was the garden, which looked like the inspiration for the Indian garden at Hamilton Gardens. The mirrored ceilings are lovely too. Light a single candle, and it reflects everywhere, a magical effect at night in an age before electricity. ✨

Ancient Air-Conditionin

This is an example of engineering that is hundreds of years old. A continuous flow of water, fed from the fountain in the garden, captures the cross-winds in the courtyard and cools the air, an early form of air-conditioning. From the ceiling above, the queen would have a chair suspended, and she could sit and enjoy the cool breeze.

Embellishments Around the Palace

The Giant Cooking Pot

There's a massive cooking pot here, big enough to feed the entire fort. 

Haggling Round Two

After the fort, the sellers wore me down. One would say 800, I'd say 200, they'd say 700, I'd start to walk away, then 300, walk away again, and finally 200, and okay then. I could take it or leave it, but I got a couple of things that were fine. 😄

-On the Road to Ranthambore

After the fort, we got on the road to Ranthambore. This wasn't on the original itinerary. When Bhooi's friend Balendu Singh heard we'd be in the area, he invited us to stay at the resort he started, Dev Vilas. He's a naturalist and conservationist, and it's a top-of-the-line resort. Ranthambore began as a game sanctuary in 1955, became one of India's first Project Tiger reserves in 1973 and a national park in 1980, and covers over 1,300 square kilometres. We'll go on safari tomorrow, and I'll share the details of the park then. 🐯

A Lovely Welcome

We got a lovely greeting when we arrived. After settling into our rooms, which were just delightful, we sat around a fire for the evening, in our best clothes. I wore my new dress from Pushkar and Monique wore her dress that she'd had made from a ssari she bought in Mandawa. 

It wasn't cold, but why not? 🔥 📷 

The Tiger Dad

Around the fire, we heard stories about the park's history, and a story I loved. In 2011, a tigress known as T-5 died, leaving two young cubs. The expectation was that the cubs wouldn't survive, but a camera trap showed their father, a male called T-25 (Zalim), with them. He shared his kills and let them feed first. It was the first time a male tiger was documented raising cubs, and since then other male tigers have been recorded doing the same. I slept soundly in my comfortable room, and we're up at 5:30 for the 6 am trucks into the park. 🐅