Saturday, October 21, 2006
14 October, 2006
Our first stop was the Taj Mahal. Our complimentary guide Ariv was waiting for us with Suresh, our driver. The Taj was really spectacular and Ariv was excellent. He explained everything we possibly needed to know about the Taj Mahal and the history but best of all he was a brilliant photographer. We had some fab shots taken. The marble carvings, artwork all from the gem stones and the symmetry was just fascinating. We then left with apprehension to go to the Agra fort. But before we reached the fort we stopped (obviously) at a marble emporium. It was interesting to see how the stones are inlaid into the marble and the same people working at the factory do the renovations for the Taj Mahal when it needs repair. They are very talented and spend hours doing fine intricate work which is very hard on their hands and fingers. We didn’t buy anything and moved on to the fort which was also very enjoyable. The fort is a huge red sandstone complex with beautiful views of the Taj, lots of palaces and mosques. I decided it was enough sight seeing and went for an Ayuverdic massage whilst Rich was on the internet. The guy who gave me the massage was very strong and I didn’t think that I would come out alive. It felt as if I was on a grinding machine and slowly, slowly I was being ground to a pulp. My muscles sure felt it! The oils were amazing and my skin felt really good. Suresh then came to fetch me and I joined Richard at the internet café. We then went for a chocolate sundae at McDonalds. Yes, we actually hadn’t had ice-cream since Europe so we were so excited. We had a great dinner and walked around a night bazaar for a short while before heading back to the hotel for bed.
Our first stop was the Taj Mahal. Our complimentary guide Ariv was waiting for us with Suresh, our driver. The Taj was really spectacular and Ariv was excellent. He explained everything we possibly needed to know about the Taj Mahal and the history but best of all he was a brilliant photographer. We had some fab shots taken. The marble carvings, artwork all from the gem stones and the symmetry was just fascinating. We then left with apprehension to go to the Agra fort. But before we reached the fort we stopped (obviously) at a marble emporium. It was interesting to see how the stones are inlaid into the marble and the same people working at the factory do the renovations for the Taj Mahal when it needs repair. They are very talented and spend hours doing fine intricate work which is very hard on their hands and fingers. We didn’t buy anything and moved on to the fort which was also very enjoyable. The fort is a huge red sandstone complex with beautiful views of the Taj, lots of palaces and mosques. I decided it was enough sight seeing and went for an Ayuverdic massage whilst Rich was on the internet. The guy who gave me the massage was very strong and I didn’t think that I would come out alive. It felt as if I was on a grinding machine and slowly, slowly I was being ground to a pulp. My muscles sure felt it! The oils were amazing and my skin felt really good. Suresh then came to fetch me and I joined Richard at the internet café. We then went for a chocolate sundae at McDonalds. Yes, we actually hadn’t had ice-cream since Europe so we were so excited. We had a great dinner and walked around a night bazaar for a short while before heading back to the hotel for bed.
# posted by Heidi & Richard's travels @ 6:01 AM 
