Taj!!

We went and we saw!

We got up bright and early and got in the car with dearest Dharminder.

We drove and drove (with two pitstops-one being McDonalds) and arrived to Agra around 1pm. We checked in at an AMAZING hotel- Mughal Hotel. It was just extravagantly beautiful.

We dropped our stuff off in the hotel room and headed out to Agra Fort. Our guide, Shaddab, was so energetic and sweet. Not only did he share a story for every inch of the fort, he also played photographer. He took both roles very seriously, and we have tons of wonderful and cheesily hilarious pictures thanks to him! When we finished with the Fort, Shaddab took us to an awesome local spot that gave us a sneak peak of the Taj from the opposite side!

After spending almost 4 hours out in Agra we went back to our beautiful hotel and went to to spa. As you walk in, there's white marble with pomegranate red inlay and a fountain directly ahead. We both got beautiful massages, but before was almost just as amazing. We each went our separate ways into the men and women's areas which each had an infrared room, a steam room, and a jacuzzi! I spent time in all three and even took a hot shower before (and after) the massage. After our spa session we went got all dressed up, had a few drinks at the bar and enjoyed dinner in the hotel.

The next morning we were out the door by 6:30 AM on our way to see the Taj Mahal! We arrived and Shaddab bought our tickets. He bought a foreign one for Ryan (about $15.00) and an Indian ticket for me (about $0.30). Yes you read that right, the price difference is that enormous. He told me if anyone asked to just say I was from Chennai. I knew that if I even opened my mouth and said one word they would know I was American. Regardless I got in the Indian women's line (about 1/10 the length of the Foreign Men line Ryan was in). I kept my mouth shut and started playing with the two toddlers who were with the woman ahead of me. I stuck close to them and the guard tore my ticket without a second glance. Just behind me he started yelling at two girls (who were speaking to him in Hindi), saying that he didn't believe they were Indian citizens and made them take out their IDs! Needless to say I was really glad I had managed to scrape through!

I waited for everyone to get through the men's line and then we headed in to see the Taj! It truly is indescribable, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

We were still in awe as we headed back to the hotel. We were exhausted from the thrill of the whole weekend. We ordered room service, took a quick nap and checked out. We called Dharminder and asked if he wouldn't mind picking us up a little later than we had planned. We ended our trip with a beautiful afternoon poolside :-)