Today is our last road trip and it is actually only a day trip from Delhi to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Once again I have had to drag Mia out of bed so we could beat the traffic coming out of Delhi. (Maybe she knows how I feel now for all the times she dragged me out of bed back at home!) Once out of the city we hit the highway and this has been the first time I have seen empty open roads! No cows, tractors, potholes, rickshaws...hardly a car on the road! It was kind of refreshing and we cruised to Agra in about 3 hours without interruption. However once we were off the highway it was back to the traffic madness. We made our way through a busy town in stop and go traffic and finally turned off into a parking lot filled with camels, horses, rickshaws and electronic shuttles. We could have walked the 1 km but why do that when you can take a carriage pulled by a camel? After some price negotiations, we climbed up and settled in and right away we got bombarded with guys trying to sell us a tour of the Taj. This one guy was so persistent and wouldnt give up, he rode on the back of our carriage almost to the entrance. After 10 minutes of telling him no he finally gave up. At the entrance security was tight and you couldn't bring more than a purse, cell phone and a bottle of water inside. Both Mia and I got patted down, then my purse got searched and went through the scanner. Like cattle, we were all hearded through the entry way but then it appeared through the archway. Everyone had cameras and cell phones out trying to snap a picture while pushing their way through. It was a constant battle to get pictures in just the right spot while also trying to manage Mia. She was cranky and didn't seem to care about where we were and I ended up carrying her through most of the Taj. It was pretty amazing to see the beautiful craftsmanship and detail that was put into this structure. It was a quick trip inside because the only thing to see was where the tomb was, then you make your way around and you are back outside. We were all hungry and hot so we headed to the exit to find a place to eat. On the way out, we walked through corridors of archways and took some cool pics of Mia running. We ended up at a beautiful Radisson hotel and the food was amazing. After lunch we were supposed to take a tour of the Red Fort but Mia was so tired and I am sure its not a stroller friendly place. So we called it a day and are heading back to Delhi. Only a few more days and we will be coming home!
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