I really can not believe that I have been here a month already. The time has flown by even though I feel like I've been here forever and not in a bad way. Although I am here for work reasons I had been sure to make time to visit some of India's amazing sights. For once I have done what I never do back home and allow myself to be a tourist.
My first week here some of my India work colleagues were kind enough to take us to visit India Gate, a war memorial built in memory of the 82000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who died during World War 1. It had finally hit me, even after being here for a few days already, I was in India. We went around dusk and with the lights used around this monument it really helped to emphasise it's beauty.
Since being here I have also been fortunate enough to visit Agra the home of the Taj Mahul and it's Red Fort. I now thoroughly know why this is named as one of the 7 wonders of the world. I was completely consumed and in awe of its amazing architecture and the story behind how it became. Standing in the middle of one of the world's greatest pieces of architectural history you can not help but feel some kind of emotion. Add to that sharing the experience with some amazing people, most of which I had not long known, all made for a truly unique and perfect day.
Our group left Delhi for Agra around 1am. Because we were so many we decided to hire a coach for the day which worked out approximately £12.50 per person between 24 of us. We arrived just outside the Taj around 5:25 am and we're hoping to see the sunrise at 6am. However due to the time it took to buy our tickets, queue and go through security amongst other things we just missed it. Never the less on entering, the view was still well worth the 11pm wake up.
Every inch of the grounds has been so beautifully crafted all of which by hand. Our guide was quite comprehensive in he's talk of the history of the Taj of which is such a beautiful story of love. The marble it is made of is still in such amazing condition after all these hundreds of years and parts of which embedded with many precious stones.
By 9am our tour of the Taj had already come to an end but as we were leaving the grounds, apart from the vast amount of kids trying to sell us snow globes, we were met by a few other locals.
After some breakfast at a near by restaurant we were off to our second venue of the day the Red Fort. This was equally as breathtaking as the Taj with just as much history behind it.
I'm here for another 5 months and can not wait to explore so much more of India and to share my adventures with you. This week I'm hoping to finally get to visit the Lotus Temple situated in the south of Delhi so I look forward to sharing that with you soon.
