In the morning we took it slow (short pool swim and a great coffee at Costa(life saver)) only to be picking up to full tourist speed in the afternoon. On to the Sikandra Mausoleum for the great ruler Akbar, the prolific builder/ mongol emperor around Agra and Delhi. Next was the “Baby Taj” or the Itmad-ud-Daula’s Tomb , this is the imspiration that lead to the design and building of the Taj Mahal later. This is nicely located at the banks of the river Yamuna that runs through Agra city.
Our hotel in Agra wasn’t something to be shouting from the roof tops so we were not too sad to head for the railway station in Agra. The railways in India are an experience in itself, with orphaned kids living on the platforms and more of the less privileged persons. Our guides guided us pretty much to our seats in the train. The train we took is called the “Shatabdi Express” and is the fastest train in India and was quite comfortable. Food was served, a bottle of water was included, and the distance was covered in 2 hours (195 km). This train can be used if visiting Agra (Taj Mahal) while staying in Delhi, and make the trip back and forth in one day.
[Impression of a small village between Agra and Rantambore]
Some bridges still date back to the time of the british rule and it shows:
