Well, my 12-hour night train was 4 hours late this morning, so I didn’t arrive in time for sunrise (one of the better, less crowded times to see the Taj Majal).
More importantly, as a group of Korean women on the train (who gave me some of their dinner last night, as they had too much food) pointed out, it’s “off” today. i.e. Closed. On a Friday! Oops, I missed that. In fact, I didn’t think to check it after my scare about Ellora and Ajanta caves being closed (the latter on Mon, the former on Tue – luckily I visited them the right way, or they would have both been closed on me!)
Oh well. I can’t say I was that incredibly keen to visit the Taj Majal (a World Heritage site) – it seemed like I “had” to. It does indeed look just like in the postcards (which is what a few travellers told me. Though to really appreciate it you have to see the intricate marble work up close.
Tip: Don’t expect the train to arrive on time. Very rare. Especially if you are counting on a pre-sunset arrival to view sunset somewhere special!
Tip: Double-check opening and closing times and days for major monuments or things you absolutely want to see, to avoid only being here when closed!
So I visited the Red Fort (also a World Heritage site), which was OK – two of the more interesting bits I wanted to see there were closed for renovations.
It’s one of the finest Mughal forts in India, from the 17th C. All red sandstone and white marble:
I did have a great view of the Taj Majal from the rooftop Shanti Lodge resto at lunchtime (in the Taj Ganj district immediately south of the Taj Mahal).
But I can’t get any closer to it, as I leave on a night train again tonight, for Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
In the photo with me in it, the structure on the left is the (main) south gate to the Taj Majal compound.
