Day 5 (October 21, 2014)   Fatehpur Sikri and arrival to Agra

Before   


   This day will be spent on our trip to Agra. We should hire a car with driver to take us from our hotel in Jaipur to the one in Agra. In our way we’ll have to stops in mind for visiting Abhaneri and Fatehpur Sikri.

Route Jaipur - Agra

   The spots marked on this route are:

 A- Jaipur
 B- Abhaneri
 C- Fatehpur Sikri
 D- Agra

After

   At 8 AM our car is ready. It looks new and we get into it after a good breakfast and completing the check out from this fantastic hotel.

Pink City wallsPink City walls
















   On an around one hour’s ride we reach Abhaneri, in the middle of what looks like a village in the countryside. Admission is free, but the man in charge makes his best to help us on everything we can need looking for a final tip.

AbhaneriAbhaneri
















  We walk all around this peculiar well at our own and enjoying being this alone. This place is wonderful and we are back in the car 20 minutes and 50 Rs of tip later.

   The way to Fatehpur Sikri is quite longer and we reach it like three hours later. We’re thinking we can be in Agra for lunch time.

Tolls in the motorway to Agra

   Our driver explains we can go to the historical complex by bus or walking less than one kilometer and we choose wthe walk as we have a lot of hours seated in the car. Somehow, at half the way we already know we should choose the bus to save us from this heat.

Fatehpur Sikri wallsGate to Fatehpur Sikri
















  Ticket boxes are just at the left of the entrance and we get our tickets by 250 Rs each. Then we get the first courtyard of this city, all in a particular tone of red.

Fahtepur SikriViews from Fahtepur Sikri
















   The palaces are adding a magnificent environment to the large courtyards. One of them is called “Pachisi” it was used as board of a popular game which, in contrast to what the name can point, was an antecessor of our current Game of the Goose.

Fahtepur SikriFahtepur Sikri














Fahtepur SikriFahtepur Sikri


















   We explore this great city until be sure we’re not missing anything before leaving the fenced complex to approach to the Mosque, which is out of it and free. We reach the monumental gate to the Mosque and, as Eva doesn’t want to remove her shoes and there are a lot of touts over us, I finally refuse to get in and go back to the spot where the bus leaves back to the car parking. We pay 10 Rs each for the bus and are lucky enough to get a seat as we can see they fill the bus until can’t have another single standing person.

Mosque Gate in Fatehpur Sikri

   It’s around 3 PM when our driver delivers us in our hotel in Agra. We pay the price we agreed at Jaipur’s hotel desk: 5500 Rs by the trip from Jaipur to Agra with stop in Fatehpur Sikri, an extra of 700 Rs for the stop in Abhaneri and the tolls of the trip, which have been 360 Rs more.

Our room in Taj Resorts   After seeing how our room is fantastic again we go to the restaurant. We’re avoiding the spicy food one more time and order spring rolls and lasagna.

   The food is very good, but also slow, and our lunch takes almost two hours. At the desk we’ve been recommended to get the tickets for Taj Mahal now so we can go tomorrow morning to the monument with them. The ticket office close at 5:30 PM and we have still time. In my way to it I end talking with a rickshaw driver and close the deal to go to the other side of the river to get the amazing views of Taj Mahal from there by 300 Rs. When I get out from the ticket office with the tickets, which cost 750 Rs each, he drives me back to the hotel for free.

   The next ride is long between this chaotic traffic jam where Rangu, which is the name of our driver, can save with expertise. We’re going directly to Mentab Bah, the garden with the best views to the Indian wonder on the other side of Yamuna River, as the sun is leaving quickly.

   When we arrive the garden is closed – it closes at 5:30 PM – but we can reach the edge of the river by using a path along the fenced garden. There we can admire the magnificent Taj Mahal. The special light of the sunset we imagined is not here, though, as it is filtered by the resident cloud of pollution over this city.

Views of Taj Mahal from the Northern side of Yamuna RiverViews of Taj Mahal from the Northern side of Yamuna River
















  We’re not going to be able of visiting the baby Taj today as the night is already here. In our way back to the hotel we close the deal with Rangu for tomorrow until the time to take our train by 600 Rs. He refuses to be paid for today and we will call him when we check out the hotel tomorrow morning.

Taj Resorts Hotel dressed for DiwaliFolklore at Taj Resorts hall