Today we had another early start taking a train down to Agra, giving us another opportunity to see what life is like outside the major cities. On arrival in Agra, we were greeted by our tour guide, Haji, then went to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal which is the world’s most recognisable testament of one man’s love. It was something that we’d all been anticipating with high expectation and we weren’t disappointed. The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan, after his beloved wife, Mumtaz, died giving birth to their fourteenth child. Her death was predicted because she had heard the baby crying in the womb during pregnancy which was a sign of bad luck. In anticipation, she made her husband agree to three final wishes:rnrn1. Never marry another womanrn2. Look after the children rn3. Build a beautiful tomb for herrnHe kept all three promises, the third resulting in the Taj Mahal.rnrnBy learning about the story behind this it made us appreciate the tomb even more. Building commenced in 1621 after 17 designs, using 22,000 workers. The build was planned to be completed within 22 years. This number is sacred within the Islamic faith as it took 22 years to write the Koran. Furthermore, 22 can be seen throughout the design, for example 22 steps into the Taj. rnrnrnrnrnrnAll of us were in awe of the Taj. The white marble glistened in the blistering sunlight and we could not believe how large it actually was; as you enter the gardens and look at the Taj, what look like ants at the foot of the building are actually people! Our guide was very knowledgeable throughout the tour providing us with a detailed explanation. His knowledge of where to take photographs was brilliant and we have all come away with some fantastic shots.rnrnrnrnrnrnAfter seeing the Taj Mahal we travelled to the Agra Fort by camel cart; this was a new experience which all of us enjoyed and Joe, Millie and Sabina even got to sit on the camel’s back! rnrnrnrnrnrnThe fort itself was very impressive, boasting two moats and a fine palace within. The most interesting part of this was that Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj, was held under house arrest by his own son who believed his father was wasting the family’s wealth and fortune. The fort has gained so many different characteristics over its hundreds of years of existence, including the mosque for prayer, graves, the room in which the Emperor was held and now 75% of it provides headquarters for the Indian Army.rnrnrnrnrnrnAfter a long day in the sun the time had come to have lunch then relax at our hotel, some of us taking a dip in the swimming pool.rnTomorrow we look forward to making the journey to Varanasi which involves travelling back to Delhi by coach to take an internal flight. We aim to arrive at our destination by 6pm and shall fill you in on our adventures. Once in Varanasi tomorrow evening, we shall be spending the following two days watching the sun rise over the Ganges by boat; walking through the streets of Varanasi; visiting Sarnath, the Cradle of Buddhism; spending a morning with the Jesu Ashram fraternity of the Little Sisters of Jesus based in Varanasi and finally boarding the overnight train to Kolkata.rn

Last night we dined at The Crystal and all enjoyed a delicious curry together with our guide. rnrnrnrnWe returned to the Golden Temple to see “the putting to bed ceremony”. Everyone really enjoyed and it was a very special experience which impressed everyone. We returned to our hotel and all went straight to bed as we had to get up at 3.45 am to catch a train back to Delhi.rnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnThis morning was an early start. We caught our train back to Delhi where we checked back into our first hotel. Most of us went to sleep and for the rest of the day we relaxed, took a walk to the market and we enjoyed bonding as a group. rnrnTomorrow we shall be touring Delhi, Mother Teresa’s Shishu Bhavan, Gandhi’s memorial and cremation sites, the Jama Masjid mosque and the India gate.rnrnWe would also like to thank you all for your comments and especially the children at St. John’s for their continued interest in the trip.rnrnBig hugs and kisses to everyone. rnrnxxxxx

Our trusty leader Admiral C. Weldon had bravely survived her ordeal of biting into a vegetable pakora yesterday which was in fact a whole green chilli. No harm done. We were all ready for the off to Amritsar at 5.45 am after an early breakfast – Joe won the omelette eating competition managing 41! New Delhi station at daybreak was a revelation with many early morning travellers: baggage bearing porters; weighing machines with flashing lights; people sleeping soundly; cartons, canisters and other cargo waiting to be loaded onto the blue Shatabdi Express which was to take us to Amritsar, a journey of some 6 hours duration. rnrnrnrnDuring the journey we went through the Indian countryside, going past many rural dwellings. Lots of people were flying kites which, we think, represented the welcoming of the new spring season. We then arrived in Amritsar and we were greeted by our guide, Aman, who took us to our hotel where we had some lunch. rnrnWe then went to the Wagha border to see the Closing the Border Ceremony at the gates between India and Pakistan. At the ceremony people had the chance to hold the Indian flag, school children danced to the music and celebrated in preparation for the Ceremony. The Ceremony concluded with the border flags being lowered at the same rate. Afterwards we walked back to our coach. As we were walking back many young people became very interested in us and took pictures of us and asked us where we were from. They were all very friendly.rnrnrnrnrnrnrnrnWe returned to our hotel, had an hour to relax before having supper together. Now off to bed, getting ready for our second day of the adventure in Amritsar where we shall be visiting the Golden Temple. rn