Feb 18: Taj Mahal

No sooner had we arrived in Agra we gulped down a rushed lunch (in quite a swish hotel) than we were whisked away to the Taj Mahal.  The sunset run!  Which we're thrilled to bits with because it was sunny and the sky is clear.  Being a Saturday it's one of the busiest days of the week.  Must say though, that the crowds are now handled a lot better, a lot more orderly than last time.

Luck was on our side in that direction too - just as we entered the mausoleum itself, the very heart of the Taj Mahal, a Bollywood movie star chose to view it too, along with his entourage of minders and photographers.  So while he was there the guards closed off the area for other tourists.  For 5 minutes we were sealed away from the crowds - along with the movie star, Sanjay Dutt, though his infamy was wasted on us of course.  We even managed to take photos of the graves inside the mausoleum, which is normally banned!  You can just make them out through the marble trellis.

Both times we've been here they have said, you should have been here yesterday when the ponds were filled with water!  Today they are cleaning.  Yes ... We believe you!

They've also started cleaning the Taj itself, and changing it from the honey colour I loved to a more startling white.  You can see the difference here above and below the scaffolding.  Even so, it's a stunning building.