So leaving Varanasi Amy and i set off on the night train a mere 12 hour journey.
We settled into our bunks and had a cup of chai and chatted away.
The night passed and i woke to Amy drawing my attention to a young Indian chap who seemed very groggy even for an early morning. Well apparently he had been drugged and had all his stuff stolen. He was lucky to have his brother with him but it was unpleasant to see. I had slept with my valuables under my head so nothing of mine went missing.
We arrived and caught a rickshaw to our chosen hotel and i felt the excitement of being in another new place. We thought our rooms OK and settled in. I went up to the roof garden and there she stood the beautiful Taj Mahal in all her glory.
Pictures are on face book for those not already reading this from there.
We wandered around the market to get a feel for the place.
While on the train we met a nice Finish couple Kai and Eve who we hooked up with to do a day tour starting at six am. This was definitely the best time to go, nice light and less people.
It is a wonderful building constructed by Shah Jihan in the mid 17Th C as a monument to his wife who died giving birth to their 14Th son. The poor guy was overthrown by one of his sons and thrown into prison where he could only look at his creation. The story has a sort of happy ending though as they are both buried side by side.
I love the building and its intricate marble decoration but i love the idea of a monument to love even more and now i have seen it and as a hopeless romantic it is one i needed to cross off my list.
Unfortunately i left my wife a year ago almost to the day and then broke up with a hopeless relationship a few days ago so felt a lot of mixed emotions...........AND then the ****! hit the fan and i got ill so off to hospital i trundled and spent four days recovering with i may say excellent medical care. Thank god for insurance.
I was off to Kathmandu but need too much strength for the mountains so am recovering fully in Delhi while deciding on my next move.
