India Day 8 - Agra and the Taj Mahal

This morning we were up at 6am and no brekkie as it's a 7am bus to Agra fort. The fog is so thick that it is very hard to get a scale of the fort but the perimeter is apparently 2.5 km long. Built in the 1720's and added to, it was never breached until the British and has a large moat (which had crocodiles), inner and outer massive walls and then a single small entry which goes up a long ramp from where they could roll large boulders down in case of entry much like in Indiana Jones movie.
Had a great guide who explained everything very clearly with a few light hearted jokes and a couple of magic tricks.
Saw the spot where the king was imprisoned by his no 3 son who killed the other 3 to gain power and then overthrew his father. At least he could see the memorial and burial tomb of his beloved wife from this spot, the Taj Mahal from a distance. Not today though, lucky if could see 10m in front of you.
After this we stopped for breakfast ( simple toast, coffee and juice) and then went to a rug / carpet making facility. This is a government employment initiative for the locals after the shutdown of the factories to reduce pollution which was having a detrimental effect on the Taj Mahal. They now employ people in their homes to spin the wool and make the rugs. Use of vegetable or mineral dyes with good quality Australian and New Zealand Merino wool and the traditional method of weaving. A large carpet can take anywhere up to seven months to complete. They can earn 10,000 to 30,000 rupee per person per month based on experience and this can lead to a good household wage. Told about 50000 rupee per month is a good income in this area. Showed the whole process from pattern painting through to colour fixing and hand cutting the finished product before the sales pitch. Isabel bought a small carpet which will be shipped home, and every time someone bought something they all stopped and clapped. A fun and genuine experience.
Now it was back on the bus and off to the Taj Mahal as miraculously the fog had almost lifted. It was mayhem with long lines but once again the efficiency of the Indian entry line continued for foreigners with the "High Value" line, which led to immediate entry after a security scan and body rub down. As at most attractions there are local and foreigners pricing and entry. Here was 500 rupee for us which gave quick entry and 25 rupee for locals with massive lines, we did enjoy the High Value reference though.
The Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders and it certainly is. Breathtaking, beautiful, ethereal; use whatever term you wish and it will still fall short of witnessing it in person, truly a wonderful moment in your life.
We spent about 2 and a half hours looking around before finally meeting back at our rendezvous, ( and a crap coffee) to head back to the hotel, grab our bags and jump on the bus for the trip to Tordi.
We left Agra at 4.45 pm on a large bus/coach ( we all had 2 seats each) arranged by Intrepid due to the delays we'd had. First experience just out of town was doing a three point U turn on a four lane highway to get access to the on ramp; only in India :-)
The supposedly 6 hour trip once again kept extending out and was a ride that could have been used to create Crash Bandicoot; crazy. Mostly staying in the middle of two lanes or on the right and then passing on the left. I think this is so the trucks, cars and buses don't hit the bikes, tuktuk's, rickshaws, people and cars going the wrong way who stick to the far left, as I said crazy and no hope of sleep as I was in the front and could see everything!!!! We did at one stage pass a head on between two cars and the only explanation I can think of was one was on the wrong side of the road waiting for a break in the median strip (about 2m wide concrete) to get back on the correct side, not sure about injuries but smashed windscreen and driver not looking good.
We stopped about 3 hours in and grabbed some sugar fix and chips before continuing on about 74 km from Jaipur. This took about 90 minutes and we skirted around the bottom side of Jaipur. Priyanka said we were about 30 minutes from our destination and it was 9.45pm so looks like we are making it there for New Year's  Eve. So the road went from dual lanes down to single down to narrow bitumen and finally dirt and cows, massive feed lorries, tractors and anything else you can imagine. Finally at 11.55 pm (gotta love indian perception of time) on the 31st December we arrived at our place for the night, the Tordi Garh, a private heritage property in the village of Tordi. As we walked up the dirt laneway from the bus they let off some fireworks for us and promptly took us up to the balcony for dinner which had been prepared for our earlier arrival time. Tomato soup followed by buffet of chicken, cauliflower curry dish, chickpea flour balls curry and paneer spinach curry, all excellent, even though I did not eat the meat as trying vego for this trip. Had a very nice Indian wine,  a Luna Cabernet Shiraz. A great end to a long day and off to bed finally a bit after 1.30am.
Priyanka has been kind to us and said we don't have to be down for breakfast till 8am. This trip is hectic and erratic eating hours don't help. Must say , think I'm over the diorreaha now, yah !!