March 3   Agra - Dehli

After our sunrise viewing of the Taj Mahal, we returned to the hotel for breakfast

and began the 4 hour journey back to Dehli.  These are street scenes in Agra, taken from the window of our speeding bus -- sometimes at speeds above 30kph.

Breakfast for a different group

 More roadside ablutions

 Agra resident sitting on the front porch

 Intraurban transportation

Drying dung piles

 Camel in the fields

 Side-saddle sari on a scooter

 The Yumana Expressway goes through a brick making region of India since the soil is just the right kind here.  The landscape was dotted with these large chimneys, most with just a wisp of smoke coming out.

 There were large piles of bricks all around

Hindu temple in Dehli

He doesn't seem very happy about his product

Downtown Dehli monuments

 India Gate

Humayun Tomb, the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.  This was constructed by the grandfather of the Taj builder.  I just now noticed the hand entering the picture on the right.

Not shown in these pictures is the tomb of the Royal Hairdresser, located to the right of the Humayum Tomb.  Not as big or as ornate but still, he got his own tomb.

 Back again to the Oberoi, with dinner on a different part of the rooftop terrace.

March 3  Taj Mahal

Back for sunrise

March 2  Taj Mahal

We had two visits to the Taj, a sunset visit and then sunrise the next day.

The bus can only come to about 3/4 mile from the Taj.  Instead of walking, we had extended golf cars for the electric glide drive to the Taj.

You enter through this gate.  Two lines, one for males, one for females.  There's a metal detector and search, and the genders must be kept separate.

 You enter a large courtyard with a red sandstone building at the far end

 Pass through the portal and

 there it is

 This is the view from the back of platform the Taj rests on.  On the left across the river is where the Amazing Race episode was filmed (I think).

 It was sunset as we left

 On the way back to the hotel, we passed the setup for an Indian wedding.  They seemed to be going on all the time.

March 2    Dehli - Agra

The morning was a bus ride from Dehli to Agra, now only 4 hours thanks to the new expressway.  Previously it had been 6 hours.

Swaminarayan Akshardham just something we passed along the road

 Ancient travel mode with modern communication technology

 One farming occupation -- drying cattle dung for fuel

 Washing along the river banks

 Nominal passenger carrying capacity of a tuk-tuk is three.  Here there are more than that just in the front seat

After lunch at our hotel, the ITC Mughal, it was a tour of Agra Fort, otherwise known as the Red Fort

Located just west of the Taj Mahal along the river, this red sandstone fort has some great views of the Taj

 One view is from the room of the Taj's builder, who was imprisoned here by his son (or I think that's what the story was)

 Impressive marble inlay on the buildings

 Interesting patterns

 Riding side-saddle in a sari on the scooter

Ablution along the road

 We visited a marble factory where they did the inlay by hand.  Lots were available for sale.

Next up is the Taj Mahal.  Picture uploads not working right now, so I'll try later.

March 1  Maldives to Dehli

It's been a few days since our last post, but as predicted, we've been away from the ship and our ability to sort/edit/post pictures.  And we came back with more than 3000 to choose from, so it's taken a few minutes to pick out the best.

On our run from the Seychelles to the Maldives there were a couple of diversions.  There was another line crossing ceremony for the slimy pollywogs that had boarded in Cape Town.  A significant difference -- due to the norovirus precautions in place, the royal fish wore a surgical mask.  The ice water cleansing still took place, and King Neptune and his Social Hostess looked very regal as always.

The next day a boat building competition culminated with sea trials in the swimming pool.  Boats had to float, carry at least a six-pack and display the Oceania logo.  Everything else was subject to the whimsy of the builders.  

We arrived early in the Maldives and anchored.  The airport is on a different island than the main city, so we tendered directly there on local boats, complete with luggage.We flew Sri Lankan Air from Male to Colombo, Sri Lanka and then on to Dehli.  Since we stopped there, we now can put a pin in our personal maps and claim Sri Lanka as a visited country.  Notice that even familiar beverages seem somehow foreign there.

After a long day of flying, we were in Dehli.  We arrived in rush hour, defined as between the hours of midnight to midnight.  At one point we covered less than a mile in 45 minutes. After that it opened up, and we flew the remaining 4 miles to the hotel in less than an hour.  Our guide explained to drive in Dehli you needed good brakes and a LOUD HORN. 
 

 Dinner at the Hotel Oberoi was on the rooftop terrace.  Very nice.

 Our doorman