A road sign at the start of the highway had shown the distance to Agra as 184km and I was thinking why did our driver say that the journey would take 4-4.5 hrs? If we travel at a conservative speed of 90km/h, it should take like 2 hours tops.
The answer?
What we understand as a highway does not apply here. This highway is not a dedicated road with marked exits at regulated distances. It's more like a two lane road that passes through townships and industrial areas.
As we approach the townships, the car speed drops to around 30km/h and other times, the car is more likely to be trailing behind large container trucks who cannot keep left. Most times, the car was travelling around 60-70km/h.
Second Stop: Agra
Main attraction of Agra is of course the Taj Mahal. Before the trip, I often wondered if this is worth the long car ride from Delhi and if my expectations of it would be too high having read and heard so much about it. Well, I can tell you now that it is all worth it!
Nothing can really prepare you for the sight. No matter how many pictures you might have seen before of this place, to see it for yourself is really a visual feast. The marble white building set against a clear sky and the symmetry of the Taj really is awesome. I am not sure if a person can get tired of looking at it.
The answer?
What we understand as a highway does not apply here. This highway is not a dedicated road with marked exits at regulated distances. It's more like a two lane road that passes through townships and industrial areas.
As we approach the townships, the car speed drops to around 30km/h and other times, the car is more likely to be trailing behind large container trucks who cannot keep left. Most times, the car was travelling around 60-70km/h.
Second Stop: Agra
Main attraction of Agra is of course the Taj Mahal. Before the trip, I often wondered if this is worth the long car ride from Delhi and if my expectations of it would be too high having read and heard so much about it. Well, I can tell you now that it is all worth it!
Nothing can really prepare you for the sight. No matter how many pictures you might have seen before of this place, to see it for yourself is really a visual feast. The marble white building set against a clear sky and the symmetry of the Taj really is awesome. I am not sure if a person can get tired of looking at it.
We were lucky that there was no queue that day and we were able to just walk inside Taj Mahal. Our guide tells us that on some days, the wait can be three hours long. I didn't think much about the interior and it didn't help that it is very crowded around the tomb. Having been inside, I will say that it is not worth the 3 hour queue if there is one and I would much rather spend that time admiring the exterior of the Taj.
Take note that it is closed on Friday and because of that Thursdays and Saturdays are usually very crowded.
Take note that it is closed on Friday and because of that Thursdays and Saturdays are usually very crowded.
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| Akbar's tomb |
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| First view of the Taj Mahal |
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| No pictures can show the grandeur of it all |
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| Agra Fort |
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| View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort |
2 comments:
Nice blog. Its very useful. Thanks.
Golden Triangle Trip Awesome Post .
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