We were very lucky to see the full magnificent beauty of the Taj unfold itself from the mist and fog that surrounds it these days in winter. The heavy fog is an unfortunate condition due in part to global warming and pollution and it keeps the Taj shrouded for most of the day. The previous day it was not seen at all so we were lucky that the fog cleared to give us a fab display. Early mornings are particularly bad so we decided to leave it till later in the day and spent appx 3-4 hours there. We also went across the river to the park (Maktabha Bagh) where you can see the back view of the Taj which was magnificent and our first close up view. It was definitely worth going there first as it is not busy at all and has a great view. Also on the way to this park you see people drying colourful sarees on teh ground and that mad a beautful picture too.
Agra itself is a dump and the population is pretty poor and this shows everywhere. It is unfortunate that no effort has been made by the govt to improve the most visited tourist city in India.
It was full moon night but we missed going to see the Taj as there is very high security these days for night visits.
Visited the Oberoi Amar Villas (most expensive hotel in India) and had dinner there. Not much to write home about. Apparantly a certain Mr Gates has been following us.
