A Weekend in Agra

Wah Taj!

As cliche as it may sound, the above title seemed the most appropriate for this post. After twenty some years of having lived in India, I had never seen the Taj Mahal in person.

Earlier last month, I finally made a trip down to go and see one of the most photographed and talked about wonders of the world. The epitome of love. Mar(b)elous beauty. Her whiteness shone bright in the rays of the rising sun. We braved the soaring June heat to have a tour of the much talked about wonder.

I was awestruck at first. It looked exactly like I had seen it in movies, making me feel like a part of the 35 mm screen. 7 am and it was over flowing with tourists like myself. I managed to click a few shots without people getting in my way. We took a tour ourselves as advised by our friendly taxi guy.What really stood out to me was the empty space marked off for the Black Taj Mahal on the other side of the river Yamuna, where Shah Jehan had wanted to be laid to rest, right across from his lady love - Mumtaz Mahal. Of course, it never was built once his son, Aurangzeb came to power.

I could see quite a few love stories blooming there. Young couples walking hand in hand, taking selfies. Of course, it was tough for us (i.e. me) to resist taking pictures as well. As grand as the Taj Mahal is from the outside, it is equally humble inside. Stark white walls, minimal stone work and small prayer rooms is what you encounter inside.

The beautiful Mughal gardens must be a delight to walk around in, on a cool winter evening. 

Till next time!

Seasons

Seasons come and go
The road gets thinner, the light gets dimmer
In the moonlight, your smile glimmers
Makes me feel like a winner.

Trails blazed, paths chased
Sunrises glazed with warmth.
Countries beckon, reason reckons
Life opens a brand new door.

- Saachi Dhillon

Around Kerala in 7 Days - In a Caravan - Munnar

   

We passed a lot of fruit plantations on our way from Kochi to Munnar. You could see tiny pineapples, bananas and guavas peeking out from under the trees. A delightful sight which you wouldn't come across in normal life. Bananas in all colours were being sold on the roadsides. I even saw some fruit I did not recognise, looked a lot like custard apples. 

On the way to Munnar

Being the rainy season, there were waterfalls of all sizes that had sprung up on hill sides, adding charm to the already breathtaking scenery. We stopped at a big one to take pictures. Greenery surrounded us. We passed through some thick forests and could feel a dip in temperature. Our driver suggested we stop at a Spice Garden to pick up fresh spices. It was a well laid out nursery with medicinal herbs, herbal plants, flower plants and spice plants. The owner gave us a tour of the nursery; while sharing valuable information about the healing properties of various plants. My friend picked up a herbal face creme. I picked up a lot of fresh spices for home.

                        

We reached our guest house late evening. It had a beautiful garden and a fantastic view of the unending tea plantations. The next day, after breakfast, we set out to explore Munnar. It was a lovely, sunny day. The air was cool and crisp. We went to Eravikulam National Park, home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr as well as several species of rare animals, birds and butterflies. We were enveloped by the mist once we reached the park entrance. We walked about 500 mts to catch a glimpse of the  very unique looking - Nilgiri Tahr and took a few pictures. 

View from the hotel

Mist everywhere

Nilgiri Tahr

After this, we went to the Tata Tea Museum & Gardens for a stroll and got some lovely shots of us. In the evening, we treated ourselves to an authentic Shirodhara Ayurvedic massage in a blink-and-you-will-miss-it massage parlour, recommended by a local. It was definitely the strangest massage experience I have ever had. I was made to lay on a wooden bed, which wasn't comfortable for obvious reasons. I couldn't switch off and enjoy the experience as I was very aware of my surroundings. This was also the first time I left a massage parlour with oil all over my body. I would still recommend it though :p

Later,we got some funny, oily pictures out of it. 

Tea Gardens everywhere

Thekaddy, Periyar National Park, was our next stop.