49 degrees. That was the temperature in Agra on the second day of our 10 day trip of northern India, and it didn't get much cooler for the rest of our vacation. Although the heat was at times oppressive, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
Our first stop was Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal. We awoke at 5:15 a.m. to see the Taj at first light and it didn't disappoint us, living up to its reputation.
At the Agra Fort, we encountered a group of 30 beautiful Chinese women in coordinated outfits. Turns out they were contestants of the Hong Kong beauty pageant shooting footage for the upcoming event.
Our second stop was Jaipur, which is known as the "Pink City" (because of its many pink buildings). We hired a guide to see the major sites, including the Palace of Winds, Jantar Mantar (a medieval astronomical observatory), the City Palace, and Amber Fort.
The entryway of our hotel in Jaipur - like many other buildings in Rajistan - was ornately decorated in beautiful tiled mirrors.
Our train journey to Jaisalmer proved to be an adventure. Delayed by close to 3 hours, we didn't get going until 3 a.m. At one of the dusty stops, I ventured off the train in search of some refreshments (we had been told by a fellow passenger that we'd be in the station for 15 minutes). I nearly gave Pearce a heart attack when the train began to move only a minute or two later (thankfully I heard the whistle and ran into one of the other train cars before it left).
In the second picture below, you can see Pearce's berth. In second class, there are four berths, plus two on the end. In reality, there isn't a whole lot of difference between first, second, and third class A/C, although you pay 50%-100% more for each subsequent class (and get a little more space/privacy).
In the second picture below, you can see Pearce's berth. In second class, there are four berths, plus two on the end. In reality, there isn't a whole lot of difference between first, second, and third class A/C, although you pay 50%-100% more for each subsequent class (and get a little more space/privacy).
Jaisalamer is a picturesque city on the edge of the Thar desert in Western Rajistan. Unlike all the other forts we visited, it is still inhabitated today. Our hotel was located within the fort's walls and since we were the only guests, we were lucky enough to be upgraded to a room with a wonderful view of the city below!
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One evening we toke a jeep ride out into the desert for a camel ride. On the way, we stopped at a monument where a wedding party was taking pictures (you can see the bride below).
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