Well good morning good morning.
Today we are in Agra (आगरा).
How excited are you?
Super excited.
I mean 'hey guess what' there is a little kind of tiny attraction here we might be visiting.
Maybe the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल).
Maybe, we might work in a little time for that.
Still haven't figured it out but.
Okay, so here is the deal.
The Taj Mahal (ताजमहल) is actually closed on Fridays and we didn't realize that
until we got here.
So we can't visit today but instead we're going to visit Agra Fort (आगरा का
किला).
Yeah.
And maybe the Baby Taj Mahal.
Yeah, and the good news is that I've actually been to Agra (آگرہ) before and I've been
to Agra Fort (आगरा का किला) and it is one of the most impressive I've
ever visited in India.
If this fort was outside of Agra (आगरा) it would be a standalone attraction in another
city.
So we're going to go check that out today and maybe check out the Taj from across the
river.
And then we have to buy tickets for the Taj.
Can't forget that.
Right so busy day actually.
Let's begin.
Agra Fort (आगरा का किला) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws
big numbers, especially on a Friday when the Taj is closed.
Admission to Agra Fort (आगरा का किला) is through the Amar Singh Gate,
which is the south gate.
Outside the gates you’ll find guides offering their services, so that’s something you
can keep in mind if you’re looking to learn about the fort’s history and architecture.
So we've been getting all of these like teaser views of the Taj.
Last night we had it during dinner and today we have this.
And I think we're going to get one more vantage point later on in the day.
And then finally tomorrow we actually visit it.
Once you walk through a series of gates, you’ll find yourself in a giant complex of marble
palaces, inner courtyards and gardens, complete with wild monkeys running along the fort’s
walls.
You also get some pretty cool views of the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल) off in the
distance - but we’ll show you an even better lookout point later in this video.
So we think this lady is a gardener because it looks like she is picking weeds but she's
also taking a little break at the same time.
Just pulling out some grass.
Well good evening.
We are back from our day of sightseeing at the fort.
Our hotel room is a little bit messy for a tour right now but we're going to head downstairs
because we're having dinner and we're actually doing a homestay so they just finished cooking
up something really nice.
So yeah we're going to share a meal with all of the other guests and it should be good.
Let's go.
Well Sam are you ready for dinner?
Ready for dinner!
Always ready for dinner.
How hungry are you?
Always.
I'm in hungry hippo mode.
Hungry hippo mode.
Let's go down.
We stayed at The Coral Court Homestay which is a beautiful property run by a very kind
and attentive couple, and one of the highlights of that stay was the food.
We had the most delicious vegetarian curries made with eggplant, pumpkin, and paneer, and
I’m still thinking about those meals to this day!
Well good morning.
Today is finally the big day.
The big day.
It is Saturday the Taj is open again.
We got our tickets this morning.
Sam was up at seven in the morning.
My Dad and I we went and grabbed them and yeah.
So then we had a nice leisurely breakfast.
So we decided not to go right at sunset.
We decided to take it a little bit easy but now we're here and really excited to go inside.
Let's go in.
So first impressions we've only just entered through the East Gate and we're already like
wow.
We haven't even seen the Taj yet but the buildings leading up to it are exquisite so I can't
wait to see the Taj itself.
The Taj Mahal (ताजमहल) was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third
wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631.
He wrote that the beauty of the structure made “the sun and the moon shed tears from
their eyes”, and while I may not have shed a tear, it’s a sight that did not disappoint.
So it is not a very long walk from the entrance to the Taj but we've been taking our time
slowly meandering taking lots of family photos and selfies.
So we are finally here now we're going to go drop our shoes off and finally enter the
Taj Mahal (ताजमहल).
Okay, so we got these fancy little shoe covers to wear.
Um, once we step on to the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल).
So let's put these on.
So classy.
Do they fit your big feet?
Hahaha.
Yep.
They do fit but man this is just going to look really funny.
There is one.
They look like elf shoes.
Urgh.
Look at that.
There is the other.
Parade around in them.
Tada.
Show me your elf shoes?
Da da dah.
Elf shoes.
Forward.
Let's go in.
We're going to cover up them crocs and socks.
Crocs and socks.
Crocs and socks and shoe covers.
Oh la lah.
Now let's show off the full outfit.
Oh yeah.
Sam looks like he is going skiing.
I'm ready.
Ready?
We've only been here for 2 hours he says.
Alright, let's do some thoughts from the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल).
Sam has been here before.
Yeah, this is my second time.
Well the 1st thing that I want to talk about is uh it is so nice visiting it healthy.
The last time I came here I had food poisoning and I kind of had to drag myself here on the
final day that I was in Agra (आगरा).
So it was really nice coming here feeling healthy and being able to just walk around
and take it in slowly.
That has been really nice.
And it is one of the those attractions that lives up to the hype.
It does.
Yes.
Some places you visit in person and you're like 'ugh' womp womp.
Not as amazing as I would have hoped but the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल) is simply incredible
and the thing that I really think is cool is that when you view it from different vantage
points, up close, from the side, from behind.
From inside the complex, the outside of the complex say on a rooftop.
It is just incredible from just about anywhere and it is one of those sites that is just
so worth visiting.
So we are doing lunch with a view once again.
Check it out.
We've got the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल).
After visiting the Taj, we exited through the South Gate and found a restaurant that
boasts one of the best views in town: Saniya Palace Restaurant.
The food took a long time to come and it was decent, but we were really here for the views.
The danger of standing under trees.
A bird just pooped in front of me.
It missed me by like a centimeter or two.
But anyways hello.
Hello.
It is day 3 in Agra (آگرہ) and today we're actually taking the night train to Varanasi.
Yep.
So we have all day.
So yeah we're basically killing time.
We did the two main things we wanted to do.
Obviously to go to the Taj and we also wanted to go to Agra Fort (आगरा का किला).
So today there is a couple cool things that we've got planned.
We're going to be doing a nature walk.
Taj Nature Walk.
And it is right by the East Gate of the Taj.
Yep.
It was only 100 Rupees to get a ticket so that is pretty cool.
And then later on today we're hoping to catch sunset from the Baby Taj (Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah
- اعتماد الدولہ کا مقبر).
So overlooking the Taj.
So yeah, it should be pretty awesome.
Alright, let's go enjoy the walk and avoid bird poop hopefully.
So this nature walk is located just east of the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल) and that
means we get some pretty cool views.
And we've spotted a peacock.
Hello peacock.
Hello.
What did we just see?
We saw a peacock.
Are you going to sing Katy Perry Peacock for us.
No, I'm not.
You keep making me try to do that.
Haha.
The Taj Nature Walk is one of Agra’s (आगरा) best-kept secrets and we only learned about
it thanks to our homestay family.
This nature walk was a stark contrast to Agra’s (آگرہ) busy streets and we hardly saw
anyone there, save for a few couples enjoying the views.
If you have time for it, I would suggest going in the morning when the light hits the Taj
just right.
It’s one of the best lookout points in Agra (आगरा).
Alright, so that was a really fun walk.
I think we all enjoyed it.
Yeah, we had some a lot of fun making silly poses you know by the Taj and it was just
really quiet and chill.
And after you know a really busy day at the Taj yesterday it was nice to kind of have
a relaxing moment here at the park.
Later that afternoon we went to visit the Baby Taj (Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah - اعتماد
الدولہ کا مقبر), which is a white marble mausoleum covered in semi-precious
stones.
This structure was built for the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal, and she is the woman the
Taj Mahal (ताजमहल) was built for.
There are pigeons inside the tomb.
Last afternoon in town.
Sam is filming and I am interrupting his shot.
Come join the frame.
So we made it to the Baby Taj Mahal (Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah - اعتماد الدولہ
کا مقبر).
We're here.
It is different from the Taj.
How would you describe it?
Oh, it is so much smaller.
It is a lot smaller.
Yeah, it would be worth coming here first I would say rather than what we're doing at
the end.
Are you feeling underwhelmed?
It is a little underwhelming after you've seen the Taj to be honest.
But I mean we are killing time waiting for the trains so we're lucky to have a few things
left to do.
Yeah, I've noticed this one has a lot of designs and geometric patterns on the exterior.
It is a lot more elaborate.
Yep.
As opposed to the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल).
That is one of the cool things.
Also there is far fewer people here.
So it is nice to just be able to walk around and have it more to yourself.
So our last stop of the day is the Mehtab Gardens (मेहताब बाग़ - مہتاب
باغ‎,) which are directly behind the Taj Mahal (ताजमहल) so you get
some pretty cool views.
The Taj is hiding just behind us over there.
Just over there and unfortunately we can't stay until sunset when it is supposed to be
spectacular.
It is uh we're a couple of hours away from that but we still thought we'd come and check
it out anyways.
Yeah, so that is a wrap from Agra (आगरा).
We've really enjoyed our time here and there is definitely a lot more to see than just
the Taj and hopefully we were able to show you just a little bit of that.
And yeah, next up is Varanasi so see you soon.
We've got a long train ride ahead.
Ciao for now.