On the way to Agra and the Taj Mahal....

The drive to Agra was exciting again, this time we encountered 'ghost-driving' trucks and buses on the highway three times.

Such multi-hour car rides fly by, because there is always something to see, like completely overcrowded buses, cows leisurely passing the highway, transports of all kinds of things;).

Another advantage of transportation by private driver is the possibility to make a stop at attractive places along the way to the actual destination.

First, we made a short stop at the Monkey Temple, a popular place for monkeys as the name suggests.

The cheerful ladies quickly wrapped us in veils for more selfies;)

Then we visited Fatehpur Sikri, also known as the Ghost City. It was built in the 16th century on the order of Akbar the Great, with the aim of creating the perfect city in the desert.

However, the water supply failed, and shortly after Akbar's death, the population abandoned the city. The mosque and palace buildings are still well-preserved and very impressive. We met a young tour guide who did his job very skillfully and happened to have scattered half of his relatives within the complex, who offered practically everything from handicrafts to jewelry and clothing.

Since it is currently off-season here, the sources of income are limited to relatively few foreign tourists, and understandably, they are courted intensively😉.

As soon as you leave a tourist attraction, you are sometimes immediately approached by 5 or more vendors, all of whom tell very eloquent and dramatic stories about why you absolutely have to buy. Sometimes you are offered quite peculiar souvenirs - my favorite so far is a huge whip;).

In Agra itself, the absolute highlight is the Taj Mahal, which is surrounded by a particularly romantic charm and is truly stunningly beautiful. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to see it in person.

It is recommended to visit at sunrise, as there are only a few visitors at this time. So, after purchasing the tickets elsewhere, we arrived there at 5:30 am. Accompanied by Harry, a very knowledgeable guide, we spent more than two hours exploring the entire area and he provided us with highly interesting insights into the history and architecture. It was a long-cherished dream of mine to come here, and I will certainly not forget this atmosphere.

We will also not forget the countless street children we encountered here.