On our second day in India, we drove from Delhi to Agra to see Agra fort and the famous Taj Mahal. The drive was long and tiring, but not at all boring. There were so many new things to see on the road like these:
Vendors selling…
Dead cow on the road…
Pedicabs for hire… 
Busy city streets…
We had experienced new things – crazy traffic, the heat, animals roaming around, the fields, and the vastness of dry idle lands it almost resemble a desert except it was peppered with barely green plants. What striked me was poverty. One can see the symbols of poverty everywhere – uncleanness, beggary, the barrenness and dryness of lands, starvation and scarcity of resources evident of the skinny weak animals roaming the streets, and the aggressiveness of people- they were touchy and pushy, trying to make you buy something, or make you pay for ridiculous things, or make you pose for a picture to which they demand payment. Ridiculous, right?! I have to be honest; it was not pleasant at all…
But as a prize, we were able to see the famous Taj Mahal (!).
Taj Mahal is a mausoleum and not a palace. It was built over 3 centuries ago with white marble (one of the finest and strongest marble in the world) mined up to now in India. Its architecture is a mixture of Persian, Turkish and Indian. It is considered one of the most beautiful architecture in the world. And since it was built by the Mughal emperor Sha Jahan in memory of his most beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal after she died, it a now known as the symbol of eternal love.
Approaching the gate to Taj Mahal… 
First peek at its beauty… 
The beautiful symbol of love…
And we also got to see Agra fort which is made of beautiful red sand stone some 300 years ago.
I just love these Persian style arches…
During our tour inside the fort, we learned about the art of in-laying semi precious stones on marbles. Note that this artwork was completely done by hand about 300 years ago (!) and this industry is still alive in North India up to now (!).
After our visit to the famous spots in Agra, we went to a shop were marble works are displayed and sold. Here, we were taught and shown the techniques in this centuries-old tradition. It was really impressive…. and of course, expensive 😀 
This is a sample of a finished semi precious stone in-laid marble table top illuminated from below… Exquisite isn’t it? 
However, this is the winner for the day…. Mutton butter masala. Yum yum 😀 
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