Delhi
- Delhi is broken into two parts as many emperors tried to reconstruct the city. There is a huge difference between the two.
- Jamia Masjid is one of the oldest and largest mosques in the world. You have to cover yourself when entering and removing shoes. They provide you with long shawls. You can go up to the round tower to see the views of the city.
- Getting a rickshaw through the streets of Chandini Chowk, which are Spice Markets, and is a fun experience as it is so chaotic around you.
- We visited the cremation place of Mahatma Ghandi called Rajghat. It has very nice gardens surrounding it and you must also take off your shoes.
- In New Delhi we started our sightseeing at the Government Buildings. We saw Rashtrapati Bhawan (President's House) with gorgeous gardens (Mughal), the Parliment of India and the Indian Gate which is a war memorial. All these buildings were built by Bristish colonists and it is meant to replicate the Champs Eleesé in Paris. The India Gate looks very similar to the Arc de Triomph.
- Humuyus Tomb which is a replica of the Taj Mahal made of sandstone and marble with huge acres of gardens.
- Tallest Minaret called Qutub Minar is in New Delhi standing at 74 meters tall. There are steps to the top but was closed to the public due to a stampede that killed 45 people.
Agra
- It is a 6 hour journey from Delhi to Agra. We stopped in Mathura which is a city of the birthplace of Krishna and is considered a holy city.
- We bought our tickets to see the Taj Mahal and you must take an electric car to it. This is to reduce pollution. Words cannot describe how beautiful it is. It is situated on the Yamuna River and took 22 years to complete. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for the favourite of his three wives Mumtaz Mahal. She died giving birth to her 14th child and she and her husband are buried there. We took lots of pictures and there is a famous bench tourists want to photograph as it's where Lady Diana took her picture.
- Agra Fort is a wall surrounding the city. Shan Jahan was restrained by his son for nine years and it is believed that he died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.
- We visited a marble factory which was very expensive but I managed to get a plate of marble with the Taj Mahal on it and a marble elephant.
Jaipur
- On the way to Jaipur we stopped at a bird sanctuary to break up the journey. Here we rented bikes and cycled the paths through the park with our guide. It was great fun and a cooling activity to do in the heat. We spotted owls, storks, lizards, antelopes, wild bored and king fishers.
- Jaipur is also known as the 'Pink City' because of the colour stone the buildings are made from. We walked through the palace of Jaipur and the observatory. The observatory contains structures that tell time, season, calendar dates and horoscopes.
- We visited a carpet factory to see how they weave these expensive carpets.
- We visited the Amber Fort and got elephant rides to the top of the fort. Amber fort is constructed of red sandstone and marble, overlooking the Maota Lake. The King built a wall around the fort replicating the Great Wall of China.
- We went to the Water Palace or the 'Jal Mahal' which is located in the muddle of the Man Sagar Lake to take pictures and we got a camel ride too.
- We had a look around the markets in Jaipur and bought saris and hats. Right beside them is the Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds. It is 5 stories with 953 niches and windows.
- I don't recommend many places to eat as I am not much of a food guru, but in Jaipur we ate in a fabulous restaurant called Spice Court. It was an old tennis court turned into a restaurant with amazing food and the waiters were very helpful in their recommendations. A belly dancer appeared another night we were there and I got to dance with her!
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