Friday, May 24
Still nauseous, DH2 called an Uber rather than us taking the train as scheduled. Thank you. We traveled 4 hours plus a stop for food of which I did not partake.
Arriving at the Oberoi, we snaked through a lush entry to the entrance of a beautiful hotel with monkeys playing in the fountain. After the cool wash cloth and walk through a palatial courtyard, we walked into the lobby where I glimpsed the Taj Mahal and began to cry. I think it was a combination of having no physical, mental, or psychological reserves but I was overwhelmed by seeing the architectural wonder.
The room was perfect: 4th floor facing the Taj Majal. For the first hour, all I could do was sit and look at it. We chilled in our room and then walked the hotel gardens at sunset while dancers were performing. I went wild and had a ginger ale.
Saturday, May 25
At 5am we were awake, ready for the Taj Mahal. A hotel golf cart dropped us at the entrance and we walked right in. I declined having a guide, but then a guy offered to take good photos of us so we went with that. He knew all the good angles, did photo direction, and moved us along quickly so that we had few people in the background of our photos. Well worth the $28.
The Taj Majal did not disappoint. The marble, design, and inlaid jewels/stones were magnificent. No photos were allowed inside, so I just marveled at the bas relief flowers on the walls and the marbled carved fence around the sarcophagus.
Outside again, the sun on the monument made it sparkle. We wandered around the red mosque and then I melted. I ran out of energy. Even though we were there less than 2 hours, it was amazing.
Leaving Agra was not so easy. Two Ubers flat out canceled us so a hotel concierge offered the hotel car for $400. Ummm, let’s try Uber again. After 2.5 hours we were at least in an Uber car but the driver had to get gas and was not a good driver. We were running out of time so when he said we had to stop for gas an hour away from the airport, we protested. He didn’t have a choice so we started calculating if we could make our plane.
There were so many steps to get on the fucking plane. Show docs to get IN the airport and find the ticket counter. This is when having a premier pass is totally worth it. I wasn’t allowed 2 carry-on items so there was the frantic “what do i need to pull out in case my bag is lost” exercise. Customs and security went better than expected so then we ran to the gate at which point I pulled a hamstring.
Once in the plane destined for the UAE, a flood of relief washed over me. After a short 3 hour ride, we contended with a long customs line. I was exhausted again and was happy to arrive at an Aloft.
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