Fatehpur Sikri & Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Every visitor to India will never miss to step foot at the home city of Taj Mahal, Agra. This will be the unforgettable moment which will be the main traveling topic for any travelers and tourists alike. Well, to be honest, having to wait for more than 2 weeks while in India just to get to Agra, I thought the excitement would fade and things would be ordinary for me. And after visits to various amazing historical buildings in India, I thought Taj Mahal would look ordinary too. Well I was totally wrong and all those feelings were just because my buddy and I were exhausted to travel in a long journey to get from one city to another. And the summer heat was really affecting the mood but heyyy..this is a journey of adventure and rare. 

Fatehpur Sikri

Before arriving Agra from Jaipur, we passed through a small city, Fatehpur Sikri, which has a huge complex built in honor of the sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Fatehpur Sikri became the capital of Mughal empire after emperor Akbar military victories over Chittor and Ranthambore, both in the state of Rajasthan. 

Fatehpur Sikri is actually a walled city complex with both religious and secular buildings. Those buildings have Persian and Gujerati influences with fine and beautiful carvings, paintings and impressive architectures.

One of the emperor's wife's palace

Diwan-i-Khas

The central pillar in Diwan-i-Khas

Panch Mahal at different angles.

This was the area where the convicts were executed brutally

Salim Chishti tomb

The entrance fee for Fatehpur Sikri is Rps 50 more than entrance fee of other UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. But as usual, there is a rate for the Indians, and a rate for the visitors. To get to the building complex, visitors need to go to the visitors center, which is a couple of kilometers away. From there, take a bus to the complex. The bus will only leave when it is full and it doesn't that too long for the seats to fill up.

Before heading to the building complex, it is best to but bottled water or snacks at the visitors center. There is no stalls or shops at the entrance. Souvenirs and other tourist knickknacks are available at the visitors center. Remember, tips are highly expected for every guide hired.

Around 2 pm, we headed to Agra and the driver brought us to Apollo hotel. It was a better hotel though we still couldn't use proper air-conditioned, but at least it was not that stuffy. We were quite exhausted because of the the heat in Fatehpur Sikri, so we spent our time in the room, watching TV and repacking our backpacks.

The Taj Mahal

As far as I can remember, this is the day where both my friend and myself could barely wait to leave the hotel to see the most iconic, symbol of love, Taj Mahal.

The Agra Fort

Tomb of Akbar, Sikandra

Towards The End of My India Trip - Mumbai to Kolkata

This is an overly long due post so not going to write too long, just a glance of what I have in my camera.

Mumbai

As far as I can remember, Mumbai is not really a busy city especially around the Victoria Terminus area.

Its environment is much different compared to Delhi. Most of the Bollywood actors and actresses reside in Mumbai, North Mumbai to be precise. I thought there would be chance to catch a glimpse of those famous characters but none.

One of the largest slum in India is Dharavi slum. To be honest, I seriously impressed with how those people residing in this area able to live their life there. They have their own 'industries' to generate income for the society. Visitors are not allowed to take photographs here, but the memory will remain in our head. I pray things will get better for them soon.

The yellow-black cabs and Victoria Teminus look good together

The Victoria Terminus, one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India

Gateway to India of Mumbai is one of the famous landmarks in Mumbai. Regardless of seasons, tourists, locals and internationals, are flocking at this area and taking a photograph of this monument alone is almost impossible. I have not tried visiting it during night time but it might be cool...i guess

 Flower Market

Another famous view to see is the Dhobi Ghat. It's an interesting activity to see. I'm sure I will have back pain soon enough if I work the way they work. 

Of course, another thing which is unique and can only be seen in Mumbai is delivery of hot lunch box but Dabbawala. Dabbawala is a person who collects a home-cooked food from the workers' residences and delivers them to an open place near the workers' work place, for lunch, and later return to the empty containers back to their residences. It has been practiced for quite some times and system seems to work well without any flaws.

Kolkata

Didn't really have much time to do in India due to limited Rupees left in the pocket.
But at least I managed to see Victorial Memorial, a colonial building made after the death of Queen Victoria.
Kolkata was actually the capital  in India, before it is transferred to Delhi.
This memorial is made up of marble and has Islamic, Deccani, Egyptian and Venetian influences.