Shivling, Northern India Delhi and Agra - Tourism Before and After the Trip to the Mountains   All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

Home Page Shivling 2011 Page Mountaineering Page Email Me

Delhi

The Shivling expedition starts and ends in Delhi, the huge, hot, crowded and polluted capital of the world's largest democracy. I spent a day here on 18 Sep 2011, before our long drive to the mountains. Delhi is certainly a crowded and busy place, although parts of the city have been modernised as a result of the Commonweath Games having been hosted there in 2010. I spent a day spent in sweltering heat wandering the streets around our hotel, which was in Arakashan Road near Delhi's enormous central railway station. My wanderings took me to the Red Fort, one of Delhi's main historic attractions.

	From the rooftop of our hotel in Arakashan Road near Delhi railway station, the sprawling urban landscape can be seen.
	Another view of the buildings around our hotel.
	On the way to the Red Fort, this is a typical city street of Delhi. I do not envy the job of the elecrtician who would have to make sense of the overhead wiring without getting electrocuted in the process.
	The ubiquitous street stall where anything edible (or inedible) is sold.
	After wandering the hot streets for the best part of the day, we took a rickshaw back to our hotel. This lean, wiry man pedalled us back to the hotel for a few rupees.

Agra

After returning to Delhi from the mountains I had one spare day before my flight back to Australia. I decided to make the most of this day by taking a day trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal palace. This was a huge long day, most of which was spent in a bus for the 200km journey to Agra. I did not get back to my hotel in Delhi until 3:30am on the following morning! But despite the long hours in an uncomfortable bus on the impossibly overcrowded Indian highway system, this trip was worthwhile for the visit to the Taj Mahal alone. All the rhetoric and fame surrounding the Taj Mahal is well founded - this is a truly magnificent and wonderous building, and my short time there in the evening light was unforgettable. The Taj Mahal is a must see sight, and this is coming from me who is not normally excited by touristy spectacles. The Taj Mahal is an extraordinary building.

	Before visting the Taj Mahal we were taken to Agra Fort, which is certainly more interesting than the Red Fort at Delhi.
	The Taj Mahal. There are so many photos of this building I will show just one here. The only words for it are "incredible". The Taj Mahal is built of pure smooth marble inlaid delicately with semi precious stones. It is so solidly built that it can withstand earthquakes and I have no doubt that it will be standing much as it does now in another 1000 years time.
	The floral patterns are all made of inlaid semi precious stones. The colour is completely natural. The arches have an intricate pattern, curves that are pleasing to the eye and forming a complex and perfect symmetry.
	Certainly an amazing pattern.
	The sun sets behind some other buildings on the grounds of the Taj Mahal.
	The river Yamuna as seen from the marble courtyard surrounding the Taj Mahal.
	Another outlying building on the grounds of the Taj Mahal. Being India and one of the world's most famous tourist destinations, there are a lot of people here!
	Sunset over one of the outlying buildings that surround the Taj Mahal.
	Through the dusty air the sun is a sullen red ball.

[Top]

All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. Page created 26 Apr 2012, last updated 26 Apr 2012.

Home Page Shivling 2011 Page Mountaineering Page Email Me