A six hour drive from Jairpur to Agra to see this magnificent marble structure, the mighty Taj Mahal.  .  In order to preserve this wonder, visitors are only allowed to take in money and water, for fear that tags would be etched and smoke would stain the marble.

Having seen the Taj all these years in movies and magazines, it’s surreal being able to see it up close and actually touch it.  It too has seen the effects of global warming, which is a real concern for the Indian Tourism Board. The structure was engineered in such a way that it requires the force from the river behind to keep it upright. Because the river has started to dry up in recent years, two of its piers are leaning by 7%, and if the trend continues, they will only last another 25.

You get free bottles of water when entering – and although it was a normal hot day – the reflection off the  marble intensified the heat and we lost at least 2ltrs of sweat – even the Indians were drenched.

Great to see it and worth the entrance fee.

UNESCO World Heritage Site #3