Agra Fort

If you are in Agra, the other site besides the Taj Mahal which should not be miss is the Agra Fort. Agra Fort, also a World Heritage site, was the seat of the Mughal empire. This is where, Emperor Shah Jahan who was responsible for the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned by his son. Although imprisoned in the Red Fort, it offered a perfect view of the Taj Mahal as the fort is located about 2.3km northwest from the mausoleum.

Picture of the Taj Mahal from the entrance of the Agra Fort for tourists.Arrive late in the afternoon close to the closing time at dusk.
Heading towards the entrance which is divided by a moat.
Entrance to Agra Fort with the chain to the draw bridge visible.

Pictures of the Taj

Walkway on the right side of the water causeway

Water causeway fronting the Taj Mahal

Picture from the Great Gate

Another view of the Taj Mahal from the side walkway

Side view of the Taj

View of the Great Gate

Taj Mahal Mosque

Entrance to the Mausoleum

Taj One of the New Seven Wonders of the World

I visited India recently and I had what I think would be my once in a life time opportunity to see a symbol of eternal love - the renowned Taj Mahal in the historical city of Agra. Agra is the seat of government for the Mughal Empire which ruled India between the 16th and 19th Century.

Located about 200km to the southeast of New Delhi, India's capital, Agra is located in Uttar Pradesh.

There are three means to get to Agra from New Delhi - air, rail and road. In my case, it was the railway. Our group had checked in quite earlier in the morning at about midnight. After washing up, we basically had about 3 hours sleep before the morning call as the train to Agra, the Shatabdi Express, departs at 6.15am from New Delhi Railway Station.

Shatabdi Express coming alongside at exactly 6.15am

The train arrived on time. We had our luggages with us but the carriage have a storage compartment large to accommodate them. Having our luggages with us also solve the problem of a scramble when we arrive at Agra.

The train was comfortable but unfortunately the train schedule in India needs to be improved. Instead of the specific two hours, we arrived at Agra more than an hour late. Most of the time lost was taken up waiting for other trains to bypass on their way towards Delhi or beyond.

The saving grace was that the train fare include provision for breakfast. Being a coffee drinker, I am disappointed with the diluted coffee that they serve in the north.

Egg omelette, frieds and peas (quite tasty)

Nice lemony drink which was served with our hot drinks (tea/coffee)

In Agra, we have arrange for a coach to bring us around and the first cultural stop was to Taj Mahal, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It is truly a work of immense beauty. Yes, it is huge, especially because it was built as a mausoleum.

Oh, before I forget. Please note that Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays. If you are planning to go there on your own, please keep this in mind.

To get to the entrance, we had to transfer to electric power vehicles from about a km away. For the physical fit, it is just a few minutes away.

The main entrance is located to the east and there is segregation between male and female. As the visit took place during the 19th Commonweath Games, security was tight.

Here are some pictures I took of the complex.

Path leading to the Great Gate

Posing with the Great Gate in the background

The Great Gate and many people milling through the entrance. Beyond is the Taj.

Before we are allowed to go into the main building, we had to put protective covers over our footwears.


Unfortunately, no photography is allowed in the mausoleum.

Just a note, we stayed at the Hotel Clarks Shiraz. If you do not have time to do shopping, there is a small shop in the hotel which sells souvenirs at relatively good rates. You can buy a replica of the Taj Mahal although I am not sure if it made of limestone. Even then, it makes a good gift for friends and relatives.

Pixs of Kids Enjoying Themselves

This is the artificial ice which Yongpyong uses for its slopes at the start of their skiing season. It is coarser and those at the edge of the ski slopes resembles shaved ice like the "ice balls" which I had in my childhood.

From one of the documentaries I have seen on TV, large sprinklers are used to create the artificial snow. This method costs more and there are concerns over environmental issues. See Responsible Skiing.

[Top: Pathway leading to the main hall hosting the ski centre and the gondola to Dragon Peak.]

Skiing at Yongpyong

The package to Yongpyong includes equipping, a short ski lesson and half a day skiing on the slopes. Following the descent from Dragon Peak, the whole group proceeded to collect our skiing equipment at the ski centre. Equipments provided include the boots, skis and the poles. The boots was really restricted and the movement after wearing one is robotic. Walking is rather difficult especially when you are indoors.

The ski instruction is about half an hour and we were taught the basics: how to slip on and off the skis, falling off "gracefully" so that you would not hurt yourself and the most important of all, how to stop.

[Above picture: Instructor is the one in Red ski suit]

For beginner, the only technique would to bring the tips of your together, like an inverted V. Even then, if you are coming off the a slight slope, stopping takes a lot of efforts.

Well, the fun part is to ski down the slope but the journey back up is tiring with the restrictive boots and lugging the skis and poles.

Dragon Peak - More Pixs