Agra, India - April 26

evidence of our welcome to Agra

Today is the start of our 3 day land tour to the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. We are flying to Agra with about 100 other ship passengers on a charter flight. Agra only has a military airport so a charter flight is the only way to fly here. The other option is a flight to Delhi and then a 4 hour drive. Our morning drive to the airport began with a second trip to the sights we saw yesterday which was a bit of a pain as we weren’t super impressed with them the first time. Our guide today was quite excellent, so our initial impressions of Cochin may have been a bit inaccurate – but not too inaccurate.

The flight was an uneventful 3 hours and then we arrived at our hotel. There was no wine with our lunches as it is unlawful to drink on the airplane. I don’t know if that is all Indian planes, just this airline or one just out of Cochin which our guide today told us was in dry province. We were given a lovely welcome with marigold and roses around our necks a red spot applied to our foreheads and a delicious melon and cucumber drink.
The ITC Mughal Agra is a lovely hotel that is more like a complex on large grounds. After dinner at the hotel we retire early as we are heading to the Taj for sunrise!