Aha! I just now got your screen name. :-)

Mine??? Did you figure out that I am a junebug rather than a gun bug?

The Taj Gateway Hotel was adequate - clean with comfortable pillows, but again, not up to the standard of the Vivanta by Taj. Dinner was unremarkable.

Oh...forgot to mention that upon our arrival in Agra, we were met by a guide that Castle and King had arranged. While we had the option to hire a guide along with our driver, we had declined that option as we figured we'd hire guides along the way as needed and as desired. We were very surprised by the arrival of the guide, but we learned that Arvind felt that it would be best to have a guide in Agra and he provided the guide as a complimentary service for the two days we were there.

At 5:30 AM our guide met us at the hotel to accompany us to the Taj. We headed to the ticket booth where we purchased our tickets (750 rupees each), which were significantly more expensive than the price charged for Indian residents, but worth the price of doing business. This was true at all national monuments. The price of our ticket included a bottle of water each and foot coverings so that one did not need to take off their shoes.

The ticket booth is not at the entrance to the Taj. Vehicles are not allowed to enter the area around the Taj, so instead, one must take the motorized transport from the ticket booth to the end of the street where the Taj gate is located. We arrived at the gate at 5:45 and waited on two separate lines (one for men and one for woman) until 6:00, at which time the gates opened. One must go through a security check before entering the premises. I was concerned that we were not there early enough to get those great photos without people in them as the line was quite long, however, we found that people were all very courteous and if one waited their turn, there was plenty of photo opportunities to get a number of great pictures. I don't think you can go wrong photographing the Taj.

There are professional photographers on the premises who will offer to take your picture for a fee. They were also helpful in advising us where to take the best picture, as was our guide.

There is little I can say about the Taj that has not already been said. It is remarkable and a spectacular piece of architecture. We had done much reading prior to our trip, so we were familiar with the history and many of the details that our guide shared with us. Quite honestly, we felt that we would have done just as well just soaking up the beauty of the Taj without a guide, but it was a nice gesture on the part of Castle and King.

We were happy with our decision to fore go the guided tour throughout our trip as we were very happy with the audio guides when we used them and the few guides that we hired along the way. Guides were readily available at each location and for the most part, we like to simply wander, talk to people and go at our own pace, taking pictures and taking in the scenery. I am not going to remember all the details that many guides provide and I often find them to drone on endlessly.

Following our visit to the Taj, we went directly to the Red Fort. This fort is similar architecturally to the many forts that we had already seen and while we enjoyed it, we saw a familar pattern.

We returned back to the room at 10:00, still in time for breakfast and then to rest and catch up on some email. We arranged with the driver to be picked up at 12:30 to continue our journey to Gwalior.

More later - Gwalior was a terrific surprise.

Can't wait to hear more...

Hi June,
I'm enjoying your report immensely and am eager to hear more! I'm taking notes for our upcoming trip in February when we will visit some of the same places.

Thank you to those who are reading along. Here's the next installation:

Gwalior:

We left Agra about 12:30 and arrived in Gwalior approximately three hours later. The roads in India are not for the faint hearted and they are a real experience. There is always something interesting to look at - between the people, animals and vehicles. The roads are not in the best condition...perhaps that is being kind...they are in horrendous shape. If only the maharajas had put money into the roads and infrastructure rather than their forts and palaces. We understand there is still a great deal of corruption and the government spends little on road construction and repair. When we did see repair work being done, the level of enthusiasm by the workers seemed meager and work proceeds quite slowly.

Upon arriving at our hotel, the Usha Kiran Palace (a Taj property), we freshened up and decided to take a tuk tuk into town to explore the market area. After wandering a bit, we returned to the hotel, relaxed and had dinner on the premises. The hotel was lovely and we were given a free upgrade to a beautiful suite. As with the other Taj hotels, we were able to ask for our choice of pillow for maximum comfort. The grounds were also very pretty and there was a nice pool on the premises. The staff at this hotel was exceptional and we had a very pleasant stay here. During dinner the chef came out to meet us and helped us with our dinner selection. Beware of the spicy food at this restaurant - you may want to tell the waitstaff that you want very little spice. Day Two - coming soon.

I'm here too. Yesterday Aswan - today Istanbul. Looking forward to Varanasi.

Would it correct grammatically to refer to our dear OP and her husband as the 'dgunbuggers?'

Dogster - I'm not sure I like the sound of that! Glad to hear you are lurking in the background.

Day Two - Gwalior: When our driver picked us up at 10 AM to head for the Fort, we learned that he had been sleeping each night in his car to save the cost of a hotel room. I believe this is fairly typical for the drivers and the hotels seem to allow them to stay in the parking lot. We presumed that there are washing and bathroom facilities somewhere that the drivers are able to use. It sure made us feel awful to think that we were sleeping in a comfortable air-conditioned environment while he stayed in his car all night and day. Of course, we realize that he is one of the fortunate ones to have steady employment, but the meager existence and the struggle that these people face are overwhelming.

The Gwalior Fort is reputed to be one of the most invincible forts in India, its history stretching back over 1,000 years. Inside the fort walls are a number of palaces and temples, the highlight being the Man Mandir Palace. This magnificient fort looms majestically at a height of nearly 100 meters overlooking the city of Gwalior. We approached the fort by a steep winding road flanked by statues of Jain tirthankaras (one of 24 persons who have attained personal immortality through enlightenment) carved into the rock face. These were amazing and we later parked the car and spent time walking by these statues to examine them more closely.

The solid fort walls of sandstone enclose several marvels of medieval architecture including temples, palaces, and impressive gates. This fort was very different from the others we had visited as there was no Muslim influence. The front of the palace was decorated with pretty blue and yellow painted ducks and other animals. Cows grazed on the lawn in front of the palace and it was a very serene environment. On the bottom level of the palace was a dungeon where prisoners were held...now it is filled with bats. As in other palaces in India, there were separate living quarters for the maharaja and his many wives. We were taken by surprise by this fortress/palace complex and thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Few tourists flock to Gwalior, but it was one of the highlights of our trip.

Following our time at the Fort complex, we headed into Gwalior and stopped at the very modern mall to take our driver for lunch. We were told that malls are beginning to crop up throughout India, but they did not seem to be doing a great business.

After lunch we headed to the Jai Vilas Mahal, built by Indian Maharaja Jiyaji Rao Scindia and reminiscent of an Italian palazzo styled edifice combining Tuscan and Corinthian architectural styles. The present Maharaja still resides at the palace and that portion is blocked off from tourists. However a part of the palace houses the Scindia Museum, which displays royal memorabilia and a remarkable collection of artifacts from across the world.

A crystal staircase winds its way up to the spectacular Durbar Hall. Its arched ceiling is covered with fabulous gold leaf work and is illuminated by two of the world’s largest and most magnificent chandeliers, each weighing over three tons and holding 248 candles. It is said that the roof was tested in advance by 10 elephants brought there via a two-kilometre ramp! The chandeliers were gilded with 56 kilograms of gold. Spread out across this very hall is the largest carpet in Asia, made in the Gwalior Jail.

Crystal ware, Curios and Tiger hides line the beautiful hall.
The most fascinating item on display is the famous model train that circulates brandy, cigar and dry fruit around the table after dinner. Removing a container automatically reduces pressure on the track and stops the silver train.

Exhausted from a full day, at 4 pm we returned to our hotel which was just down the road from the Jai Vilas Mahal, where we relaxed until dinner time which we took in the lovely dining room at our hotel.

You will note that we rarely went out at night time. Besides being exhausted from the heat, the few times we were out, we noticed that there were very few woman around and we felt it was best to retire early. In actuality, even during the day, we noticed far more men mulling around than woman. It was a strange feeling for me and even my husband, when we realized I was one of the few woman out. This night too we remained in our hotel and we retired early as we would be heading out the following morning to Orccha.

Dgunbug, you are hogging all of the responses! :) I'm not getting much traction on my thread . . . What's a Sueblue to do?

So sorry sueblue - perhaps I will send the above poster to toe thread!!!

Can someone tell me how to remove the above posts?

You can click on the yellow/orange triangle to the right of the post to report it to the editors.
I already have... Hopefully they'll remove them soon!

thanks marcy

Gwalior sounds wonderful - wish it was on our itinerary.

It is awkward when you realize a driver is sleeping in the car while you're off in your lovely hotel. We've had that experience before and in addition to the guilt, the car starts to get a bit...er...stale with someone living in it that way. Kind of yuk.

loving it all

There was never any body odor and the car was immaculately taken care of. Just felt bad for the driver and it hit us that his job is tougher than it looks.

That's good! Yes, tough job and on rough roads even tougher.

>>>If only the maharajas had put money into the roads and infrastructure rather than their forts and palaces.

On the other hand, we probably wouldn't be so eager to go just for a bunch of good roads and infrastructure if there weren't any forts and palaces. :-)

(And yes, I was slow on the uptake re your screen name, dgunbug. Duh. I had a similar experience with Offwego. I had followed one of her threads for awhile, and in my head i was pronouncing the screen name as off-WAY-go. Until... she used it in a sentence along the line of... we finish our breakfast and then offwego! Oooohhhh! I'm actually reasonably intelligent but can be clueless at times.)

Back to Gwalior - I reviewed my pictures today and realized that I forgot to mention several interesting temples visited while in Gwalior on the second day.

Just below the upper fort area is the Gurdwara Datta Bandi Chhod Sikh Temple, built in memory of Guru Hargoboind Sahab, 6th Sikh Guru who was imprisoned there by Emperor Jehangir for over two years. We were instructed to wash our hands, take off our shoes and given orange bandanas as head coverings. After walking through an area of water which cleansed our feet, we proceeded up the stairs and into this temple which was very different from the Jain temples we had previously visited. Upon returning for our shoes, we were invited to share a meal with the Sikhs who open their food kitchen daily to feed anyone wishing to join them for a meal. We declined as it was not yet meal time and we did not want to wait. Also, we worried about getting sick from the food as we did not know the sanitary conditions under which the food was cooked. We enjoyed the experience of visiting this Sikh temple as it was different from the other temples we had visited thus far.

Nearby the Sikh Temple is the Sas-Bahu Ka Mandir Temple, built in the 11th Century. While many believe that they are dedicated to a mother-in-law (Sas) and daughter-in-law (Bahu), I learned afterward that this is not so, but rather that Sas-Bahu is the name traditionally given to two adjoining temples of different sizes. The larger of the two is profusely sculpted with graceful figures and intricate patterns. This is apparent in the interior where, above the sculpted walls and pillars, an elaborately carved lotus adorns the roof. We were alone visiting these temples and spent a great deal of time just admiring the carvings and artistry.

In the fortress area, elevating to a height of 100 feet high is the Teli Ka Mandir temple which was also built in the 11th Century. This Rajput temple is said to be the tallest and most stunning temple in the confines of the Gwalior Fort and it is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, however, it was closed to visitors while we were there.

Again, I highly recommend a visit to Gwalior. The people were extremely friendly and we loved wandering through the town in addition to seeing the Fortress/Palace Complex and temples. I don't understand why this town is not on the regular circuit of places to visit as it was quite interesting and one of my favorite places.

Sounds lovely..I don't think we have it in our sched. Oh well, next time.

We left Gwalior, heading to Orccha about 9 AM, stopping along the way at Sonagiri and Datia. The road conditions between Gwalior and Orchha were horrendous. Many spots were in disrepair with potholes everywhere. Often the road was only one lane wide with traffic going in two directions and three and four lanes made from the one. The going was slow and while it was only about 179 kilometers between the two cities, it took us about 6 hours with two short stops in between. We passed many small villages and people along the highway. There were buses stacked with people on the rooftop, carts pulled by oxen, donkeys, and horses, tractors, cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Pigs, cows, and dogs wandered the streets. There was never a dull moment. Nevertheless, the ride did seem endless.

Our first stop was Sonagiri, a city famous for its Jain temples and for being the holy site for the Digambar sect of the Jains. History says that King Nanganag Kumar had attained salvation and had been liberated from the cycles of death and life in this place. Thus, Jain saints who seek salvation or practice the paths to Nirvana flock to this place. This sacred Jain hill is home to 77 Jain temples, built in rows on the hill and its slopes, and date back to the 17th century.

Upon our arrival a Jain disciple greeted us at the lower gate of the temples and advised us that he would have to escort us to the temples. After removing our shoes and socks, we were led up a pathway leading to the various temples, all quite interesting and of varying designs. As we were led along the way, the Jain disciple explained a bit about Jainism, answering any questions we had. The ground was quite hot and at times difficult to walk on. It was all very interesting and worth the short visit.

Just a short distance away is Datia, where we visited the seven-storied palace built entirely of stone and brick by Raja Bir Singh Deo in 1614, and which is considered to be one of the finest examples of Bundela architecture in the country. We wandered the palace for a short time, but quite honestly, I don't recall it being that special and looking back at our pictures, it seems to be in need of a great deal of cleaning and sprucing up.

We arrived in the late afternoon at the Bundelkhand Riverside Hotel, which we had been told was one of the best hotels in Orchha. This heritage hotel had once a Maharaja's residence and the grounds seemed lovely. The room, however, was a great disappointment - the bathroom smelled like mothballs (which were in the sink), the air conditioning hardly worked and the room smelled musty. We had heard that the food was quite good, however, the next morning's breakfast was the worst we had experienced on our trip. There was no mini-bar in the room, no safe or complimentary bottles of water as was standard in all other hotels we had been in. The accommodations were such that it soured our stay in Orchha and we decided the next morning to check out a day early and proceed to Khujaharo.

After settling in the room, we decided to take a tuk tuk into town. Of course any time we wanted, our driver was available to us, however, after all the driving that he did, we preferred to let him rest and take a tuk tuk into town instead. Tuk tuks are quite inexpensive and it is generally fun to take them for short distances.

We wandered around the town of Orchha, planning to visit the main sites the next day. The children here were all very friendly and followed us around for quite some time, telling us that they wanted to practice their English. We forewarned them that we were not looking for a guide and that we did not wish to go to any shops, but they followed along anyway, insisting they had no alterior motives. We also forewarned them that we were not giving them money. Their English was actually quite impressive and we enjoyed talking to them until the end, when we got ready to depart for dinner and they asked for money and sodas. There was quite a large group of children and we told them it was impossible. One of the boys actually got angry and told my husband he was a "bad man". It is unfortunate that these children have an attitude that foreigners and especially Americans have tons of money and that they are expected to give it away to the poor children of India. These particular children did not look undernourished or shabby and it was obvious that they all received some degree of education. It was a most disappointing way of ending the time with them.

For dinner, we decided to eat at the Sheesh Mahal which is located in the fort area. The food was just fair. Dinner was accompanied by live Indian music. There was a light and music show just outside the Sheesh Mahal, but we decided to walk around the town a bit instead. Our return trip to the hotel was a real experience. We hired the tuk tuk driver from hell...he drove like a crazy man, could not find our hotel despite my husband trying to give him directions, and he crashed into a parked motorcycle, leaving the scene despite having caused damages. Upon finally arriving at our hotel after first having taken us to the wrong one, he demanded more money. Of course, we refused to pay him more than we had agreed upon.

The next morning, after checking that we were able to extend our hotel reservation for an additional night in Khujaharo, we checked out and proceeded to the Orchha Fort to visit the sites. One pass allows entry into all the sites and there are guides just outside the entrance. We hired a guide who showed us around the fort and palace area, we visited a temple and then proceeded to Khujaharo. Quite honestly, I don't think we gave Orchha enough time or justice, but my husband was annoyed by the children and the accommodations and was ready to move on. I don't remember thinking that the Palace and fortress area of Orchha was particularly impressive.