Fatehpur Sikri/Agra
 
Fatehpur Sikri (pronounced fa-teh-pur-si-kri) and Agra are about a four hour drive from Delhi along a mostly monotonous highway remarkable primarily for the fact that you can drive the entire distance without once not seeing someone.  Crowded, India is.  Fatehpur Sikri is a fortified city built in the 1500s by the Emperor Akbar, greatest of all the Mughals.  Unfortunately, the area was given to severe water shortages and was abandoned shortly after Akbar’s death.  What remains today is a delightful World Heritage site, with red sandstone palaces and pavilions providing perfect picture possibilities.  After about an hour tromping the grounds, we set off for the quick trip to Agra, about 25 miles east.  We soon discovered we had the only driver in all of India who couldn’t find the Taj Mahal, despite relatively straightforward signage.  In the end, there’s not much you can say about the Taj Mahal that hasn’t already been said many times.  You just get your picture taken in front of it.  Not to say that it wasn’t great.  It was.  lk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sunday, October 26, 2008