Page 16 - Heart of India

goods to support their families, or venture to route. As we drive, our Trip Leader entertains
_SP LYNTPY_ =LY_SLXMZ]P 1Z]_ /TYYP] T^ L_
our hotel this evening.
-]PLVQL^_ 7`YNS /TYYP]
Day 9 Overland to O.A.T. Camp
BPɪWW ^[PYO L WPT^`]PWd XZ]YTYR L_ _SP SZ_PW
At midday, we begin our drive (totaling
L[[]ZcTXL_PWd QZ`] SZ`]^ ZY L M`X[d ]ZLO
_Z Z`] aTWWLRP NLX[ ]P_]PL_ DZ`ɪWW NSPNV TY
upon arrival.
As a small group, we’ll become part of village
life in this bucolic area of Rajasthan. Our
campsite is nestled among small plots of land
used by local farmers to grow a rich diversity
of crops. Often, villagers will stop by to pay us
L aT^T_ Z] QL]XP]^ bTWW _LVP L M]PLV Q]ZX _SPT]
bZ]V _Z ^SL]P L WL`RS 0^[PNTLWWd PYNSLY_TYR
are the mustard blooms, which, in season,
resemble thousands of buttercups waving in
_SP M]PPeP BPɪWW SLaP ^ZXP Q]PP _TXP _Z PYUZd
our surroundings before dinner. Afterward,
aTWWLRP]^ bTWW M`TWO L MZYʭ]P LYO ^SL]P _SPT]
traditional songs and dances with us.
-]PLVQL^_ 7`YNS /TYYP]
Day 10 Abhaneri step well •
Overland to Agra
Today, we’ll visit Abhaneri to view an ancient
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built to provide a constant water supply to
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YZ_ RP_ _Z Pc[P]TPYNP ?ST^ T^ZWL_PO ^[Z_ _ZOLd
has an air of abandonment, but it’s not hard
to conjure the scenes of the past, when entire
communities gathered here to get water,
socialize, and settle disputes.
Then, we’ll depart for Agra, driving through
_SP aL^_ ]`]LW NZ`Y_]d^TOP BPɪWW M]PLV `[
the long journey by stopping for lunch en
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16
us with a discussion of the history of
the Mughals.
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bPɪWW NSPNV TY_Z Z`] SZ_PW LYO PYUZd _TXP L_
WPT^`]P /TYYP] _ZYTRS_ T^ ZY dZ`] ZbY
-]PLVQL^_ 7`YNS
Day 11 Taj Mahal • Agra Fort
?ZOLd bP ]T^P PL]Wd _Z aTPb L ^TRS_ `YWTVP LYd
other in the entire world: morning at the Taj
Mahal. Please note: 4Q _ST^ OLd QLWW^ ZY L 1]TOLd
bP aT^T_ _SP ?LU 8LSLW ZY _SP PaPYTYR ZQ /Ld
TY^_PLO
?ST^ R]LYO POTʭNP M`TW_ Md >SLS 5LSLY Q]ZX
1631 to 1653 to enshrine the remains of his
<`PPY 8`X_Le 8LSLW _ZZV bZ]VP]^ _Z
M`TWO BP bLWV TY_Z _SP TYYP] NSLXMP]^ ZQ _ST^
]PYZbYPO ɭ8ZY`XPY_ _Z 7ZaP ɮ LYO ^PPV Z`_
^PaP]LW aLY_LRP [ZTY_^ _Z ^PP _SP XLRYTʭNPY_
[WLd ZQ WTRS_ ?SP ^PXT _]LY^W`NPY_
white marble is inlaid with thousands of
^PXT []PNTZ`^ ^_ZYP^ TY MPL`_TQ`W [L__P]Y^
and the building has four identical facades,
L [P]QPN_ PcP]NT^P TY ^dXXP_]d 4_ɪ^ _]`Wd L
bZYOP] ZQ _SP bZ]WOɨLYO LY P^^PY_TLW [L]_
ZQ LYd 4YOTL _]LaPW T_TYP]L]d :`] ?]T[ 7PLOP]
will bring this magical scene to life as they
describe the history, culture, and personal
stories that imbue this monument with an
L`]L `YWTVP LYd Z_SP]
Later in the morning we visit the sprawling
,R]L 1Z]_ ZY _SP MLYV ZQ _SP DLX`YL
River. This immense fort and palace were
the seat of power for four generations of
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4YOTL Q]ZX _SP PL]Wd !_S NPY_`]d `Y_TW _SP
consolidation by British colonial rule in the
early 1800s. Agra Fort’s architecture is an
almost perfect fusion between military might
and lavish beauty.