The Taj Mahal: 72 Hours in India with a Prince as my Tour Guide

After a nightcap in Udaipur, we retired for another early flight to New Delhi.

If you’re curious why I came all the way to India for a 3 day trip during monsoon season, and why my tour guide was a royal, make sure you read my post explaining what prompted this adventure and my post on the 24 hours I spent in Dubai the day before arriving to India…

I had mixed feelings about the fact that it was our last day in India.  On one hand, the filming and travel schedule for the show had left us exhausted.  But on the other, I wasn’t ready to leave yet – only three days in such a fascinating country was a tease and left me wanting more!  So, what did we do on our last day?  See the Taj Mahal, of course!

Despite filming being over, the Prince was adamant to not leave us unescorted while in his country.  Upon our arrival to New Delhi, he had arranged for a driver to take the three of us to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.  Our plan was to drive the 3 hours to Agra, spend several hours wandering around the Taj Mahal and the city, and then make the 3 hour drive back to the airport in New Delhi to catch our international flight back to Atlanta.  Certainly a hectic day, but how could we go all the way to India and not see the Taj?!  (And let’s be honest, I’m no stranger to such travel).

Unfortunately, things didn’t really go as planned.  On this particular day of our trip, it rained heavily all day…and when I say heavy, I mean HEAVY – it was monsoon season in India after all!  The heavy rain wreaked havoc on the less than stellar roadways leading to the Taj.  In all my life, I have never witnessed anything so chaotic…streets were flooding, people were abandoning their vehicles, mopeds were weaving in and out of traffic and animals were wandering through the busy streets while the drivers tried to avoid them.

Just a painted elephant hanging out at a gas station… no biggie.

The 3 hour drive to Agra turned into nearly an 8 hour drive.  When we finally arrived, our driver drove as close to the Taj as he could possibly get us and we finished the trek on foot in the 100 degree weather, ridiculous humidity and pouring rain. Our walk resembled a chaotic scene straight out of the movie Slumdog Millionaire – there were people everywhere and children were literally grabbing on to us to sell us whatever they were hawking.

By the time we finally arrived at the Taj, we had about 20 minutes to see the massive complex, which isn’t even close to cutting it.  Despite the terribly long drive, I was beyond excited to see and explore the grand complex.  Maybe it was the long and distressing drive, but when I laid eyes upon the great Taj Mahal I got chills!  We had FINALLY made it!

Your shoulders and knees needed to be covered, and you either had to take off your shoes or purchase shoe covers.

My trip to India was as exhausting as it was fascinating, but I can’t wait to head back and explore more of the country!

Is the Taj Mahal on your bucket list?