personal and travels
It is a challenging year that we are so thankful to see a merry christmas. Though my dad is spending his Christmas in the hospital, we are glad that we is getting well now. Anyway, here is what we got on Christmas day from hubby’s company’s catering services. So thoughtful of them. Here in the hotel they also put some socks on the door with candy and other sweets, isn’t that sweet? It is a great christmas here in India. Be well everyone.
So we flew to Agra last week to see the very amazing and wonderful works of art of the old times that still withstand until now. The place was so rich in history and culture that it took us four days of travel and adventure. We stayed in a very nice hotel, obviously one of the best there is in that place; we had a good stay, and food was great. Hubby said that the hotel pricing was so cheap compared to others of the same amenities, features and standard. That it makes us saved well in that hotel. We did the Hotel Reservations, and you can do it at http://www.HotelReservations.com over the Internet, and it was more grand when we finally arrived there. For your reservations, see that the one of different offering like hotels, motels, resorts, vacation rentals for worldwide destinations has very competitive pricing and rates, even offer great discounts.
The R400 is the first Laptop that can connect to any peripheral – printer, monitor, speakers, anything with a USB plug – wirelessly. Just plug them into the docking station. It communicates with the laptop through a new wireless technology called ultra-wideband, which carries video, sound and data faster than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Signals can travel short distances with nearly the same quality as they would have over cables.
From May to July last year hubby asked if I had seen any elephant around Mumbai streets. I had not when it is an everyday street scene. He said that he’s going to arrange a ride for me. A year and five months later here we head towards the elephant yard the tour guide brought us into (the hotel said the day before that they do not have elephant rides anymore for one time the animal got wild and crushed some tourist, that was heavy scary huh, but the tour guide found us one that still offers for 500 Rupees). I did not dream this ride, but for the sake of experience, I did and gladly I really enjoyed the smooth ride on the eary beast (hanoy xa, lol).
It was a full day for us, and that afternoon we headed to a taste for Taj, viewing it at the back from across the river Yamuna. The Taj is perfectly symmetrical in all four sides so you will have the same view from whatever angle.
Our next stop over was to the Itmud-ud-daula known as Baby Taj. The main gate is made of red sandstone, with a double storied structure which has got inlay work of white marble. Towards it and towards Yamuna, a beautiful Baradary is there, in which below there are some rooms which were provided with curtains of Khas-khas and were used as a cool retreat from the summer heat. The upper chambers were used as bathrooms by the Royal Ladies. The ceiling was decorated with gold and silver, were scrapped away by the Jats during their short occupation of Agra, but were repaired later on by lord Curzon. But many original things in there had been long stolen by the people.
Itmud-ud-daula was built by Empress Noor Jahan in the memory of her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg. It is basically a tomb, which is of very peculiar interest as it was the fore-runner of of the Taj and of the many designs of it were made in the Taj. It is the first Mughal Architecture before the existence of Taj, which was made of white marble. It was the first Mughal building, totally constructed of marble and is the first building in which extensive use of “Pietra Dura” has been made, which is characteristic of the Taj. The marble walls are decorated with inscriptions from the holy Quran, cypress tress, wine flasks and jugs carved on marble, are very beautiful. In the center of the hall are the cenotaphs of Itmud-ud-Daula and his wife Asmat-Ul-Nisa. The rectangular shaped tomb of white marble is enclosed by a beautiful garden fenced by high walls on three sides and the fourth side opens towards river Yamuna, which gives a beautiful view of the city.
