Day 5

Well, today was the day that we got to see one of the 7 Wonders of the World, and it didn't disappoint!  Today was also the day that we got to experience a plethora of sights, sounds and smells as we travelled 200km using the Indian railway system - we will never again complain about NIR!  Following a 5.30am breakfast we arrived in Agra at 11.00am in time for welcome refreshments at the Trident Hilton.

The highlight of the day was seeing the Taj Mahal firsthand, along with many thousands of others who were celebrating the Diwali holiday. It's hard to believe that such a small group of pupils can take so many photos of one building!

During the afternoon we had the opportunity to visit a local rug-making business, and we spent time at the spectacular Agra Fort.

As staff, we just want to take this opportunity to commend each member of our team for their outstanding contribution so far.  Their commitment, enthusiasm and genuine care for each other have exceeded our already high expectations - we are so proud of them all.


As we've now been up for 19 hours and the rest of the team is in bed, it's probably time to sign off......


Toni, Catherine & John








Today's Blogspot is by Shannen


The Taj Mahal is without a doubt the most popular building in India.  Here are a few interesting facts about this beautiful building...

•     The Taj Mahal appears pink in the morning, white in the day and changes its colour to golden in the moonlight.
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  An identical Taj Mahal was supposed to be built in black marble.  The base of this can still be seen across the river, but it was never constructed.

• The Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical except that the male tomb is bigger than the female tomb.
• It took 22 years and 22,000 people to complete the Taj Mahal.
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  The pillars surrounding the Taj Mahal are slightly tilted outwards so that in the event of an earthquake they will fall away from the tomb.