We arrive late at night, as do most international arrivals. We stood in line for quite a while, they take their security very seriously here, spending sometimes 10 mins on analyzing one person, taking fingerprints, and comparing passport pictures. I would guess they take it more seriously than in the US!

We are met once outside baggage claim by …

We rise early to eat breakfast and be ready for a full day exploring Delhi. We eat our breakfast (a buffet with cold foods and some hot options) before we meet up at 8:45 with our guide, Isha and Ranjit to head out. Isha is an "experience guide" and is intending to show us the city in a more experiential way. She takes us first to see …

Today we woke up early to experience the train to Agra. This allows us to spend only 90 minutes traveling in comfort instead of 3-4 hours in a car. We may our way through the crowded station to our platform and then hop on the car we are reserved in to take our seats. The car is very clean, with a nearby toilet, and we are offered a meal and tea …

This morning we enjoy breakfast in the hotel. The spread is impressive. And comprises two rooms almost anything you could want, including an omelets-making station. We eat and then meet to go and visit the Taj Mahal from the inside. We arrive around 9 AM, and hop on a golf cart to carry us the rest of the way to the main entrance. Again we must go …

We wake at 5:30 for a quick coffee and to get ready by 6:15 when the vehicles come to pick us up. We head out in an open-air Jeep for the park which is a 15 min drive away. We enter Gate 1 into the park. The rains have washed out so much, and a lot of the roads are not driveable so only certain zones are open. We drive along the road (as you are …

Today we spend the morning at leisure, which was so nice. The pool at Samode Haveli is so nice and inviting, but unfortunately, I don't wake up in time to even take a dip! We enjoy a very late breakfast in the open-air restaurant and admire a puppeteer putting on a show with his handmade dolls of Mangowood.

Next, we head to visit the City …

The next day we leave earlier to catch our flight down to Mumbai. We see the high-rise buildings of the city, fisherman's villages, statues, and old buildings. We get out for lunch at Cafe Leopold, the first cafe and renowned site for the terror attack in 2008. We visit the public laundry, which is a massive operation for doing the laundry for …