Taj Mahal, Agra

At first sight, the Taj Mahal doesn't look as big as you'd hoped it to be, in fact it looks a bit tiny to be one of the 'Wonders of the World'. Seems to be an illusion though as it takes a long time to walk to it. By the time you get to the front door, it's quite impressive. Final resting place of some Sultans wife, never found out the name (not paying for a guide!). The towers around the outside of the Taj are built leaning away from it, so when they eventually fall over they don't land on the palace. Had to get up at 5am to avoid the crowds but it was definitely worth it. There's even a picture of me somewhere sitting where Princess Diana was in that famous phone (I'm not as photogenic as she was, however).

Tiger Safari at Rathambone

I have an unnatural fear of tigers. Well it's perfectly rational to be scared of something that can eat you, just not when you live in the UK, where bumping into a tiger isn't very likely. Fortunately I had an overweight man sat in front of me and I convinced myself if we were to see a tiger it would definitely pick him. I announced this to my friends but only realised the rather large man spoke perfect English once the safari was over. I think it's safe to say we're not friends. The safari lasted 3 hours but alas, no tiger (damn!). We did see several other animals, the mongoose and the turtle being my favourites. It would have been nice to see a tiger, but I kept thinking about the form I had to sign in case I got eaten alive. I guess it's not all bad. There is a picture of a tree trunk below where a tiger has marked it's territory by scratching the crap out of it. Closest thing to seeing a tiger in the I'll probably ever get.