Loose in Agra

We are in Agra. Although it is a very touristy thing to do we felt we couldn't go to India without visiting this city and in particular it's most famous landmark the Taj Mahal. We have splashed out on a nice room with clean blankets, nice soft bedding and a clean bathroom with hot water and western toilet. Even a television. It is a bit of luxury and a sanctuary away from the hassle of Indian streets. Still at a reasonable fiver a night though mind! We have done plenty of walking in the past few days after we spent our second day ill in bed. Agra is more developed than Varanasi and even has a Pizza Hut, which I am slightly ashamed to say we could't resist. I thoroughly enjoyed it though. I think because it was time for a break from spicy curries and maybe a hint of familiarity drew us in. The restaurant was also the scene of a very surreal few minutes when several waiters lined up and started Indian dancing to some kind of bangra! We have been subjected to the usual hassle out on the streets, if you walk anywhere you won't get a moments peace in the cities of India. Only when we crossed the river away from the city centre did we partially escape this.

We have been to Agra fort, an imposing red sandstone building by the banks of the Yamuna river or more aptly Yamuna stream. It was a nice way to spend an hour or two but I suspect it was more fun in the days of Akbar and his 5,000 strong hareem.

The Taj Mahal is an impressive and iconic building surrounded by nicely maintained gardens. A pleasure to stroll around as the sellers aren't allowed in and the sun seems to perpetually shine. The size is imposing and the plays of light throughout the day on the white marble are subtle and fascinating. It is of course built to hold a tomb and is sparse inside and out and as such I felt I only needed a short amount of time to view it. Up close it is in need of repair and the towers are beginning to tilt outwards. It is definitely worth a visit but for me is not awe inspiring like St Peters church in Rome.

One of the highlights of our time in Agra was a walk to the Mehtab gardens near a small village on the opposite bank of the Yamuna. A nice warm evening, pleasant gardens and a chance to see local Indian life outside of the hectic epicentre.

Jed



Here we are in Agra! We arrived here after a long (18hours) but uneventful train journey during which we didn't even get told off by the conductor! Bonus! We met some nice Americans and even got some sleep! Brilliant! As the train journey was supposed to take only 12 hours, we ran out of food and eventually hunger got the better of us, and we gave in and bought some food from one of the many food salesmen passing through the carriage. A couple of slices of white bread, some cutlet type things along with some strange looking brownishy red sauce which we decided we could live without! It was very nice actually but I can't be sure if it was only because I was so hungry!

We arrived by auto rick-shaw to our guest house and were talked in to getting a very nice room, at a somewhat less nice price! But, we were in need of some luxury and wanted to enjoy Agra in style! We continued the theme by going to a very posh restaurant indeed for dinner where we gorged ourself on the most delicious Indian food I have ever tasted and had some excellent company in the form of an English and an Irish man, one of which barely said a word and the other who didnt stop talking! We had some interesting conversations and then Jed and I went off to get ice cream, despite the fact we were so full we could barely walk! Yes, we are greedy, but don't worry, we paid for it! Soon after, we both came down with extremely poorly stomachs and had to spend the next day locked away in our room, feeling very sorry for ourselves! Im still blaming the food from the train!

Anyway, the following day we were up and about again, although somewhat fragile, and went off to see Agra fort. We spent a very pleasant hour or so, wandering around, exploring and enjoying the sunshine and lack of hassle from touts (who are not allowed in.) We then took a walk over to the other side of the river, through a very poor village and here we met for the first time on our trip, some Indian people who just wanted to say "Hello!" What a refreshing surprise! We were wary of course, as without exception, everyone who has spoken to us on the streets of India, and Nepal for that matter has wanted something from us - even small children! We met a man who told us about himself, asked about us, showed us his house (or hut/tent) and introduced us to his family before waving us goodbye without asking for a thing! Children were coming up waving and shouting hello and we were waving and saying hello back without any further hassle! We have got to the stage where the majority of the time we ignore people in the streets as it only encourages them to continue trying to sell you whatever it is they are offering or keep begging, but these people, despite their poverty, simply wanted to say Hello! It put me in a very good mood! We reached the gardens we had been heading for and saw the sunset over the Taj Mahal. It was very peaceful and we enjoyed watching it!

Today we have been to the Taj Mahal, to get a proper look! The gardens are lovely although filled with tiny flies like the rest of Agra! Ive had more than my fair share in my eyes, mouth, nose and hair! I felt like a celebrity as every 5 minutes Indian people were coming up to me asking if I would have my photo taken with them. It was very strange but they seemed to think it was a big deal for them to have their picture taken with a foreigner! There was lots of staring too but for a change no attempted groping! Woo Hoo! Anyway, tommorrow we are out of here! Off to Jaipur on a bus! Looking forward to seeing the pink city!

Sam xxx

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Part of trip: Asia

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