Alive in Agra

We took the overnight train from Varanasi to Agra and once again, I did not sleep much given the heat. But I feel refreshed having arrived at the Shanti Hotel (thank you to my Japanesse friends for the recommendation), taken a shower and had some food on the roof top with its amazing view of the Taj Mahal.

Thanks to a helpful autorickshaw driver, we took in a few bazaars and the Agra Fort before heading to the Taj in the late afternoon. Spending time at the Taj Mahal was a magical experience. Never did I dream I would be sitting in front of this architecural wonder and gaze upon its fantastic white walls.

While I sat amazed, many Indians would come over and ask to take photos with me. Of course I indulged them. I can only imagine how many Indian photo albums i will be part of.

Watching the sun set over the Taj was an experience I will never forget.

The next day, we found our way to Mathura and Vrindavan, two small towns about 60kms outisde of Agra. The appeal of these small towns is that they are the birthplace and adolescent place of Krishan respectively. In Vrindavan, many wonderous temples remain including the Shri Krishna-Balram Temple built by the Society for Shri Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). It is one of the most beautiful temples in the area and is constantly filled with singing Hare Krishnas.

Next up we leave the Uttar Pradesh region via bus and head to the neighboring Rajasthan region and its capital, Jaipur.

Hope eveyone is doing well.

Larry

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