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Published: September 13th 2007
We were feeling pretty beat when we wrote our last entry. It felt like the touts and rickshaw wallahs had gotten the best of us, but then we came to Agra. We had heard a lot of cautionary tales about theft and the normal range of Indian games. We were happy to find that, for the most part, Agra was alright. Agra was a pleasant surprise. Maybe our skin is getting thicker...because, let's face it, Agra is still dirty and rank.
***Agra***
Home of the Taj Mahal, another big fort, and a bunch of nice tourist spots, Agra has been a good visit. ADam and I spent most of out time on various rooftops in the Taj Ganj area. The views of the Taj from some of the roofs are awesome. We actually opted to see the Taj from various non-official views while we were in Agra. ADam and I were sick of giving the Indians all our hard earned money. Indians pay 20 rupies to get into the Taj...we pay 750 rupies.
Last night we watched the sun go down on the Taj while talking to a couple from Colorado and sipping on a nice cold
beer. Later, as it got dark, we spotted a bunch of huge bats dart across the sky. Maybe they were flying foxes or something. They were huge!
The next day we went to one of the largest and most impressive forts that we've seen in India. This is where Shah Jahan was imprisoned. A little history...Shah Jahan built the Taj, but after its completion he was overthrown by his son. The son, having a heart, let the deposed Shah stay in a prison cell with a nice view of the Taj Mahal...for the next 20 years. Today we got to see the same view that Jahan did nearly 300 years ago...nice.
After checking out the Agra Fort we went to the backside of the Taj. The Taj looks the same from all four sides, so it doesn't really matter. The nice thing is that the river side is free. The river side of the Taj is a big slum. There were half naked kids, blind kids and goats having a free-for-all. The kids put on there cute faces and said, "picture...picture." That translates to , "money...money." When ADam told a 10 year old girl that we weren't going
to give them any money the expressions on their faces quickly changed and I felt like we were going to be eaten ala' Lord of the Flies. We still managed a few moments of peace to marvel at the truely amazing building. It is magical.
Thanks for the comments...
Douglas...you're not man enough for a beard...maybe I'm not either.
Heath...I don't run these through any sort of spell check and I'm getting charged by the minute...and I can't spell...Hopefully be in NYC someday soon. You could come to Korea.
Nate...Go to Nepal it's way better...anyway you're never getting out of Grand Junction anyway...who are kidding?
Rob...Yeah, LA's Compton would be way more of an adventure...but if the Indians ever got their hands on an AK...
Mom...I hated India so much that I even missed teaching 6 year olds.
*** Update ***
After 30 hours on my butt (10 train, 10 SUV, 10 Bus), I've now made it to Pokhara, Nepal. I already feel better. Nepal is awesome. I'm going to start the Annapurna Around Trek in 2 days...wish me luck. I will have to climb up to around
17,000 ft. or 5, 412m. It wil take about 23days. Expect my next post then.
Take care everyone,
Mike and ADam
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John Grano
non-member comment
Go Nepal, Boo India
Glad you guys had a nice final day or so in India. I'm sure Nepal will be about a million times better. Plus all that hiking will get rid of your travel gut. Take care up there.