The only reason to visit Agra

---

India stands for 'I Never Do It Again' we were told. And for the first three hours in India that's what we felt also. After crossing the border we took a local bus to the city of Gorakhpur. We were packed in to a bus which was as full as it can be. For two hours we were standing and sitting with no space to move, side by side and people leaning on us.

When we finally reached Gorakhpur we headed to the railway station and were determined to get tickets on the next train to Agra. For an hour and a half we ran from counter to another trying to figure out where to get the tickets to the class we wanted. From the fifth counter they were able to give us proper directions to go back to the third counter and get the unreserved ticket and then come back to upgrade the ticket to the class we wanted. An hour later we were the only ones sitting in an air-conditioned sleeper class train sipping a rum-n-coke and heading to Agra. We were proud that we made it. India wasn't that bad after all.

The next morning, 20 hours later and only three hours behind the schedule, we arrived Agra. The train ride was more comfortable than we had expected with cheap and good, though very spicy, food available and lots of empty seats which left us more than enough space. This gave us maybe a bit too good impression on the train travelling in India.

We had only one reason to be in Agra, the Taj Mahal. We got there early in the next morning and sat there admiring its beauty in the sunrise. Beforehand we were a bit sceptic whether a building can be as special as everybody says it is. But after seeing it in real we have to agree that it must be the most beautiful thing man has ever created. The architecture, the materials, the details and the size of the building make it very unique.

So we stayed in Agra for two days, saw the Taj Mahal and ate really good food in a tiny restaurant called the Joney's Place. The food was almost as good a reason to spend a day in Agra as the Taj Mahal is. Banana lassi and malai kofta were the best we have ever had.

On the third morning we were going to take the train to Jodhpur. We arrived at the train station at 6 only to find out that the train was four hours late. So we sat down to wait for the train. After a couple of hours the delay was 5 hours, then 6 hours and the closer the train got the more it was delayed. Finally the train arrived at 19.30, over 13 hours late. What a way to spend a day. On top of that our tickets were on the waiting list and the train was full to the last seat. The conductor said that there would be no room for us on the train so we should get off on the next station. Luckily though, some people had not appeared on the train so we got seats after all and arrived Jodhpur the next morning. I suppose this is what it's really like to travel by train in India.

---

Photos

Close up
All the details are either carved from marble or embedded stones. Some of the stones used to be jewellery but they were stolen.

Enjoying the beauty
The garden around the Taj completes its beauty

Looking back from the Taj
The size of the garden is impressive as well. At the far end is the entrance to the Taj, not a small building either.

Comments

[Auli]

Hyvää Pyhäinpäivää Vihiluodosta!
Tosi mukava seurata reissuanne. Meiltä lensi iltapäivällä Dubliniin kaksi Paddya Irlannista ihailtuaan kaamosta Kuusamossa. Sen jälkeen kävimme barokkikonsertissa Kempeleen kirkossa kuuntelemassa Elinaa, Heiniä ja Iikkaa. Ja lopuksi vielä Taj Mahal ... Auli, elämyksien ystävä :)