Agra

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We chose to catch the overnight train from Varanasi. After spending longer in Varanasi than we had originally planned, due to Beth’s hopsitalisation, it was a relief to be at the train station waiting for our train. The train was delayed by an hour and a half, and by the time the train pulled out of Varanasi we both were rugged up in our sleeping bags on the top bunks. We had chosen to travel on sleeper class, meaning that we didn’t have a separate cabin as on the train from Gorakhpur. The train cars in sleeper class are open, meaning that one has the option of either sleeping with one’s luggage or of stowing it, insecurely, under the bottom bed. We ended up sleeping with our packs, which were engorged with our hiking gear along with our various purchases from Varanasi, making the fit tight on the narrow 6 foot beds. After a night of intermittent sleep we packed our bags at sunrise, anticipating our arrival at Agra Fort station. It was only once we had gotten organized that we learnt that the train had been delayed by 6 hours overnight, and so we sat with the family who had slept on the bunks below us to watch the passing fields on our slow approach to Agra. As we crossed the bridge over the Yamuna River we had our first sighting of the Taj Mahal which was the only partially obscured by haze.

It took us a while to find a hotel in Taj Ganj, the tourist area directly to the south of the Taj, as many places had unrealistic expectations about how much they could charge for basic, dingy rooms during an especially quiet tourist season. We found an acceptable room, and after whittling away the rest of the day exploring the area we had an early night in anticipation for a big day.

We woke up at 5.30am the next day so that we could watch the sunrise over the Taj. However, after wealking to the wrong gate and being directed to the correct one we learnt that the ticket office only opened at 6.40, and that the gates to the Taj Mahal only opened at 7. We queued diligently at the foreigners line with another Australian couple - the local line was much longer. Only a few minutes after the ticket office opened, there was a great surge of people from the local line who were attempting to get to the window of the foreigners queue. We assume that they had decided that there were only limited tickets available, or that everbody was to queue in a single line. After being ruthlessly pushed in front of at ATMs and train stations previously, we automatically went into place protection mode, using our weight to try and stop us losing our place. We got our tickets soon after, and then we only had to queue for another half an hour before the gates opened and security slowly let people in.

We were both disappointed at first by the Taj, as on the day we visited there was thick fog. It felt as if the temperature had decreased since 6, so after waiting for the Taj to magically emerge through the fog in our t-shirts for an hour, we went into the mausoleum, seeking warmth.

The intricacy of the mausoleum both inside and out was rather impressive. Passages from the Koran ciricle the tomb just below the dome, while the walls of the tomb are covered by intricate marble inlay of semi precious stones, creating floral patterns. Having spent perhaps an hour and a half within the mausoleum, enjoying the comparative warmth, we ventured through the still thick for to the museum.

It was a very disappointing museum, having nothing but a couple of portraits of Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, along with an array of signs informing the visitor that the art was undergoing chemical restoration. By 11 we were both tired of waiting for the fogt to clear, as well as hungry from our lack of breakfast. The Taj Mahal had failed us. We hadn’t sent he postcard picture view with the symmetrical gardens, though we both enjoyed the fineness of the decoration.

That afternoon we visited Agra Fort, a big red fort that seems to dominate Agra more than the Taj Mahal. We both enjoyed the fort much more than the Taj - one could really ‘play princess’ within the marble façade courtyards and rooms built for Shah Jahan’s daugheres. The throne platforms are still intact, along with the many other buildings within the fort. All in all it felt much more alive than the Taj - perhaps not surprising considering the latter is a tomb.

On the morning of the third day we went to ‘Little Taj’, which is on the other side of the river. It is as ornately decorated as the Taj Mahal, though a lot smaller. It was nice because there were so few people around, and because we entertained ourselves for a good 45 minutes feeding Khukuri to the resident squirrels. Khurkuri is an Indian snack - like Twisties but masala flavour! The squirrels enjoyed them a lot.

That afternoon was spent partly on the internet, partly waiting for the arrival of our overnight sleeper bus to Jodhpur (read this horror story in our next blog) and partly enjoying the happily sanitized ambience of our new favourite thing Indian - Café Coffe Day. Our new love is based on the fact that it embodies so many things that dirty backpackers don’t experience whilst traveling India: air condition, clean tables, large glass windows, quietness, no holy cows, no holy cow dung, the aroma of coffee, clean toilets, and comfy lounges on which to sip cappuccinos and mochas. In short, it was well removed from the average Indian chai shop; a giant leap towards the West. It was fantastic. By the time our bus rolled up, and we had handed over our 20 rs ‘luggage surcharge’ the smiles of contentment and quiet satisfaction that had filled our faces at Café Coffee Day had been replaced by facial expressions altogether less attractive.

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