On the morning of our departure from Pushkar to Agra, four of our party were struck dwon with bad stomach bugs.
After a couple of hours delay, the two couples dragged themselves onto the bus. It was an especially uncomfortable journey, but fortunately it was only a couple of hours. As the group was depleted and our arrival in Agra was later than expected, we decided to visit the Taj Mahal the next day.
The Turkish Prime Minister was in town the following morning, visiting the Taj, and when we ventured from our hotel for a walk we were greeted with a road block on our return. The poker-faced officials at the barrier wouldn't let us through so we took a detour through the back streets of Agra, past friendly villagers and a lot of sheep, back to the hotel. When we got back we were immediately locked in the hotel with the other guests, behind a big padlock, for a couple of hours until the VIP visit was over.
The Taj Mahal completely lives up to the hype. You see photos of it all the time but nothing compares to the first glimpse of it through the entranbce archway. It looks a lot like a painting against a bright blue sky and is really quite spectatular. It is the most expensive tourist attraction in India but is definitely worth every rupee. The crowds and the pushing isn't such a pleasure, but there is something quite entertaining about being caught up in hundreds of people simultaneously entering and exiting the narrow doorway into the masoleum. One guy used the opportunity to cop a good feel of my behind in the crush, but there wasn't a lot I could do about it at the time!
