Not everyone is familiar with the name of Agra--- but this is the city where the incredibly famous Taj Mahal is , about 200 km south if Delhi. Our train was on time and got us into Agra before noon. Since we only left one day for Agra before we headed to Delhi the next day, we would only find time to see the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. There are a few other nice things to see there but we just wanted to cover the 2 big and best known ones. We knew time was of the essence so we dropped our bags at the hotel and decided to start at Agra Fort. It was a beautiful sandstone structure, built at the height of the Mughal empire, who's capital used to be Agra. It was a massive fortress, with plenty of good views down below of the Yamuna river and the Taj Mahal. We planned to have lunch before spending the late afternoon at the Taj. We officially had our most expensive meal so far in India ($20 total) at a restaurant recommended by our guide book. The food was good, nicely spicey, and oh so filling!! North Indian cuisine is substantially heavier and creamier than South Indian. Every time I eat North Indian food I want to take a nap! It's good & spicy, but as a day to day meal it is just too heavy for me. Funny enough, the 'expensive' food may have made Tom a bit sick later in the day. I would argue it was a mix of the stress, sun & food. It passed quickly, but it was officially the first time any one of us had any GI issues here. Just as I predicted: the most expensive place actually caused us trouble!!! Anytime people mention not to eat street food and to eat at good restaurants I always take that with a grain of salt. Why? Because EVERY 'GI problems story' I hear involves someone eating at a good restaurant where they thought they would be fine!! That is why I stick with the 'eat where others are eating' mentality--it proves more accurate ;)
Anyways, after a FILLING & 'expensive' (relatively speaking) lunch, we headed to the Taj.
I expected to be haggled more in the North, & I knew there would be more beggar children around as well as adults. I avoided them & I didn't feel too bothered. Tom likes to acknowledge everyone so he had a harder time getting people off his back. Overall, if your prepared for it then you handle it better. The people caught off guard are the most at risk of being bothered. It wasn't my first time in a very poor, 3rd world setting, so i didn't see anything that I hadn't seen before. It is sad and everyone feels the need to give, but you have to fight that instinct because if you give to 1 you will have to give to 10 more, & you never know what adults these kids are working for. It is a sad reality, and even more heartbreaking when the kids openly get high on glue, paint or petrol right in front of you....
Anyways, back to Taj. We are not sure exactly what happened but its possible that one of the officials at Agra Fort may have scammed us. At the Fort, we bought a comprehensive day ticket for the Fort and for Taj Mahal--this way it was a cheaper price. Apparently the guy at the fort ripped off the wrong side of the ticket stub, so when we arrived at the Taj they refused us entry, stating that we had to buy a new ticket!! We argued and yelled and I just wouldn't budge! I don't deal well with getting scammed, I always think I'm too smart for it :P
Enough yelling & persistence, the guy at the gate brought us to his managers at the ticket office and they just let us through......
Our day was a bit frustrating and in the end, we decided not to buy the services of a tour guide. Funny enough, we ended up sitting on a bench near a small tour group and getting a history lesson for free!! At that point I was glad we didn't pay for one because I had read most of the stuff he had mentioned anyways...
The Taj. Awesome. Mystical. Transcendent. The place is packed with tourists but you barely notice because you are so transfixed on it!! It's exquisite!! From a distance it looks like a painting, you really don't feel like its real. When your close to it it's overpowering--- massive & all consuming and magical. An awesome structure. I am in awe of it. Everyone should see it at least once in their lifetime. Breathtaking. I won't go into a detailed history, but the Taj is a masterpiece of love from the Mughal dynasty. When the emperors wife died in childbirth, he built her this mausoleum as her final resting place- a translucent marble masterpiece adorned with gems and flowers and a paradise garden!! Arguably the most romantic gesture of all time!! It is really something to see- a must see ! No photo can do it justice. You really have to be in its presence to understand its power. Awesome.
