Monday 26th November
Another of the recommended highlights near Agra was a now deserted fort complex designed and built by a Mogul emperor in the 17th century, and situated in the town of Fatehpur Sikri. On the bus there, I met a couple from London – Henry & Danni – who were good fun, and we had a long chat about our experiences of India, having come from similar backgrounds. Along with a guy from Brazil, we walked about the mosque and took a guided tour of the so-called 'ghost town' palace.
Some of the architecture was very impressive, with a mixture of Moghul, Muslim, Hindu and Christian designs reflecting how the emperor Akbar managed to bring together the different faiths over which he ruled. Our guide told us some interesting stories about the place and some of the people who lived there. It seemed like the emperor had a good thing going on until a water shortage forced him to move the court to Agra Fort.
My train from Agra to Jaipur was scheduled to leave at 17.40, with a bus journey back of between 1 and 1.5 hours. After eating some really good food with my new friends, I waited on the bus.... and waited, until it was getting late enough for me start panicking. Once we got on the road it was clear that the driver was in a hurry (as ever) and I just waited to see what happened. There was little I could do about it, so I had a brief snooze, worn out from another busy day.
I eventually got to the station in a big rush at 17.40. The train from Delhi the day before had itself been delayed by half an hour, so I was hoping the same would be the case for this train. Thankfully, on asking at the information booth, I was told that the train was due to arrive - late - on the platform. Thank God for that! Although, had I missed the train, I would have just got a bus to Jaipur, so it wouldn't have been too serious.
As it turned out, the train didn't leave Agra for over an hour! And it stopped several times with the result that it arrived in Jaipur at midnight, almost two hours late. Thankfully, I had booked ahead; I wouldn't have been up to looking for somewhere to stay that late at night, with all of the recommended hotels booked up. I got to the Hotel Megh Niwas, and it looked fantastic, much classier – and obviously more expensive – than the hotels I was used to staying. But, it was cool to stay somewhere a bit more luxurious, and I didn't have a huge amount of choice in the matter anyway.
