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Insane India - Agra, Taj Mahal
We got the early morning train from Delhi to Agra at 5:45am.....we thought that Delhi would be quiet at this time in the morning.....how wrong we were!!The streets were quiet without the usual level of traffic....the train station however was totally different!!It lends itself to a local sleeping den for the homeless (or Untouchables as they are called in the Hindu caste system).These people sleep on the floor but in a way in which they look like they've fallen asleep where they've landed!These people beg for food from us and basically follow us through the madness of the station.
The train arrives.....2nd class air conditioned means that we have a reserved seat in pleasant surroundings and can escape the constant begging and starring.As the train travels through the slum areas of the city and beyond we watch the morning routines of the habitants......the women lighting the fire and boiling water, the men drinking chai, children waving to us as we pass.This was all very pleasant until the train came to a stop at a signal.......I said to Alana 'can you smell s***?'.....'Yes' she replied 'its horrific'.......we looked out of the window and were greeted with around a dozen men squatting next to the track enjoying their morning motion!!They seemed completely unnerved that a train had stopped next to them or that there neighbour/friend/brother was also squatting just inches from them!!!!!!Not what you want to see over breakfast!!
After arriving in Agra we head off in our Tuk Tuk's to see the main sights of the baby taj, Agra Fort and of course the majestic Taj Mahal.First stop was the baby Taj, we were they only visitors here practically as it was a welcome solace from the crazy streets.Agra's only beauty comes from the Taj, it's really an incredibly poor, worn down city.The drivers took us to an area not often seen by tourists for a photo op.....this was the village which sits behind the Taj.....seeing the Taj looming in all its beauty above a dried out river bed where women and children worked, washed and played amongst the rubbish, dirt and barbed wire was a massive juxposition.
Agra Fort was next, this was also part of the Muslim Mogul dynasty as had beautiful views across to the Taj Mahal.We seemed to have become a bit of a tourist sensation ourselves......the amount of groups of friends, families and Asian tourists who request pictures with us is unbelievable.....we're thinking of charging 20 RPS per picture...self funding trip?!They were even taking sneaky pictures of mobiles as we posed for our own pictures!
After lunch we had an argument with our drivers....they are paid commission by companies to bring tourists to them, we had agreed to see a marble factory but were then taken to a carpet factory, a textile factory and then into an emporium even after we had said we wanted to go to the Taj!!We refused to get out of the tuk tuk and so resulted in a sharing of words!!
When we finally arrived at the taj we were expected the sereneness that the Princess Di pictures evoke.....forget it!!!The place was swarming with people!!However nothing can detract from that feeling when you first clasp eyes on it.....with the sun reflecting off the white marble, its reflection glistening on the water, all set against a perfect blue sky background.....truly amazing.
We spent hours walking around the place, seeing the inside of the palace to the actual tomb of the women/wife whose husband was so heartbroken after her death he was inspired to create the world's most beautiful tomb.The intricate marble work which would have been encrusted with precious jewels could only be spoilt by one thing.......................Indian feet stench!!As with all Hindu, Sikh and Muslim holy places footwear is strictly forbidden.....thousands of sweaty feet padding round a confined area.....yack!!
We sat and watched the sun go down around, the guide books talk about the changing colours of the taj....it reflecting the change in the light.....however we saw no change.....the pollution and weakened winter sun meant that the sky was hazy.We still enjoyed sitting and watching the world go by......the groups and families coming as talking to us, requesting pictures and generally been friendly and incrediably proud of their country.
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