Squid in India

Mangoes, traffic, cows, chai masala, scooters, jasmine, joy, rain, sun, adventure!

Monday, August 21, 2006

Agra







The Taj Mahal is amazing, breathtaking, and unreal. It’s actually beyond any of those words. Agra is beyond words on the other end of the spectrum. I can’t blame it really; it’s a town that became a tourist spot on a huge international scale. It was no match for the hordes of people and the opportunity to profit from them. So it’s smelly, dingy, and sketchy in all senses. I did meet some kind people (Raj the jewelry seller and Mukesh the bicycle rickshaw driver).
The hotel: probably the worst accommodation I have ever experienced. Bed bugs, no working toilet, no locks on the doors (outside or inside!), and in 112F weather there was a fan that was swinging from the ceiling by one old wire (I tried not to sleep directly underneath it for fear of decapitation). Truly uncomfortable conditions while on ‘vacation’ until I calculated just what I was paying for said accommodation and once I did (200 rupees or $5 per night) it all made sense. Lesson learned! Suffice it to say I was very happy to get on the train to Delhi after two nights and a Taj tour.

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