So after 4 nights of family time in Ajmer it was time to continue the journey and make my way towards Agra. My uncle helped me book a sleeper bus Agra through a local travel agency. I should have known not to expect much since my sleeper seat only cost 190 rupees (47 rupees = 1USD). Bus wasn't there when I got to the depot so sat around for about an hour before it finally arrived. Got onboard and was surprised to find that my sleeper seat was more like a chicken coop and that you had to carry all your own luggage with you instead of putting it underneath the bus as in most cases. Not sure if I mentioned previously that I went on a massive shopping spree in Ajmer/Pushkar so now I had an extra suitcase...seriously regretting this at this point! Anyways, made it work out by convincing the old man below me that he could use one of my bags to prop up his feet and he happily obliged. Slept on top of my main backpack...not too comfortable, but managed to get some sleep and awoke in Agra about 6:30AM.
Hopped into an auto-rickshaw (tuk-tuk) and headed to my hotel, Hotel Taj Plaza which I had found on Hostelworld. They had a good rating which helped my decision and immediately after seeing my room I could see why. 600 meters from the Taj with an awesome view from the rooftop restaurant and more importantly the rooms were immaculate at only 350 rupees. Slept for a few hours since I was a little tired and then got up, showered, had some breakfast and was ready to do some sightseeing. Walked out of the hotel and jumped in a tuk-tuk towards the bus station to get a bus to Fatehpur Sikri, about 40km outside of Agra. Since it was low-season and not many tourists the driver (after much negotiation) decided to take me the whole way and back as well as wait for me for a few hours for only 300 rupees...not a bad deal if you ask me! Fatehpur Sikri is a historical city which was constructed by Mughal emperor beginning in 1570 and served as the empire's capital from 1571 until 1585, until it was abandoned for reasons that remain unclear. The surviving palace and mosque is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hour+ ride was bumpy but breezy since the tuk-tuk has no doors/windows. Along the way we had to stop at a police checkpoint where the driver had to bribe his way past (obvious corruption in India) since generally tuk-tuk's from Agra are not allowed to go there, but rather only hired tourist taxis. Next we were pulled into another road block, this time set up by tourist guides who would not take no for an answer. After much argument one decided to come with me for 'free' since I was insistent that I needed no guide...nothing is ever free - something I've certainly learned after traveling for 8 months! Arrived to the site and entered the mosque at first...no shoes and the ground was steaming in the 42+ degree heat but I survived. The main gate was 54 meters high and rather impressive with lots of detail carved into the stone and the massive courtyard inside seemed like it could hold in excess of 20,000 people. The guide explained some of the history and after about 30 minutes I felt like I was being rushed and politely asked him to let me roam on my own. He then pressed me for money which resulted in a small argument...he eventually got no money and stormed off screaming Hindhi curse words in my direction...haha! In my defense I told him repeatedly I wanted no guide and had no intention of paying any money beforehand but he insisted on coming along suggesting that he would have an opportunity to practice his English. Wandered around to the mosque before moving down towards the palace.
At the palace gate I tried to purchase a ticket at the local price of 20 rupees using my few phrases of Hindhi I picked up, however failed miserably and got stuck with the 250 rupee foreigner entrance charge. The palace was expansive and comprised of 20+ buildings and it was here I thought that maybe a guide would have been useful...oh well! I used my Lonely Planet and the map helped me navigate my way around easily as well as provide some history and information about the various buildings which was more than enough. Wandered outside and my driver was waiting as promised and we made our way out of there. He asked if I wanted to meet his family since he was from a nearby area and I happily obliged since he had taken me so far and stood around idle in the heat for 3+ hours. We arrived at his 'home' and I met his 'father' who was busy weaving carpets using very traditional instruments. I was offered tea, met the children and then shown carpets available for purchase...this is where I began to wonder if it really was his family (still don't know...) Either way at the end of it all and on my way out, the mother of the family gave me a carpet for free as a gift for playing with their children which I was forced to take since its rude to say 'no.' There is that free term again but again I didn't pay a single rupee. Made our way back towards Agra and on the way back to the hotel I agreed for the driver to stop at a couple of shops since these shops pay the drivers 20-30 rupees for bringing tourists to their businesses. I spent 10-15 minutes in each store acting interested in a few items, but purchased nothing and he still got his money. Finally reached the hotel at about 3pm and was exhausted from the long journey from Ajmer and all day outside in the heat so I crashed for a few hours.
Woke up and watched a Bollywood film on TV, Namaste London...the entire film was in Hindhi and I probably understood no more than 10% but still was able to understand the movie...I'll spare you the details but just mention that it was about a Indian girl raised in London who faced pressure from her family to marry an Indian but resisted and chose to marry an English boy..lots of disapproval from the family, etc, etc...blah, blah...I'm sure you can figure it out. Anyways, went downstairs and met a Spanish guy, David, also traveling alone who was going to get a beer and food so I tagged along. We found a nearby cafe and I learned that David was only 40 days into his 8 month trip whereas I am 8 days away from the end of my trip! He was tired of the heat in India and in need of some beach time, so I advised him to head to Malaysia/Indonesia and I think by the end of the night and after seeing my pics he was ready to go there a few days...haha! Called it a night and made plans to get up early to see the Taj.
Everyone said the Taj was best seen at sunrise but since we had a late night, we decided to skip the 5:15am sunrise and meet at 6:15am to be there just as the gates opened. Tried again for the Indian price of 50 rupees but failed and had to pay the foreigner cost of 750 rupees...a little steep if you ask me! Got inside and what an amazing site. Definitely not the best wonder I've seen on the trip, but still magnificent nonetheless. The Taj was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife after she died giving birth to their 14th child. Certainly the most grand structure ever built in the name of love and I'm definitely glad I didn't visit it with a girlfriend/wife since who knows what she'd expect later in life...just kidding! The white marble structure inlaid with semi-precious stones stones is symmetrical from all sides and the small fountain/pond in the front carries a beautiful reflection of the main mausoleum. I don't think anything like this could be replicated and urban legends say that the chief architect had his hands choped off at completion so he could not build anything similar for anyone else. Some estimates suggest that its cost was 32 million rupees at time of construction and in excess of 100 million USD at present. Its very difficult to put into words the feelings and thoughts you feel when you walk around this mega complex, but one thing for sure is that it truly is something special.
After a few hours of walking around inside and out, David and I were hungry so we made our way to the same cafe where we found almost the entire same group of people who were eating their the night before. I guess if you find a place and your stomach doesn't break (as it happens so often in India...) you continue to frequent the establishment. Had some breakfast and then back to the hotel where we had them book our train tickets to Delhi for that evening. Took a nap and then that afternoon I visted the Agra Fort, aka the Red Fort of Agra. The most important fort in India as the great Mughals Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb here as well as since the country was governed from here. It contained the largest state treasury and mint and visited by foreign ambassadors, travellers and the highest dignitaries who participated in the making of history in India. With walls in excess of 70 ft. the fort is truly a walled palatial city and references of its existence date back to 1080AD. Wandering around this was like wandering around a maze. The architecture, level of detail and sheer size make you wonder how this was built so long ago, let alone the time, number of people and money that was needed. Unfortunately the mosque area (very impressive from outside) was under renovation so I could not get inside. After about an hour and half of making my way through this place I had to go as it was time for the train to Delhi.
The train to Delhi was the Shatabdi (sp?) express train, taking only 2 hours versus the inter-city trains at 4-5 hours. The extra cost (total ticket 550 rupees) was well worth it since there was plenty of place for all my luggage (33kg at this point...), reclining seat, dinner, bottles of water, ice cream...I could get used to this! The train was a little delayed and we finally arrived into Delhi shortly before midnight.
I rambled a lot here and it definitely was a long post but now that I'm back with family and got a free computer its a lot easier and much less pressure when you don't see a timer on your screen showing your internet charges add up! I hope you enjoy it!
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