Agra:

December 30th, 2004 - January 1st, 2005

Greetings and Happy New Year!

We are currently in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. We arrived here from Jaipur. As cheap as Jaipur was, what a hell-hole Agra is in terms of expense. It is probably the ugliest city we have visited in India. The pollution is horrible. The traffic is bad. And the begging culture is the most aggressive from both kids and rickshaw drivers. The only saving grace really is the fact that the Taj Mahal is here!

Note, if you plan to visit the Taj, it is closed on FRIDAYS! No one told us that, so when we arrived late in the day on Thursday, we were rushed a bit to see it. However, our guide was helpful and we managed some good photos despite the massive crowds of tourists - oh, and the Taj still looked good on the smog filled background (They do say to see it in all lights)! We will; however, not see it in the sun unless a miracle lifts this polluted fog from the city!

At night, we finally were able to indulge in some "food from home" by pigging out at Pizza Hut. Who could have thought a pepperoni pizza would taste so good...

This morning we were at a bit of a loss of what to do - so we went to check e-mail. Having learned our lesson the night before about taking a taxi from the hotel, we walked out of the gates for a rickshaw. Instantly we were surrounded by 5-10 drivers. Having had enough of this, I shouted "Quiet" and shhhhushed them all to silence. I then said "20 rupees, iWay Internet place... who wants it?" The quickest driver to respond got the fare, much to the shock of the others!

However, on the way home, the same guy wanted to take us to some shops. Since we were in a rush, Jess asked him how much commission he got from the shop. He said "20 rupees" ... so I said I would give him 20 rupees extra just to take straight home. He obliged - with a bit of hesitation. I can assure you, it was 20 rupees (about 50 cents) well spent!

This afternoon was spent at the "Baby Taj" which is across the river and then at a park where you can view the real Taj from the backside - it was quite peaceful as many tourists don't make the trip and thus nor do the annoying beggars and touts. We wandered the gardens for a while which proved a peaceful break from the daily life.

To be honest, the last few days have not been as good as the rest. India promotes Jaipur-Agra-Delhi as the "Golden Triangle"; however, Jaipur and Agra have been anything but golden. Prices are higher, people are more aggressive, including shop keepers and beggars, and the air is the worst I have seen in my life.

On that note, it is still warmer than back home! I hope everyone has a Happy New Year...

Speaking of New Years, our hotel was offering a musical evening featuring two Bollywood Personalities who were performing in a tent next to the hotel. We decided at the last moment to sign up for the all you can eat & drink evening. We were lucky enough to meet a young Swedish couple earlier in the day who joined us at our table as well as an older British couple.

The night was spent consuming Rum & Cokes while watching these Bollywood folk sing Indian songs. I'd say 85% of the crowd were rich Indians while the other 15% were curious tourists like ourselves. The British couple ducked out earlier but we partied the night away with the Swedes, Maria and Andreas.

We ended up being the centre of attraction for many of the Indians as they wanted to take photos of us and with us (especially with the girls) as well as dance with us. There were some creepy old men who also wanted in on the fun, but we managed to keep them at bay! The night ended around 1am and was one of the better New Year's Eves of the last 10 years or so...

The following day we did some more sight seeing of Agra before taking a train in the late evening to New Delhi. We arrived about 1am because the train was late (big surprise there) and we went to our hotel.

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