Agra

5/12/12

I arrived late in Agra after the excruciatingly long trip during which I basically wallowed in self-pity.  I had a nice long sleep, then woke up to find the shower head broken and only a single bucket—without the smaller basin necessary to bucket bathe.  I crouched under the faucet and bathed as best I could, not wanting to go through the hassle of asking the front desk and eager to begin exploring Agra.  Sure, I missed seeing the Taj Mahal at sunrise, but sleep was my top priority.  I walked for 45 minutes along the road to Agra Fort, ignoring the constant stream of tuc tuc drivers asking if I needed a ride, happy to stretch my legs a bit.  Once in Agra Fort, I bought a $2 audio tour so I could wander through alone with big headphones.  The huge red sandstone fort was beautiful, ornate, and provided a great view of the Taj Mahal.  There is a ton of photo documentation, don’t worry dad. 

I then went outside to get a tuc tuc to Mehtab Bagh—a park directly across the river from the Taj Mahal.  I figured I could find cheaper tuc tucs away from Agra Fort, so I began to walk.  Two men on a horse-pulled cart pulled up next to me, asking (or motioning) where I wanted to go.  They said to hop on, that they’d give me a ride for free.  I sat cross-legged between them, reigns in hand, while traffic whirled by.  We got a lot of calls and comments, but I can only guess what they were saying…I jumped off after a while, got into a tuc tuc and went to Mehtab Bagh, where I walked barefoot through the pristine park and read under a tree just 100 yards from the Taj Mahal. 

After a disappointing lunch and my craziest tuc tuc ride to date, I decided to treat myself to while waiting for the heat to die down.  (You have to be barefoot or in disposable shoe covers at the Taj Mahal, so I figured waiting until the evening would be less painful for the soles of my feet.)  I went to the nicest hotel in Agra, and was floored by the swimming pool, decorative pools, absurd bush sculptures (think Edward Scissorhands), and sculpture variety.  I had two delightful mojitos before meandering back to the Taj Mahal. 

Maybe it was those two mojitos, or perhaps the joy of not traveling for a day, or the glory of the Taj Mahal, but I found myself happily taking pictures with families and taking photos of strangers.  The Taj Mahal was beautiful and worthwhile—I had thought it would be one of those travel obligations that would be fine but rather cramped.  It—not surprisingly—far exceeded my expectations.  I don’t know what to write about it.  It was incredible and I left knowing I had seen something great.  An old British man I chatted with asked me if anyone had ever made anything half as beautiful for me.  No, I told him, but some day someone will.