The Joys of Traveling: Agra Edition

Alright....the commercial break has been long enough. On with the show!
We got to Agra and took a rickshaw to our hostel. The three of us crammed in with all our bags into a tiny little rickshaw and were on our way.  We settled into our hostel and then went to find the train station to get train tickets to Mumbai.  There really isn't much to do in Agra, so we had planned to spend one day and then leave.  Unfortunately, the ticket place for foreigners wasn't open anymore, so we had to go early the next morning.  We also couldn't get tickets for the next morning, so we ended up having to spend 2 days in Agra instead of just one.  No big deal. We decided to relax and take our time seeing the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, the two major attractions in Agra.  There really wasn't anything too exciting that happened in Agra, so instead of me boring you with words, I'll just show you pictures :) The following pictures are a compilation of Beth, Jonathan, and my photos. 

The "gate" to the Taj Mahal

Building to the right of the Taj Mahal. There is an identical one to the left also.  For an unknown reason, foreigners were not allowed to go into those buildings.

A variety of cultural clothes thrown into one pciture

The Taj Mahal at sunset.  Not as impressive as I thought it would be but still nice

At Agra Fort

 

The emperor who built the Taj Mahal for his beloved deceased 3rd wife was imprisoned in the fort and could only look at his monument of love from afar.

The common mode of transportation

Sometimes we would see 6-7 grown men crammed into these tiny little rickshaws.

The view from our rooftop restaurant at our hostel. It was much more enjoyable to watch it from above, then to try push and shove through it all. Watching it all was one of my favorite parts of the day.

Another favorite part of the day......eating!!

This was breakfast.  Kachauri: spicy stuffed biscuit and gravy, and jalebi: what I can only describe as deep fried  liquid goo. As soon as it hit your tongue it turned back into it's liquid form.

Bread pakoda: deep fried bread.

upma: spicy cream of rice.

poha chirwa: fried rice

I've probably stated this already, but it bears repeating.  Trains in India are crazy! Many people don't buy tickets, they jump on as the trains are starting to leave, and jump off before they come to a complete stop. 

In case you're hungry, and didn't bring anything to eat, food vendors will come right up to the window and sell you food at each stop.

 

A lot of times, people sat/stood in the door just for the breeze.  The more crowded the trains got, the less breathable the air became. Partially because of stuffiness and partially because of smell.

Just waiting for the next train....

The females mode of transporting goods.

The males mode of transporting. Not quite as colorful.

This time we only had to wait 3 or 4 hours before I train came. We passed the time playing cards.

The main platform.

That was some of the highlights of that trip.  The next destination was Mumbai.  A much more westernized city, with more things to see/do.  Stay tuned for more fun adventures.

Until next time.....His will be done.