From Allahabad to Agra

Welcome back. After jumping on an overnight train from Allahabad, we made it to Agra very early on Wednesday morning. We found a great guesthouse - its key feature being the rooftop cafe which had fantastic views of the Taj Mahal. It was a little surreal watching the sun come up with a cup of Chai tea looking out at the Taj Mahal.

We didn't waste anytime and jumped straight into the sightseeing. First on the list was the Agra Fort - a massive red sandstone fort and palace that was built right on the Yamuna River in 1565 with a fascinating history.

The next morning we were up "nice" and early to get to the gates of the Taj Mahal before sunrise. The experience reminded me a little of going to Angkor Wat at sunrise - sunrise seems to be the 'must go' time for these sites, but ultimately you can't see a whole lot until the sun is well and truly up and the fog has cleared away. It was a strange sensation sitting down and staring up at this huge iconic building - hard to believe that we were finally there. We spent quite a bit of time just walking around the building and the grounds. When you get up close, you could see the amazing detail on the building, both inside and outside. The photos really don't do it justice.

My impressions of Agra were very mixed - on one hand you have beautiful and amazing sites like the Fort and the Taj Mahal and some great food. On the other hand, the city is incredibly dirty and smelly, the poverty is widespread, and the minute you step outside your guesthouse you are immediately fending off rickshaw drivers and touts. I know that doesn't sound very different from our assessment of other Indian cities, but everything just seemed more intense here (dirt and smells included). Brendan's experience was a little different - he enjoyed an afternoon of wandering around the parts of the city less frequented by tourists and was generally met with a mix of curiosity and kindness, often being invited to sit and talk with rickshaw drivers, shop owners and many locals. Whether this is because he was a guy without us girls hanging around, or just more off the beaten track, either way he enjoyed the experience which was less about being hassled and more about getting to know some of the locals.

After saying goodbye to Nic and Bec who we first met on our Everest Base Camp trek and travelled with from Varanasi, we left Agra early this morning by train and have just arrived in the capital of India, Delhi. The train trip was great - except the part where we were directed to the wrong platform and had to run to a different platform just as we saw our train pulling out. It was a test of our fitness to run with 25kgs of luggage on your back and then jump up onto a moving train!

But after all of that, we are safe and well in Delhi. Not sure where to from here - we have 7 weeks left to explore so plenty more to come. Until next time...

//Kate