1/22/2006 Day 3 Continued: Agra

Lunch was nothing amazing. We went to the restaurant, which I'm sure has an agreement with the tour company. There were two kids dancing outside. I hate watching little kids put to work. One feels pretty helpless.

After lunch, we went to a place that make the marble inlays. Every step and every tool is done exactly as they did to build the Taj and the workers are direct descendents of the artisans and constructors of the Taj Mahal. I bought a chess board and jewelry box. I wanted to go crazy but, the stuff was heavy and pricier than I wanted to spend on the trip. Although, they will pack and ship anywhere in the world. The marble is the same marble as the Taj Mahal so you can shine a light through the marble and and you can see it on the other end. This is why the Taj looks pink at sunset and blue on a full moon. Each item takes at least a month (if not more) to make and they are infinitely cheaper than what it would cost if I were to buy something like that at home. One of a kind stuff. Not the trinkets that Rameesh was pushing us to pay. The store was government run so, they were not allowed to badger us and the prices were fixed.

Afterwards, it was Agra Fort. Seventy-Five percent of Agra Fort is closed because the Indian Army occupies it. There is no way we'd have the time to tour the whole thing even if we had a full day. The place was HUGE! This is just a small area of the entrance into the fort. This was the palace of the Moguls. Their stamp is all over the place but, Akbhar and Shah Jahan had a great respect for other religions and incorporated their works in various places. From Agra Fort, there is a view of the Taj Mahal.
Shah Jahan spent the last years of his life under house arrest here by his youngest son who overthrew him, killed twelve of his brothers and sisters and left one to care for his father in his final years.

I was dead tired. We stopped for tea where we had breakfast earlier that day and I didn't even want to get out. I think the guys were pissed that we didn't order anything to eat.

I tipped our guide Rs. 200 and our driver was kind enough to drop me at the hotel. I gave him Rs. 50. Our guide didn't even ask for a tip. Trust me, we were throwing money at him. He did take us to a shopping place in the end but, I think it was almost an obligation. Besides, most of the people on the tour, this was their only free day to get something because they were in Delhi on business. I got back to my room, gave out t-shirts to the staff and fell dead asleep.


*INTERESTING OR UNINTERSTING FACT OR PASSING OBSERVATION OR MAYBE I'M SNIFFING GLUE*
When travelling around, especially on a long day trip like this, go to the bathroom when you can. If the bathroom is half decent, use it! You don't know where your next pee break is or what the state of the bathroom will be like. On our guided tour, we had enough stops. Breakfast had a relatively clean, Western style facilites as did our lunch place and then at nite we were back to where had breakfast. I usually carry anti-bacterial lotion with me and always have tissues. Living in New York, I tend to be a bit freaky when it comes to keeping my hands clean. Don't be alarmed if you walk into a stall and there is water all over the place--even if it's a Western style toilet. Indians use water to 'wipe' and use their left hand to do it. Water is used to flush everything down. Toilet paper might not be available. Which is why Indians always eat with their right hand and not their left.