Day 7--Agra

Up bright and early to see the Taj Mahal. They don't allow gasoline-powered vehicles near the Taj Mahal, so you drive to a parking lot about 1 mile away and they shuttle you to the monument in an electric bus. This means that the sellers, touts, etc. can lie in wait at the bus stops, where they are guaranteed crowds of pure tourists, untainted by locals who will not buy anything. As soon as we got out of the car at the bus stop, about 5 sellers descended upon me, but I somehow escaped without buying any postcards, souvenirs, or carpets. Fortunately, they don't allow the sellers on the grounds of the Taj Mahal itself, with the exception of a relatively small number of photographers who will gladly take your picture and sell it to you.

The Taj Mahal looks just like it does in the pictures, only more so. It's one of those places where you just want to sit for a half an hour and stare at it, so I did. After my period of contemplation, we headed off to Agra Fort, another one of those 16th century forts where the king spent all of the money and the peasants got screwed.

You know what

          

Yeah, I bought one of those pictures


The afternoon was free, so I got a taxi driver to take me to the market place in the old part of Agra. He assured me that I couldn't possibly survive in that environment, and volunteered to take me there, walk through the market with me, and take me back to the hotel. The price was right, and I agreed. It was a good thing, because the old part of Agra is one of the most other-worldly places I've seen or heard--I can only describe it as a complete assault on the senses (except possibly taste, since I didn't dare eat anything). Hot, dusty, throbbing with people, and noise at about 110 decibels. Add to that the fact that virtually every person in the area is trying to sell you something or take you someplace. The pictures below don't do the experience justice, but they're the best I can do.

                     

Scenes from the old market area in Agra

On to Day 8....