Day 12 (Continued)

Upon arrival in New Delhi, we were promptly met at the airport by our driver (no Dorji he) and began the arduous journey to Agra. I had forgotten how dirty, crowded, noisy, congested and completely poverty-ridden India is. It seemed to take forever to get out of New Delhi, and it was very hard on Ellery, especially when the children crowded around our car begging for money.

Even once out of Delhi, things were wretched the entire drive, something I don't recall from my last visit. The stalls, stands, and waste along the roadside was overwhelming, while trucks, cars, bikes, horses, motor rickshaws and even camels vied for space. Cows, bulls, oxen, water Buffalo, sheep and goats lined the road.

Five hours later we arrived at our first stop, Akbar's tomb at Sikandra. where Ellery was far more interested in feeding the monkeys than looking at the architecture. We next stopped at the Agra Fort, which was a disappointment as it had fallen into disrepair since my last visit and was full of etched graffiti.

We got our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal before checking into our hotel and taking a long hot bath before falling asleep.

written by

shoshtrvls on September 1, 2006 from Agra, India

from the travel blog: Bhutan and India (2006)

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