Mansingh Palace Agra

... a bit guilty but we are light compared to some of the loads they carry, and then negotiated the local buses back to Agra and collapsed at the hotel.
3rd and final day we went to the final of the three main attractions, Agra Fort, this was basically the old palace where the emperors lived, Shah Jahan was imprisoned there by his son in a room overlooking the Taj Mahal which you can see across the river. He lived there until he died then his body was laid next to ...

... than knowledge of the fact that it was indeed a very beautiful building, nothing more registered. There were tons of tourists milling about, foreign and Indian, more tourists than I had hoped for arriving at that early morning hour. At May, the hottest month of the year in this country, just before the cooling saving grace of the monsoon downpours, I guess tour groups were making their visits earlier to avoid the incapacitating Indian sun.

... this!" I told the conductor and after informing me that all the other sleepers were full he gave me the option of sleeping at the back of the bus. I took a look and three very excitable young Sikh lads were lying back there on what can only really be described as two double mattresses pushed together on the floor begging me to join them. So I had the choice of uncomfortable solitude or being socially uncomfortable and sleepless but in company. This is ...

... eine Strecke 36 Stunden dauert, haben sie sich dementsprechend ausgestattet und jede Menge Essen und Getraenke dabei. Einer von ihnen war anscheinend ein bekannter Politiker und hatte gleich seine zwei Security-Leute dabei, die gut gelaunt mit der Kalashnikov im Schoss gleich neben uns sassen (und auch gerne mal einnickten, oder das Gewehr einfach irgendwo in die Ecke stellten). Als sich dann endlich irgendwann alle schlafen gelegt hatten und auch alle Fragen an uns gestellt ...

... I went for it and negotiated a price. (In retrospect it seems pretty high, but the information did add measurably to the day.) As I walked down towards the Taj with my guide, Sanjay, I bumped into Gary, a friend from Goa. We agreed to meet later at the Red Fort, Agra's other attraction. I paid the 750RS foreigner fee into the Taj (as opposed to the 25RS the locals pay). Outside the main gate to the compound, Sanjay laid some figures on me. The Taj was built for the ...

... gardens to get to the viewing point and being able to take in the scenery without any crowds. When we went, there were only two other people there so we were able to enjoy a quiet respite away from the craziness that is Agra.

Then it was on to the Agra fort. For some reason, we were not in the mood to see this (maybe it was the crowds again . . and the heat!!), so we just stopped by to snap some photos from the ...