I'm back (arrived back in Pune on Sunday around midnight ... which is, then, really Monday).
It was an exhausting trip ...
Started by getting up at 4am in order to get ready and go to the airport here in Pune to catch the flight to Delhi. I arrived in Delhi around 8:15 am (it's a two-hour flight). Met my driver, and was whisked off to Agra ...
A FIVE HOUR drive! Holy Smoke!
As tired as I was, I just couldn't sleep much in the car ... wanted to watch the landscape go by ... although I did manage a few very short naps along the way.
The drive was ... ummmm ... interesting to say the least ... especially since my driver spoke no English save for a few words. So I couldn't strike up any kind of conversation with him at all.
At one point, he pulls over what I think was a checkpoint ... turns to me and puts out is hand signaling me to stay in the car ... and he says, "minutes." I have no earthly clue what's going on ... he collects some sort of official looking paper and hops out of the car. ... I'm sitting there noticing that other cars are doing likewise.
But now I'm getting bombarded by all sorts of street sellers ... tapping on the windows ... buy this ... buy that ... take your picture with my monkey ... take picture with my snake ... he's very safe ... "very good picture." ........ All the time I'm hoping that my driver 1) returns and 2) returns soon.
After probably only about 10 minutes ... seemed like much more ... he's back in the car and we're speeding off to Agra once more.
Agra is not very large. It's only industry is the tourism from the Taj and the Fort. Everything there in Agra supports the tourist trade ... exploits might be a better word! And ... it ain't a pretty city at all. ... Very rundown, dirty, polluted ... well ... it's just not very pleasant.
But the Taj ... now THAT'S something special ...
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