I'm currently sat in an Internet cafe in Agra (or perhaps we should call it Aggro) having been to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise.
We're on a overnight sleeper tonight to Varanasi, and given the general chaos of India I suspect that will be an adventure in itself.
Agra is one of those classic "famous monument' type of places. That is it attracts millions of tourists and about the same amount of touts, fake "guides" and assorted other dodgy smiling geezahs trying to part you from your money. The best strategy seemed to be to race in, do the tourist big building thing and get out ASAP. We've sat on the roof terrace admiring the view all day and waving at the scam artists below, safe in the knowledge that they can't get at us in the hotel.
So what about the Taj Mahal itself? Well, it's every bit as impressive as you imagine once you can get you mind past all the baggage you arrive with. It took an hour or so to escape from all the taking photos and expectation of how you should react to it. Once that passes you see it for the spectacular monument to love that it is. The only sad thing is that there was a plan to build an identical one directly opposite but in black marble. Due to political manoeuvring this never came to fruition.
Oh well, perhaps I can knock one up in Photoshop when I return.
Delhi belly is kicking in now so ttfn before the power goes again and I lose everything.