Floods

It's strange how there's so little mention of the floods here. No-one in Agra really talked about them, despite it actually being pretty close. I mentioned in an earlier post, that I'd been told they were in the south. I did not know the full extent until reading about them online today, God knows where they could put so many evacuees - spare homes is one thing India certainly does not have, they seem invariably half-built or falling down.

Fatepur Sikri

Forgot to mention that between Agra and Jaipur I visited the abadoned city of Fatepur Sikri (sadly not so abandoned that there aren't still millions of street traders trying to flog their cra ... be polite ... wares, I got a candle holder, I don't know how I ever got by without it).

It wasn't the depth of the water that worried me!

The place has got a fascinating history. Towards the end of the 16th Century this Mughal Emperor called Akbar decided to move the capital from Agra to Fatepur Sikri, which is only an hour down the road. They spent about 15 years building it and then only about 15 years living there. The official reason is there was problems with the water supply (the guys in the hostel said this was true) even though there is a nearby lake. Another suggestion is it was for military reasons.

One wierd moment in the abandoned city's courtyard - which is surrounded by ceremonial and religious buildings, including a Mosque (in Fatepur Sikri, Hindu and Muslim buildings and architecture were fused, rather than competing as elsewhere in India) - went into small, seemingly religious building, followed by this guy who urges me to touch this bed in the centre of the room, which I do, but he says I got to touch it with my forehead (stop your dirty minds now). So I bend down and lay my forehead against the sheets - he starts whipping my back and legs with this brush. I'm not joking! I'm stunned. Then he asks for 200 rupees! I'm sure there are some places where people can charge high sums for those kinds of services, I just didn't think religious buildings were among them. I gave him 10 rupees, he wasn't impressed!

Anyway, typical example of the Indian paradox - they have this glorious, well-preserved basis for a village on their doorstep, but live in shanty towns on the outskirts. Granted, it would need additional development, and is probably too valuable now as a tourist attraction, but it does make you want to tear your hair out. Anyway, rather than describe it inadequately, I'll just publish pics, which still won't do it justice, it is magnificent, probably my favourite corner of India so far.

Taj Mahal

Visited the Taj Mahal (will try and avoid weak curry jokes). It's 750R to enter about eight quid, which seems a lot considering you can stay three nights here for that, but is nothing really and it totally lives up to the hype.
Background is Mughal (Muslim) emporer called Shahjehan (I think) had it built as a tomb for his favourite wife (in the 1600s, again I think). Apparently she bore him 14 kids so I guess he felt he owed her. There's a kind of fort entrance and then gates into the main gardens which are stunning, with a long pool that leads to the big house. You can't take photo's close up so mine - I will load them in Jaipur - don't do it justice.
It is (I'm sure you've all seen pics) a kind of off-white coloured marble building, on a raised level from the gardens, with those Mosque-style domes on top. Inside you expect some kind of palace but there is just this tomb, protected by a kind of marble netting. In the corner of the raised levels are tall towers of the same off-white marble and then there is a sandstone looking Mosque to the left and (would you credit it) a kind of pretend Mosque to the right which is only there to give the whole thing symmetry. It is too stunning to regret it being built, but also a grotesque extravagance when you see the poverty that surrounds it.
Anyway enough serious stuff. Have settled into life in Agra. We have monkeys, camals, horses, donkeys, cows and dogs, just wondering the street here. The hassle is not as bad as in Delhi, apparently it is the worst in Jaipur, nightmare. Chatted to some French folk in the hostel, and yesterday evening to some Indian guys while watching cricket. I moaned about the difficulty getting a beer (lack of a bar/club/pub night scene is one of my gripes about India), they reckoned that not drinking and the old Karma whatsit was what made Indian men such great lovers, big talk for six guys in a cafe on their own, but who am I to comment. When India clinched the series against Sri Lanka we all had these little yellow sweets by way of celebration, that's what you get in a country that doesn't like booze!
I have decided not to go back to Delhi immediately after Jaipur and instead head south to Udaipur and somewhere else that begins with a Ch.. (I forget) and is some old fort. Both sound nice and are apparently calmer and cooler, which will both be a welcome relief if true. And they are on the way to Mumbai where I am due in about a week. The Indian guys thought all this was a bad idea as it was all flooded! I think it's just cos they don't have mates with shops there (in Indian cities people are always trying to get you to go to a shop) and will take my chances.

In Agra. Train from Delhi was quite an experience. Incredibly difficult to find the right train, which I managed more through luck than judgement. Constantly terrified of having wallet/passport nicked, and all the time having to fend off beggars and sales people most of whom I could not understand. Out the window you see some shocking poverty, but also some not so bad. The worst is the little communities camped under massive road bridges in their make-shift huts and tents, and the children standing on masses of rubble, oh and the fact barely a single building we passed had a roof. But the farms are nice and scenic, and sometimes the people in the fields don't look too bad.

My hostel is brilliant. I have had to nip out to use the internet because according to one of the guys there: "The monkeys have been shaking the aerial again." There are monkeys everywhere, it's quite disconcerting. Got to meet other travellers too, which has been good, but it doesn't seem to be a party hostel (at least not yet). Off to Taj Mahal soon. Will post pics soon, promise.

First day

Doubt these blogs will continue to be as frequent, but want to write about one of the longest and wierdest days of my life.
Flew overnight, slept little, arrived at 2am GMT, 8am here. Showered, changed and went out.
Immediately on leaving the hotel I was surrounded by taxi and autorickshaw drivers touting for business. I wanted to walk but chose the autorickshaw as it appeared the cheapest and I feared the situation could escalate. He promised it was 50 Rs, hmm, anyway Indians drive like absolute maniacs, it is like one long rollercoaster where you don't really trust the driver - 85,000 people die on India's roads every year. We weave in and out of far bigger vehicles without warning - we are basically a tin can on three wheels, with a soft top, and no side doors or windows - all the time everyone is beeping their horns.
There's a road sign which says: "Lane driving is safe driving." Problem is there are no lane markings, so no lanes!
Everytime I leave the tin can someone is trying to sell me stuff. I had reservations about travelling alone, but in India you are never left alone, which is good but can be tiring.
Even the tour guide at the Qutab Minar tower ("You can trust me, I'm Government-approved," he said, pointing at his little name tag which said likewise) ended up dragging me off to his cousin's shack to try and sell me rugs and statues, etc! Mental. I don't think he was Gov-approved at all.
Anyway after haggling the tin can driver down to 300R - he wanted 500R - I was annoyed until I realised I was paying £4 for about four hours sightseeing (we also had to go via his mate's shop), I got back to the hotel.
Madness does not end there, but I am about to run out of time, so will update later and post photos.
ps As I write this I just got a fax saying Ms Sanjukta Roy would like to meet at 4pm over tea. Maybe I'm in....

Arrival

Well arrived in India dazed and confused but still in one piece. I'm staying at the ridiculously posh Taj Mahal Hotel on the basis that I'm a travel writer, which I am, or will be, when the SOS publish my pieces. All seems completely unreal! Writing this from the hotel room ahead of testing my fair skin against the Delhi sun - where's the factor 50? Will bring back photos.

Delhi - or what I've seen of it so far from the cab of my airport taxi driver, who spent the entire trip angling to be my personal chauffeur, I think he saw where I was staying and assumed I had cash to splash, worse luck for both of us - is domiated by really lush vegetation (an odd thing to say but it is). The buildings are few and far between and swamped by huge green trees which dip onto the roads, high grass, etc. The whole place also seems very random, with people thinking nothing about walking down the middle of a highway with their back to the traffic! I guess that's the charm!