Day 8, Agra: The Best and Worst of India.

(Posted by Andrew about the events of Dec 19; Agra, India)

We turned on the TV on our first morning in India and the first thing we saw was the latest antics of Rob Ford. Oh Canada!

When we started the four hour journey south from Delhi to Agra, I let the driver know that I hadn't had a chance to get any rupees yet so could he keep an eye out for a cash machine. An hour later he pulled over to the side of the road to The Dodgiest ATM in the World (tm). As we eyed the various piles of rubble and garbage I would have to climb over to get to the ATM, Jessica declared "good luck" and was staying in the car. I decided to just take my bank card and leave my wallet behind so my family would have something to remember me by. Amazingly the machine worked on the first try (there was no Interact or Plus stickers on it - in fact there were no identifying marks on it whatsoever, not even a bank name) though sadly when I turned back towards the car several members of the Shudra caste had gathered to beg me for my cash. (Unfortunately, India is living up to its reputation in that you really do have to harden your heart a little to get through a day here.)

After a few more hours on hair-raising Indian roads, we eventually arrived in Agra where we visited the Tomb and the Fort before heading on to the main event: the Taj Mahal.

This mausoleum was built in the Shah Jahan as a resting place for his third wife, Mumtaz, who perished in child-birth. Grief stricken, the Shah had the Taj Mahal over three decades in perfect symmetry around her tomb, with the only asymmetrical aspect being his own tomb immediately beside her as he could not bear to be separated from her...

Thanks a lot, Shah Jahan! Now how am I going to look when I buy Jessica the flowers that are on at half-price at the grocery store when I'm doing a beer run? Guys like this ruin it for the rest of us!

P.S. Gastronomical status: So far so good (mostly).