The Taj Mahal and some of the things we saw in Agra India.
India was a difficult place to travel. We originally set aside 3.5 weeks and we lasted 2.5. With the money situation growing more difficult daily and the rise in protests, we did not feel comfortable staying. Not being able to access your own money was an extreme hardship in a country that is already known for being difficult. On our last day we went to one of the top tourist sites just so we could see one more thing. The entrance fee was 500 rupees each. Considering you are only allowed to pull out 2500 a day, 1000 rupees for entry is a lot to ask. In order to get rupees it takes hours to find a ATM and then you must stand in line for at least 2-3 hours and hope the ATM doesn’t run out of money. So, under these circumstances, 500 rupees per person was a big deal. In US dollars, it is only $7.35 each to enjoy the beautiful location however it is a cash only establishment. In a country that had pulled out 85% of its currency out of circulation, finding and spending 1000 rupees was very stressful. It made India very unpleasant for us.
Another issue in India was the noise pollution is very high and the air pollution is worse. The air pollution was at 16 times the safe limit when we arrived and schools and constructions sites had to be shut down. Just a few days before we arrived India earned the title of the most polluted city on the earth. The trash and smell of sewage just wears you down. We each got sick multiple times. If we would have stayed in a nice high-end hotel and been shuttled around by a driver we would have only experienced a minor part of this. Instead we chose to do what we did in the other countries, we jumped in and tried to see the city as the locals do.
On one metro ride, the train was so full that when the doors opened I was picked up and carried out as the crowed surged out the door. Bud could maintain his position but saw me and grabbed me and pulled me back into the metro car. There was no way I had the strength to withstand the movement of the crowd. It was a little unsettling. Another time we rode a railway train for 6 hours from Pushkar to Agra. The train was sold out so we had to purchase 2nd class tickets. We couldn’t even purchase our own tickets because we didn’t have the required Indian number which is a huge hassle. Our hostel thankfully helped us book the trip. When we got to the train station it was extremely difficult to know which platform or train car to get into. There are not many signs and everything is in disrepair. I’m fairly certain we got onto the wrong car but on the right train. It was not big deal that the seats were plywood covered in vinyl. It didn’t bother us that the windows had bars on them with no glass. That was fine even if we did have to sit extremely close on a bench seat with a man, lady and a little boy. We joked that it would sure be a bumpy 6 hours on hard seats but we knew we could handle it. Then the train made a stop at a station. People burst into the train car pushing and shoving at a speed I had never seen before. They pushed and shoved so hard that Bud luckily was on the aisle side and put his arm up to block people from pushing us out of our seats. People climbed up on the luggage racks to make their journey. We had 4 people on the luggage rack above us, and 4 people on the luggage rack across from us. People filled the aisle and any available floor space. We sat up straight on our wooden seat for the whole 6 hours without moving because if we did our seat would have been lost. When the man who sold peanuts in the handmade newspaper bag came through, he had to physically climb over people to get past them. After 6 long uncomfortable hours we made it to our stop. There was no announcement and no signs and luckily, we had our google maps to guide us. We went to exit the train but the door to the platform was blocked by people so we had to exit the other side. It was an 8 foot drop to the train tracks below. With our luggage, we manage to scramble across the tracks and throw our luggage up on the platform. Bud had to help me get up but he made it up just fine. We left that train station with a huge adrenaline rush (how often do you get to jump off a train and onto the tracks hoping the next train doesn’t come by) and a memory we will never ever forget.
Back ,to my main point. We traveled India a more rugged way and India wore us down. Bud has no desire to go back. He said once he saw the Taj Mahal, “I’m done, I have seen enough of India.” However, I would like to go back. Even with the sickness, the dirt, the smells and the chaos, I would still like to go back. Bud asked me what I liked about it so much and I didn’t really have an answer. Maybe it is because it is so different then what I am use to. Or maybe because it made me feel I could make it through uncomfortable situations. I’m not sure and it may take a while to decompress and figure it out. In the meantime, here are the last of our photos. Thank you for your interest in our adventure. I really hope you also choose an adventure too. Bet
