Yesterday, after we left the Taj Mahal, we stopped for lunch at a little diner recommended in Lonely Planet. I could only eat naan bread but Anita had a nice lunch. Afterward we searched the area for an ATM that actually was in service and had cash. No luck. Finally we went back to our hotel and, on the desk clerk's advice, hired a tuktuk and went searching. Eventually we found an ATM with cash. The lineup wasn't too bad, one of our cards worked in the machine and we managed to get 10,000 rupees (about $200). We were told by the other people in line that the government limits withdrawals to that amount per day. Tomorrow we'll be heading to Sawai Madhopur near Ranthambore Park and there may not be any ATMs at all. All of the ATMs so far look very seedy and it's funny to see the people in line all crowding around rather than standing back as we do in Canada. It's like everyone is curious to see if the thing will actually work today.
Agra Fort is known as one of the finest Mughal forts in India. The walls are over 20m high and measure 2.5 km in circumference. Big fort. This is where Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned by one of his sons for the last years of his life. (Pictures 5-10)
Fatehpur Sikri is a magnificent fortified city that was the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585. It suffered from water shortages so was soon abandoned. There is a huge mosque and other palaces and pavilions. (Pictures 1-4)
Finally, a picture from the balcony off the hall outside our room. It's very common to see families living under a tarp in any vacant lot. Cows are all over as are goats, pigs and dogs. And we're in a city of over a million people. That's just the way it is.
When we got back from our tour, we paid our hotel bill with a Visa card. Thankfully, although only our credit union debit card will work in an ATM, the Visa card works for purchases. Otherwise we might have had a real problem or at least the inconvenience of standing in line for small amounts of cash almost daily.
Late this afternoon, we went back to Joney's Place, where Anita had eaten lunch yesterday. I managed to eat a plate of vegetable fried rice, my first real meal in 2 days, while we talked with other travelers from Argentina, Russia, Japan and the US. The 2 older American women were experienced backpackers from California. They're in favour of Washington, Oregon and California joining Canada. They're not pleased with the new American government. They're just finishing a tour of Rajasthan before flying to Nepal tomorrow so they gave us some travel tips. We almost always find these conversations valuable.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Sawai Madhopur at 7 am. We won't be sorry to leave Agra. The Taj Mahal is fantastic and Fatehpur Sikri and the Agra Fort are good too. However, the rest of Agra is noisy, dirty and unpleasant. Off to Rathambore Park to see some tigers (maybe).
Agra Fort is known as one of the finest Mughal forts in India. The walls are over 20m high and measure 2.5 km in circumference. Big fort. This is where Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned by one of his sons for the last years of his life. (Pictures 5-10)
Fatehpur Sikri is a magnificent fortified city that was the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585. It suffered from water shortages so was soon abandoned. There is a huge mosque and other palaces and pavilions. (Pictures 1-4)
Finally, a picture from the balcony off the hall outside our room. It's very common to see families living under a tarp in any vacant lot. Cows are all over as are goats, pigs and dogs. And we're in a city of over a million people. That's just the way it is.
When we got back from our tour, we paid our hotel bill with a Visa card. Thankfully, although only our credit union debit card will work in an ATM, the Visa card works for purchases. Otherwise we might have had a real problem or at least the inconvenience of standing in line for small amounts of cash almost daily.
Late this afternoon, we went back to Joney's Place, where Anita had eaten lunch yesterday. I managed to eat a plate of vegetable fried rice, my first real meal in 2 days, while we talked with other travelers from Argentina, Russia, Japan and the US. The 2 older American women were experienced backpackers from California. They're in favour of Washington, Oregon and California joining Canada. They're not pleased with the new American government. They're just finishing a tour of Rajasthan before flying to Nepal tomorrow so they gave us some travel tips. We almost always find these conversations valuable.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Sawai Madhopur at 7 am. We won't be sorry to leave Agra. The Taj Mahal is fantastic and Fatehpur Sikri and the Agra Fort are good too. However, the rest of Agra is noisy, dirty and unpleasant. Off to Rathambore Park to see some tigers (maybe).
Agreed. Agra is a bit of a dump!
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