The Trip to Agra

I left the hotel and walked to the bus stand. There I was met by a guy touting for buses. He asked if I was headed to Delhi. I said no. Then he asked if I was headed to Agra. I said yes. He pointed to a bus across the street. I said I would just go to the bus stand and take a government bus. He said they were no good, that his bus was faster and more comfortable. I asked him how long it would take. He kind of dodged the question. He eventually said 4 and a half or 5 hours. Then I asked how much, and again he seemed not to have heard me. He just wanted my name and to get me to the bus. Eventually he told me 350 rupees. I told him that was expensive and he didn't really listen to me. I should have just headed to the bus stand and left him, but I gave him the money and went to the bus. As I was waiting a man who was standing around the bus looked at my ticket and got a bit upset. He said something about 150 and police. I didn't really understand, but I thought maybe I had been taken for a ride. And I had. The people at the bus, actually connected to the bus and selling tickets told me the tickets were actually 150 rupees. The guy who sold me the ticket came back in the picture and tried to wave off the concerns. He told me to ignore these people by the bus. Of course maybe he thinks all foreigners are stupid (and I really didn't give him much reason to think otherwise), and that trying to tell me that the people with the ticket books sitting outside the bus he wanted me on, selling tickets for that bus and obviously being in charge of filling it would convince me to ignore them. But I didn't. As soon as I started suggesting that we go and talk to a police officer, he immediately reached into his pocket and gave me back 100 rupees. But I pressed it further and started telling him he needed to come to the bus ticket people and we could get it all sorted out. I guess he just didn't want to deal with the whole problem, or he knew he was going to get skewered if he didn't get out of it all. He reached into his pocket and took all the money I gave him and gave it back to me. Then he took back the ticket he had given me and ripped it up. Then he skedaddled. I bought a ticket from the proper people. Then I sought out the man who had originally alerted me to the rip-off and I gave him 20 rupees. He didn't really want to take it at first, but I told him he had treated me well, that he was a good man for being good to visitors and he deserved it. He was happy with that and took the money. Everyone at the bus started telling me that not all Indians are like that, and I assured them that I knew. I had met many people in India who were kind and decent and treated me well, including the people right there. They had all helped me.

I got on the bus and started the 250 kilometer journey to Agra. And I don't know how 250 kilometers can take 7 and a half hours. It was ridiculous. But it was also India, I guess, and that's how it can go.

The landscape quickly changed from dry and arid to reasonably fertile. It was nice scenery.

Upon arriving in Agra, I had to take an auto-rickshaw to the area around the Taj Mahal, where I knew there were plenty of places to stay. It was so late that I was worried about both getting a cheap ride to the area, and about finding a place to stay. I got some help from a police officer getting a rickshaw to the Taj Mahal. He actually kind of bullied the driver into a price. It was lower than what the rickshaw driver quoted, but not too much. But because the police officer bullied him into it, I gave the driver the original amount he asked for.

Then I set off to find a guest house. I was immediately accosted by a pedi-cab driver who asked where I was going. I gave him the name of a guest house and asked him where it was. He pointed the direction, then I guess he figured he could get something out of it. He told me it was far away, a kilometer at least (oh my! A kilometer? I'll die if I walk that far. Beat it!!) and that I would need a ride. I didn't get it, and walked away, but he continued to follow me. As I was walking along, the owner of another guest house was sitting outside and saw me walking. He asked if I wanted a place to stay. More because I wanted to get away from the pedi-cab guy than because I thought it would be a good place to stay, I went with the guy. Although my surprise zig threw him off, the pedi-cab driver circled around, stopped and followed us into the guest house. When I decided it would suit my needs, the pedi-cab guy started harassing the guest house owner for a commission on bringing a guest. This was clearly a load of crap as I hadn't even been riding in his cab, and I told the guest house owner so. He wasn't fooled anyway and sent the guy away. This was not an auspicious start for how this stay was going to go.

At any rate, the name of the guest house is the Taj View Lodge. I asked if it really was the Taj view, and the owner took me up to the roof and the viewing spot. It has a nice view of the Taj Mahal and I had my first glimpse of the mausoleum as the sun was fading below the horizon.