Agra & Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh

From New Delhi station it was only 3 hours in a much more relaxed AC (airconditioned) train. When we arrived we took a rickshaw to backpacker-area Taj Ganj, all hostels are very close to the Taj Mahal.

Streetparade in Agra

We stayed in India Inn, which seemed to have a muslim staff and a group of old men gathered every day for bidis, chai and chat. Almost every restaurant has a nice view over town and Taj Mahal. All souvenirshops sell out on small marble figurines, postcards and other kitch items of the... 

Everybody, Westerner and also loads of Indians, come to see the... 

As you see there is not much more to Agra than the...

Of course we walked as close as we could get to this mausoleum, built in 17th century by the emperor in memory of his wife. A little overrated and slightly overpriced entrance fee made us decide to do it the low-budget-way; via a millitary back-entrance we had a great close-up view on the Taj, shared with only a few grazing cows and a silent river, in stead of with hundreds of men waiting in line to have a glimpse of 'the teardrop on the face of eternity'.

On our third and last day we took a local bus to Fatehpur Sikri. A fortified ghostcity with beautiful red sandstone Indo-Islamic palaces of Emperor Akbar dating from the Mughal empire in the 16th century. 

The area with ruins, palaces, pavillions and courtyards is nowadays on the World Heritage List and the mosque is still in use. Many women come there to pray that their next child will be a boy.

The mosque gates (tallest in Asia)

Less nice to see was the many begging children following all tourists around asking for money, chocolate, ballpoints etc. We gave away our entrancetickets to a poor boy as he claimed to get a meal for it in return.

Back in Agra we took a nighttrain to Bundi in Rajasthan.