Aggy in Agra

The next morning I head to Saravana Bhavan, a popular breakfast place with locals serving dosas (crispy pancakes) the size of your leg. I ordered the masala dosa, stuffed with potatoes, which comes with 3 chutneys.

Then it’s time to head to the station for my train to Agra. I have to say I was quite nervous about my first Indian train adventure. And it was every bit as crazy as I expected. It’s like something out of a film scene as hundreds of locals fight their way to board. The whistle is used just as liberally as the car horns. The windows on the train are holes with metal bars, and passengers are passing all sorts of stuff through to their families inside. Never again shall I complain about Scot Rail. Although at least this train arrived on time! I’d booked the second class carriage with AC, so perhaps not as an authentic experience as it could have been. I’m ok with that! 

I check into my homestay, which is beautiful (and luxury compared to my last digs). I jump in a tuk tuk and head to Mehtab Bagh, a popular spot to see the sunset with views of the Taj Mahal. The air quality isn’t great due to 4 straight days of fireworks for Diwali, so it’s pretty hazy and not quite as beautiful as I imagine it usually is. I pose for some photos with my loyal fans before heading back. 

That night I head to Sadar Market for a food tour. My guide, Imran, picks me up from my hotel. The traffic here is just as crazy as Delhi, although I’m told this is mainly because it’s still Diwali celebrations. Motorbikes are everywhere, with up to 4 people per bike (technically illegal here, if there’s such a thing). The women sit side saddle with babies on their laps, their toddlers sandwiched between them and their dad. Utter madness when there’s so much sharp breaking! 

Today I learnt there’s no such thing as driving lessons or driving tests here. When you’re 18, you can buy a car with no qualifications. It’s all starting to make sense now. Imran tells me to drive you only need 3 things. A good horn, good breaks, and good luck! There’s no driving regulations so it’s a free for all. Bizarrely, road rage isn’t a thing here. You’ll never see drivers getting angry and, astonishingly, there are few accidents. If you watch the drivers closely, you can see they’re all super aware and alert, watching their surroundings at all times and navigating around each other. I’ve never felt unsafe in a vehicle here yet. 

Over the next couple of hours I try lots of delicious food, starting with a bombay mix style street food tossed in tomato and chili oil. Imran is lovely, but every two steps he stops to tell me stuff or ask me questions. Which is all very fascinating, but less talky talky, more pani puri please as I haven’t eaten since breakfast! Next I try the pau baji (my favourite dish from Dishoom). Probably the tastiest thing I’ve tried on my trip so far, and I have to say the Dishoom one comes very close! We end with some pani puri. No sooner I have shoved one in my gob and the young owner is chucking another on my plate. I end up trying all the flavours. Incredibly I only paid £7 for the tour, which included transport and all food. Madness! 
I’m stuffed at this point so we call it a night and start to head home. The tuk tuk driver pulls over half way to let Imran out. At this point he asks me to write and post a review in front of him before he gets out. Erm, I don’t think so pal. Let’s not make this weird by turning it into a hostage situation. That’ll lose you a star at least! I get out of it by promising him to do it as soon as I get to my hotel. 

I’m up at 5am the next day for my sunrise Taj Mahal tour with my private guide, Riyaz. I say tour guide, but he was more like a videographer. He had me doing all sorts of cringeworthy stuff on camera, like walking away and then looking back and beckoning him. Looked like a right fanny I’m sure. But he did take some good photos bless him. I counted at the end that he’d taken over 300 photos and videos!
The Taj Mahal itself is impressive. The white marble doesn’t tarnish so it looks pristine and like it’s only just been built.  In the photos it looks cloudy, but actually the sky is clear and the haze is air pollution, so the building almost blends into the sky. I can’t help but feel a little bit cheated as the beauty of going at sunset is to watch how the sun changes the colour of the marble. 

I return to my hotel to wait for my 11am transfer to my next stop, Jaipur. My driver doesn’t show. In the end I wait 90 mins before asking the owner to arrange another. Very annoying as it then meant I missed my food tour that evening. It also means I get stuck in rush hour traffic, so the 4.5 hour journey takes me 6. 

I dump my stuff at the hotel and head straight for dinner as I haven’t eaten since breakfast. I order the mutton curry at Peacock Rooftop restaurant. The meat is served on the bone in a sweet and tangy sauce with roti. The waiter deterred me from a different dish which he claimed was very spicy. The one I chose was apparently medium. I think they must severely adapt their spice levels for westerners, because it was very mild. But it was nonetheless delicious, and the first time I’ve eaten meat so far this trip. If I get the shits tomorrow, it was totally worth it!