Day 9

Swati knocked on our door early in the morning to tell us that Robin and Gloria weren't feeling too well so we were going to skip the early trip to the bird sanctuary. I think us guys actually could have made it out ok at 4am, but it was nice to have an excuse to avoid it.

So we started out much later for the day trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal. Our first stop was at a McDonald's along the highway. I got a Maharaja Mac, which is like a Big Mac, except with chicken patties, and the special sauce is a lot more special. I'm happy to report that the fries are exactly the same.

Next stop was Akbar's tomb, the grandfather of the guy who built the Taj Mahal, founder of the Mughal empire, and all-around good guy, as far as maurauding emperors go. The highlight for most were all the monkeys on the grounds; little did we know how many we'd see in the next few days!

Last, we arrived at the Taj Mahal, softly glowing in the setting sun. I think that part of what makes it so beautiful is how impecabbly it is maintained, particularly in relation to most other sites in India. It looks as perfect as it must have looked the day it was completed. I'm not a poet, so I'll end the description there, and just say that even after so much hype, it wasn't a disappointment at all.

The distance from the Taj to the parking lot was about a kilometer, so we took cycle-rickshaws back (two people sitting behind a guy pedalling). Trouble is, the way back was mostly uphill, so there were points where the drivers (riders?) would have to get off and push while they walked. Arjan took that opportunity to hop in the driver's seat and pedal his own rickshaw, so the rest of us followed suit. After a short distance mine made a sudden turn to the left for no reason at all, at which point I discovered that the brakes barely worked. That's when I decided to hop back and leave it to the professional. In the end the drivers got more money for doing less work, and it was totally worth it.