Thursday, January 6, 2011

India’s Golden Circle continued part 2; Agra Fort


The Taj Mahal was an experience that I wouldn't forget anytime soon but it was time to move on. The next stop on the tour was the Agra Fort. Now this fort has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and it is the most important fort in India. India's great Mugals all resided here and at one point the country was governed from here. It is one damn impressive place. Problem? It was raining – so what right? You deal. Problem #2. You can't wander about the grounds in your shoes, you have to either wear socks or go barefoot. And it was raining. And it is an old place, filled with bird shit, debris and people with varying degrees of hygiene (I know how that sounds and I'm so sorry but it's the truth and hey, I'd feel the same way if this was the CN Tower in Toronto!!) so you can see I'm sounding like a freaking foreigner but dammit I am!!! So I stupidly took off the socks because I didn't want to get them wet, and then proceeded to step into God knows what while touring the fort. It really is beautiful, but I was not in the best of moods to really appreciate it. Plus my 'guide' insisted on taking me to his 'brothers' who were selling things which can be very, very tiresome in itself. When I say that I mean it can be tiresome having to say 'No' constantly and yet they STILL want you to buy things. It's draining people, very, very draining. Seems to me that these tour 'guides' always come with a catch unless you make it very clear –tour only, no shopping! But then again it's hard to say no because there are so many people who depend on your tourists dollars to survive. Seriously, this 'sigh' in understandable if you visit the place, yet on the same token, no guilt either if that makes sense. Anyway, now that I look at the pics, I can see and appreciate the place more (he says while typing this from the comfort of his hotel room!).


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