Agra - First impressions

After a long journey we finally managed to arrive at our first destination - Agra. Ciara, Victor and Ev managed to make the beguiling of our trip a lot more enjoyable, showing us how to bargain, punjabi expressions, words and also how to get around. You have to be savvy and also flexible, people are generally friendly but it is hard to distinguish who is being genuine from who is trying to take you for a ride.The Taj Mahal is almost the same as in the documentaries. We managed to get there just after sunrise and yes, the colors change and the setting is quite beautiful. On the other hand, Agra seemed just like and ordinary city, tourist are confined to the walls of their hotels and tourist attractions... a bit sad I thought. We managed to get into the Agra fort which was quite a pleasant surprise; a combination of architecture from various centuries and a peacefulness that you don't get whilst you visit the Taj Mahal. beginning in Agra was also good to help us acclimatize, thank good for the pool at the hotel and for the waiter who brought us cold beers under the heat!The journey back to Delhi was quite amusing; we got a driver to take us by car. This way we were able to pass the centre of towns and experience a bit better the routine of the locals. Arne was fascinated by the signs posted all over (streets, trucks, cars...) and we also managed to have a good laugh with some tuk tuk drivers along the way. The drive was long (6 hours) but it was worth it!