Agra, zondag 17 juli

Ik schraap al mijn moed bij elkaar en bid de goden voor veel geduld want ik ga deze blog in een cybercafeetje schrijven,in afwachting van de trein naar Jaipur. And I should do it in English, as some of the people who might read this don't understand any Dutch!

The day before yesterday, in Delhi, I met quite a few nice and interesting people. One of them was a very short but smart and clean-looking young man, who insisted that he was not a hussler and didn't wanna sell me anything. Rrrrright. He basically lured me into a 'tourist info' where the clerk tried to sell me some tour. Ofcourse. I left almost immediately, explaining my little friend that this was exactly the kind of rip-off my Belgian friend Melissa warned me about, and that I wasn't gonna fall for it. He was embarrassed and admitted that he took me there on purpose because he gets a percentage and he has to make a living too... I wasn't surprised. I told him that it's ok to make a living on percentages but that he owes it to the people he 'helps out' to be honest. We walked and talked some more and then he told me that he appeared in the film 'Little Budha' when he was a kid. His 5 minutes of fame...

Later that day I had some food (dosa mmmmm) and the guy next door asked me the typical stuff, like where you from-Belgium, you Dutch or French?-Dutch and this guy made me believe he had a letter to translate. I totally fell for it and it turned out to be references of other tourists, going on about how wonderful their experiences on the tour they got at this guy's office, were!!!Try beating that. I fell for the convenience I guess. Thing is I got a good price for a sixteen day tour of Rajastan, plus starting with Agra. And the trains and buses and transfers are all taken care of. So far so good, I made it to Agra (on a six hour bus that didn't stop blowing the horn, yay!). The hotel I stayed at probably used to be wonderful ten years ago, but nevertheless the guys working there were super kind and loved the tarot ;), it was a quiet room and a pretty decent shower too, so no complaints.

After closing the deal in the tourist office, Shaffi (the operator) said he was gonna get some cold beer. And I was like, good idea! So I go out of the office and some random dude with a rasta-colored hat catches up with me: How are you today! with this big smile. And he goes into a small bar... so I get in the bar, ask if they serve beer,and look for an empty table. And then some good looking guy with this intense gaze invites me over to sit with him and I end up having this super intense talk with this perfect stranger who turns out to be an artist who knows how to draw really well, who's a director,  who worked with Talvin Singh, who did a remake of Hair, and on top of it all totally digs whatever the hell I am talking about. We're hooking up again when I get back to Delhi the day after tomorrow. I probably shouldn't mention he tried to kiss me ;)
No need to explain this entire situation freaked me out just as much as it pleased me. Wasn't I gonna keep this trip completely romance-free? Right.

After we had a drink on a rooftop terrace I took a bike riksha back to the hotel, and I was stopped by this African guy I met the very first day I was in Delhi. He joined me for breakfast and then took off saying he'd be right back, but I didn't wait and I left the cafe so we didn't see eachother anymore. So there he appears out of thin air and joins me in the riksha, insisting he should talk to me. I just wanted to go to bed so I said no,but he wouldn't take no for an answer and escorted me back to the hotel door. And he started explaining to me something like this: You are very powerful. You are innocent, you know? Innocent, and yet so powerful. You can do so much, influence people,but be careful because 99 percent of the people they just want to destroy you. But you have such power, just go for it. Don't ever be afraid.' Be what it may, I was quite surprised by his speech and honestly felt empowered by it. He kissed my hand and took off, wishing me the best. Some day huh! So anyway... to Agra.

I overslept (my phones alarm doesn't seem to work for some reason) and had to pack my backpack like a motherfucker. To end up waiting for the taxi-ride to the bus stop. Which turned out a bike riksha.
Once I got on the bus I realised my pasport (that bloody pasport again) was still in the hotel safe. A rush of panic through my vains. I called the hotel and they told me to tell the chauffeur to stop somewhere and they'd bring the pasport over. Instead i was braught back to the hotel on a Vespa, snakedriving through small alleys, eventually catching up with the bus at its next stop... Good job Tinie!

As far as Agra is concerned: The Red Fort (which I visited yesterday) was the perfect introduction to what I saw today. Grand, impressive, elegant, all the 1001nights-features. But it doesn't compare to the Taj Mahal. I got up at five to be in time for the opening and ahead of the big crowds. It was not the least bit disappointing to finally see it. It made me cry, and that means it's pretty darn magical... come and see it for yourself to see what I mean!

I drank in as much of the magic as possible and then went for breakfast on a rooftop with view on the Taj.... awesomeness. Priceless. Met a cute Iranian-Polish couple. Nice people.

Then I checked out two more sites,one of which was the 'baby Taj',an equally magical and beautiful mausoleum, much smaller ofcourse. Pictures yet to follow on Facebook.

And tuk-tuks rule.

I'm probably overspending on taxi's, bottles of water and juice and tips for all the nice people who obviously need the money more than I do...  So hard to be hard.

Love you all and godspeed,

Tinie xox