Agra.. Well what is there to say? Dirty, Polluted, Smelly, Hassle some, Shit-hole! Are a few of the words that spring to mind. This place really is the pits and there is only one good reason for visiting which is obviously the Taj Mahal.

We arrived early morning pulling into Agra Fort Station which was barely visible above the mountains of plastic litter that lined the tracks. This was a sample of things to come; the entire city is a mountain of plastic bottles and household waste. Cows line the streets munching on the discarded rubbish ensuring themselves a short life by blocking their stomachs with plastic. Poverty here seems more rife than at any other place we have visited. Armless lepers pounce at you from nowhere as you try and negotiate your way down narrow streets trying to avoid treading in the rubbish and cow sh*t that infests this city, and trying to avoid the mass of animals that roam freely though the streets. Women approach you with their malnourished children draped over their shoulders begging for money to feed them, and this is the town of the most persistent rickshaw whallas in the entire world. They will follow you for mile after mile and seem unable or unwilling to comprehend the meaning of the word 'No' or 'F*ck off'.

We stayed in a guest house a couple of kilometres from the Taj which was fitting to the city in which it stands. The bed sheets were filthy, the room had bird shit all over the furniture, and the toilet, well!! The toilet was like a scene from the film 'train spotting'. Fortunately we were only staying in Agra for one night. That reminds me I must write to the lonely planet to enquire why they recommend such an establishment in their India Guide.

That night we watched a street carnival celebrating yet another religious festival in the Hindu calendar. The religion seems to be set up with an excuse to party at every given opportunity. The carnival was hilarious and would have had the Health and Safety executives’ back home turning in their sleep. Floats made their way down narrow roads yet there was no crowd control or traffic control in place. People wandered in all directions making it hard to work out who was part of the precession. Men demonstrated ancient sword techniques ‘badly’, narrowly missing heads of people in the crowds, and brass bands played completely out of tune noise to which members of the audience clapped and danced with joy. A real spectacle to watch but mind boggling all the same.

Any way the sole purpose of any tourists visit to Agra is to see the Taj Mahal, and it doesn’t disappoint. We got up early (6.00am) the following morning to beat the crowds and made our way across town to the entrance. At the gate I had my torch, calculator rechargeable batteries, and cigarettes confiscated. The prime apparatus to make an explosive devise apparently, or maybe another of Agra's scams to make a few extra rupees by renting me a locker.

Once beyond the entrance the contrast with the surrounding city make this place all the more remarkable. It sits squashed amongst the squalor of Down Town Agra and yet once you are within the well kept grounds you could be a million miles away. As you enter after paying your 750 rupees, 20 rupees if you are Indian??, an air of tranquillity surrounds you and all that reminds you of the sh*thole the other side of the wall is the distant sound of rickshaw hooters, and the lingering smog of pollution in the background.

As you walk through the main gate you are faced with one of the most famous picture post card scenes in the world and yet nothing really prepares you for just how grand this structure is. The scale of it is immense, and the detail of the sculpture works and intricacy of the marble carvings are beyond comprehension. I am incapable of putting into words how impressive the Taj is so I think ill keep it short and just upload a few photo's that I took.

We left Agra later that evening on a night train to Varanasi, the Holy city on the banks of the river Ganges.