Agra - Part 2 (The City)

Before getting there, I assumed that Agra (the home of the Taj Mahal) would be one giant tourist trap. It seems that all the cool stuff in the world is slowly getting less cool. There's a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut at the front entrance of the Pyramids in Cairo; there's a Starbucks in front of Chairman Mao's portrait at the Forbidden City in Beijing (this is new since I was there - I actually just read about this today in the China Post); and most of the landmarks in Europe are packed with line-ups of tourists. It takes away from the experience and spoils the beauty of these wonders of the world.

So Agra, was a nice surprise. The Taj Mahal was off in a little neighbourhood with small streets and no big chain stores (there's really not much of this in India anyway). And though the city is over a million in population (every small Indian town you've never heard of is a million people), the town seemed smaller. Of course, there were the usual scam-artists, touts, and beggars but we found Agra much friendlier than Delhi and Jaipur. We only spent a couple of days but it was great stop full of interesting things to see.

Here's a picture of an autorickshaw. These are everywhere in India and a good way to get around. Check out the fancy seats in this one.
I like this picture. You see monkeys a lot and they can be a real pain in the ass but they are fun to watch. At the restaurant at the hotel, we saw one monkey sneak onto a table and steal the sugar bowl. The waiter chased him with a stick, something he said he has to do all the time.
On a street outside one of the gates of the Taj Mahal.
Camels walking through the streets of Agra.
Here's a cool dude. We had to wait for our rickshaw driver forever outside of Agra Fort and this kid and his mother befriended us. The sunglasses are Lindsay's. He kept wanting me to take his picture with them on.
Some locals walking to the other side of the river. Not much rainfall here either, by the looks of it.
These are some guards that watch over the Taj Mahal. You see big guns everywhere in India but it still hard to get used to.Unlike New York, London, Milan and Tokyo, India isn't necessarily on the cutting edge of fashion. Though the women dress quite nice (saris and stuff), the men don't seem to be as fashion-conscious. You see lots of acid wash and orange. I had to laugh when I saw this jean jacket. I can't even guess what "Le Gay Dil" is supposed to mean.
Party Smart hangover cure. I had to buy this when I saw it in the pharmacy. Maybe you can buy it everywhere but it's the first time I had ever seen it. Believe it or not, I haven't even tried it yet.