February 8, 2019 -
“You completely understand why The Beatles would want to drop acid, come here, and stare at stuff. The colours burn right through your eyeballs and into your brain. No Maharishi needed!” - Anthony Bourdain.
At least twice before we arrived in Agra we were asked, “Why on earth would you go for more than a couple of days?”
When we arrived even the Tuk Tuk drivers in their attempt to make conversation with limited English skills were shocked we were here for a week. I guess people rush in and “do the Taj” and leave. We originally did not plan to stay this long but because we had to cancel Varanasi we decided to make the best of it.
We are richer for it. Yes, the Taj Mahal is a wonder. But there are a lot of treasures here beyond it. Today was no exception. We traveled to the tomb of Akbar the Great. (Since the word Akbar also means ‘great’ I guess he is ‘Great the Great’). He was a legendary Mughal king noted for his tolerance of other faiths.
His tomb is not close but when we arrived it was a peaceful oasis from the crazy traffic. Actual African antelope were grazing on the lawns. It also was the local “Lover’s Lane”. Young couples trying to get around strict dating laws go there for a rare opportunity to be alone in the alcoves and some innocent intimacy.
We traveled to “The Baby Taj”. A jewel box of a tomb that was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. From there we went on to a park to view the Taj Mahal from the back across the Yamuna River as it winds it’s lazy course to join the Ganges.
Finally we ate at the best roadside stand. The video below captures a little of the frenetic activity at “Mama’s Chicken”. I can’t imagine how many US food violations were happening. It didn’t matter. The food was delicious and super cheap. It was wonderful!
And if we left Agra after 2 days, we would have missed it all.
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