Around Agra - Part 1

Well, I've decided to split this post on Agra into three parts.

The first two will be on places we went to around the town, the last post will be of the Taj Mahal.  This will just save a bit of wear & tear on my mousing arm, and keep the posts a bit more manageable than one large post.

As usual, please click on a pic to EMBIGGEN!

After our stops in Mathura & Vrindavan, we headed for Agra.  Agra is a huge world-wide destination, but the number of foreign visitors pales in comparison to the number of Indian visitors.  The easiest way to get around the city to see the sights is by car and driver (with the amount of traffic in the town,  auto-rickshaws mean driving around sucking in a grotesque amount of polluted air).  Our driver from Delhi, who comes here quite often, knew his way around pretty well and so not a problem for us.  The town is quite large and modernized, with large hotels spread all over to serve every economic category of guests.  Still, no matter what, not a cheap place to travel to.

A far far far cry from the Agra we first saw in 1979.  Back then, after flying in from Nepal to a nearby city (paid for by Johnny Walker Black Label!),  we ended up sleeping on a balcony outdoors on rope beds, with three feet of blankets on us, given it was freezing just before New Years.  We were really really lucky then, as entrance to the Taj Mahal was quite low - free on Fridays! - and we actually got to experience the Taj...at midnight...New Years eve 1979-1980....under a full moon! There were maybe a total of 12-20 people there that night.  Just.....just amazing walking around on the plinth  of the Taj under a full moon.  Completely disorienting and mind-blowing in the moonlight.

Midnight 1979-1980 under a full moon

Today....50 rupee entrance for Indians, 1,300 rupees for foreigners.  Huge crowds of people, running around trying to see everything, as now for your fee you get to be there for....only three hours!  On entrance you get a token that has a time stamp and it's checked on exit.  Any time over that and you're charged the full fee again.  The ticket entrance area is pretty crazy busy, to say the least, but we had picked up and pre-paid for an Agra guide with our great car driver.

On our way from Mathura to Agra on the highway, whenever we stopped for a toll booth, we would see these Myna birds (they are just EVERYWHERE in India) landing on and hanging on to the trucks that went through, flying away after the trucks moved back on the highway.

Note the one on the right giving orders.

Anyhoo....  Here's this posting on the Tomb of Akbar the Great, the Moghul emperor, just outside of Agra.  Built in the early 17 century, a spread out place with green space and spacious avenues.  It was trashed and plundered by a Hindu group later in that century, then repaired and restored by the British in the late 19th century.  Nice that the number of visitors was small.

At the entrance a place to get drinking water, being visited by school kids.

Just watching the visitors go into the tomb complex.

Having a good sniff at each other while scrambling around the trees.

Some spiral horned antelope on the grounds

Not sure if this lady was grounds staff, or even what she was going along plucking out of the grass

Some foreign visitors - flight attendants - doing a selfie.

First off, the main gates and buildings on the site

Buliding with Akbar's tomb

An assorted set of pics from the buildings above.  Doesn't really matter which ones.  They are all in a progressive state of decay and lack of maintenance. 
It would likely cost a fair bit to even try to restore some of the damage.

The black spots on this ceiling are bees nests.  Quite common in a lot of these buildings with high entrance areas.

And of course, our pal, 'accommodating Doug', having another 'selfie' with some local lads.

Alrighty then.  I will add another blog of buildings & sites we visited, hopefully,  in just a few days.

A Moment in Mathura

We stayed three nights in Mathura, but changed from our disappointing first night hotel to quite a nice one with great food.  Everywhere in town seemed to have some construction going on, with, of course, torn up streets.  Not quite the sleepy little town I visited 10 years ago.

Anne & I hit a few temples around the town that I have no pics from.  More & more of them don't allow any cameras of any kind in, though cellphones are sometimes perfectly ok!?  Some of the larger ones don't allow ANY kind of electronics in, not just phones or cameras, but watches or anything that's electrical.

These pics are from a jaunt to the Archeological Museum (liked it!), and down to the ghats on the Jamuna river for a boat ride.

As usual, click on the pic to embiggen!  The pics are viewed better bigger, IMHO.

The older part of Mathura feels like more like an older India.  Streets with cows, lots of older buildings (in need of TLC), 

some slower levels of economic activity, and I finally found my old hotel, weirdly transformed!, from a previous trip. 

There are still narrow roads and passageways running down to the riverside.

I have no idea what this building is.  I asked, but couldn't get a sensible answer.

I have always had a soft spot for these poor hard-worked little donkeys all around the towns of India. They are a low impact and relatively peaceful way of getting stuff moved around, but they do get worked too hard I think.

We came upon this very industrious dhaba owner in the street near the river, with a fair number of customers waiting to get served.  He seemed to take his business quite seriously, as well as enjoying his interactions with customers.

A couple of local girls looking for a handout from the dhaba wallah.

Down to the riverside where there are plenty of boats for taking a ride on the river.

Our driver from Delhi went out with us.

Building along the river.

Looking across the river a number of people taking boat rides.

Looking back at the old town.

I know I seem to take too many pics of monkeys, as I can't stand the bloody things.

I know this is a 'deified' big rock of some sort.  Someone saw something of a face in it, so added eyes, emphasized the mouth, and made a little worship spot around it.

This old building was built early in the 20th Century, partly to celebrate the then King & Queen of England.  Someone said it was a rich person's home, now partially converted to a temple.  Fabulous carving!

Details.....

Just inside the building a little temple with a large guy!

At the Archeological Museum, images of bits & pieces of stonework from the early glory days of Mathura.  Just a few of the many really fabulous sculptures

These girls wanted a picture with Anne (I took the pics with their cellphones)....then the Lone DeRanger jumps in!

At the Museum...Doug & Me. How's his 'camera bra?'

What a great Masala Dosa they made at our (second)  hotel.  Actually, everything they made was great!

Tomorrow, Agra & the Taj Mahal (well, maybe next week).