Something I find quite funny here is how animals are hanging around freely in the streets of cities and towns. I had not noticed in Delhi, maybe because of the city being bigger. However, since getting into Agra, I can’t help but laughing when seeing cows, goats, pigs, dogs, donkeys and monkeys enjoying the noise and traffic and being integral part of the crowd strolling in the narrow roads and lanes. They are obviously the source of a lot of honking from drivers!
My first stop after Delhi was Agra, after two hours of train. Agra is the city of the mighty Taj Mahal. It is one of those touristy places you have to see whenever you visit a country, like Big Ben in London or la Tour Eiffel in Paris. The thing is that it costs an Indian citizen Rs20 (the equivalent of €0.30) to visit the Taj Mahal, whereas a foreigner has to pay Rs750 (about €12)… Anyway, it was totally worth it. This monument is unbelievable, as beautiful from afar as when you get closer, unravelling numerous carved details and encrusted gems unnoticeable from a distance. Needless to say I took too many pictures…
After 24 hours in Agra, I travelled to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. It was enjoyable to be in a very big city that felt a bit cleaner and more relax than Delhi. That place is a big shopping hub for local and regional craft and I had the opportunity to refine my bargaining skills (*sigh*). The usual local sightseeing done, it was time to move again, with a stop in Pushkar. Pushkar is a small town built on the shore of a holy lake, in the middle of green hills. Hindu pilgrims go there to bathe in the sacred waters and prey, sometimes overnight. I have had a great time in the three days I spent in that place. Everything was dedicated to relaxing. I found very quickly the bars where they didn’t mind serving booze (which was not that common considering the holiness of the place) and spent nights chilling there with other travellers. I could have stayed a bit longer, but I suppose lots of places are going to feel that way, and it was time to move on.
Below, few more pictures:
The Taj Mahal at sunset
New car prototype
A monkey: they are the cats of Indian cities
View of Pushkar, a relax city on a lake
My next stops will be Udaipur, another city on a lake, Jodhpur, the blue city, and Jaisalmer for a camel ride in the desert.
P.S.: One of the strangest things that happened to me: I got offered to spend 1 hour with a 12 year old ladyboy for Rs500... whilst just strolling in the Old City of Delhi. This is one of those things that make you feel very uncomfortable... especially when you refused and the pimp tries to force you into accepting...
To be continued…
ça a l'air bien cool tout ça ! A part les ladyboy, t'as un peu de contact avec les locaux ?
ReplyDeleteEt t'oublie pas mes épices hein ? hein ? ;-)
Plus sérieusement on est content pour toi. Ici, il pleut, c'est la crise, tout ça, tout ça ....
Oui, un peu de contacts avec les locaux, surtout avec des commercants avec qui tu discutes pendant trois plombes, meme si tu leur as bien dit que tu n'acheterais rien. Sinon, lors de trajets en bus et en train. Mais bon, pas forcement facile de connaitre les locaux quand tu bouges tous les trois jours.
ReplyDeleteOuais cool les photos!
ReplyDeleteCa doit etre quelque chose de voir le Taj Mahal!!
Et les trains sont bondés comme dans les films??
T'as fini combien de boite d'immodium? ;-)
A+
Oui, les trains sont bondes. Et non, pas d'immadium pour le moment. Ca veut surement dire que si je tombe malade maintenant, ce sera quelque chose de plus grave et pas seulement mon organsme qui reagit mal...
ReplyDelete