Auli -> Rishikesh -> Corbett National Park -> Varanasi -> Agra
+Previous: Touts at Agra
+Go to beginning of the series
After the visit to Taj, I packed my bags, checked out and took a bus to Delhi. There were plenty of trains from Agra to Delhi that were convenient as well as safe, but there were none with an empty seat at the hour I was leaving. I reached Delhi in the evening at Sarai Kale Khan inter state bus terminus and checked into whatever accommodation was available nearby.
In the evening, I headed to Connaught Place to indulge in the goodness of the city. It is there that I realized that, despite having immensely enjoyed my month long journey, I still missed some things that the big cities offered. Summer was just beginning in North India and I was longing for the good weathers in which I had spent my entire lifetime. And a south Indian restaurant in Connaught Place offered me all that I wanted – the food of home that I missed during the journey – chitranna, dosa, butter milk and much more, which I decided to choose against many other exotic offerings of food. And the air conditioning in the restaurant isolated me from the mild heat of early summer. Suddenly I felt secure to be in the city. I did not have the constant worry of loosing my backpack or my photography gear. I did not have to worry about how much cash I had and where is the next ATM. Money was just a short visit away at the nearby ATM and everyone accepted credit cards anyway. It seemed good to be in a city. It seemed good to be on the way back. But I knew that the city came with its caveats. I knew inside me that city is not where I belonged to, and city is not where I would feel at home.
I flew back to Bangalore next morning. My mind was empty as the plane landed. I neither felt happy to be back, nor did I feel sad that the excitement of travelling was coming to an end, albeit temporarily. But I was content with the way the last one month passed by. And I knew I had another long journey to look only in a few weeks to come. It was my first long journey, and I was glad at the way it turned out.
– The End –
Auli -> Rishikesh -> Corbett National Park -> Varanasi -> Agra
+Previous: At Taj Mahal
+Next: End of the Journey
+Go to beginning of the series
Taj Mahal is what Agra is most famous for. Touts come second, beating Agra fort, Fatepur Sikri and anything else that would interest the tourist.
Like it happens to everyone, my encounter started as soon as I got down from the train. Even before I left the platform, people came rushing, offering rides in rickshaws and taxis. I refused, but one of them got stuck to me and refused to leave. Being wary of such people, I tried getting away from him, but there seemed to be no escape. I said I knew someone here and was expecting to be picked up by someone. He left me alone but stood next to me silently. While he was there, I made a couple of calls before I decided to look for transport. People kept coming to ask if I wanted a rickshaw. Some of them looked at my big backpack and asked if I was coming from abroad.
My man waiting for me asked again – “Koi aa rahaa hai? chalen?” Is any one coming to pick you up or can I take you?
I was getting a little impatient now and shouted at him – “Just leave me alone and stop bothering me”. He simply smiled and moved a little away from me. I felt bad about being rude. After making a few more calls, I finally decided to hire him. He turned out to be a good man. He gave me a ride to Taj Ganj for a reasonable price, and we had a good conversation about Agra, things to see, places to stay, etc. He even got me to a good hotel, sans the commission that they usually get from hotels. I apologised for being rude and tipped him generously. He graciously said – “koi baat naheen saab, hamara kaam heee aisee hai,” and moved on.
Not every experience was pleasant though. I walked around Taj Mahal and was frequently asked by Rickshaw-wallahs if I wanted a ride. And they would not let me go easily when I said no. The day being Friday, Taj was closed and people approached me offering roof top views of Taj for a small fee.
Sometime that afternoon, I took a rickshaw ride to Agra Fort. The driver said he would wait for me to take me back to Taj Ganj. I told him not to wait as I would take a long time. I was in the fort more than an hour, and was surprised to see him still around when I came out. With Taj closed, Fridays are bad for business in Agra and it showed. But this time, I was the one to be rebuked by him. He offered me a ride back to Taj Ganj, but wanted to me to visit a couple of marble shops on the way. I refused.
He said, “nothing to worry sir, you don’t need to buy anything. Just visit the shop”
I had no interest to go around all the shops and was firm about my disinterest. He said again, “I will get a good commission sir, you don’t even have to buy anything, what are you to loose anyway?”.
” I don’t need anything nor do I want to visit any shops”, I said, “just take me back to Taj Ganj”.
This time I was the one to witness some rudeness. He refused to serve me and asked me to get down from the rickshaw!
The next encounter was fun. I was walking to a restaurant just a hundred meters away when a rickshaw guy came from behind and asked me if I wanted a ride. I said no.
“Tell me sir, where do you want to go? I will take you there”
“Not very far, I will walk,” I shook my head and told him.
“come sir, just give me ten rupees,” he said, “not much!”
I smiled and shook my head again. But he was not to leave me.
“okay sir, only five rupees.” And then he even came down to two rupees. By this time I was enjoying the conversation and we were both laughing. I reiterated that my destination is hardly two minutes away. He than smiled said
“you are our guest in Agra and you are walking in the sun like this. How can I let you suffer? Please come, I will drop you for no charge!”
“No, not at all,” I said, “you see, I am already about to reach the place. I just have to cross the road and go a little ahead. But thank you for the offer.” He finally relented and moved on!
To be continued…