The Taj Mahal with my girl

Just a quick update following the main one, below.

We're now in Agra, Dixie and I. In fact, returning to Delhi was not the fraught experience I had anticipated gazing out in placid semi-drunkenness as the sun dipped behind Jaisalmer fort. When I picked Dixie up from the airport, I was able to see the place with new eyes and fell more in love with it than ever. Together we toured Old Delhi and were charmed, and the Jami Masjid and Lal Qila (The Red Fort) were even more screamingly impressive than on the first visit. You can visit Dixie's blog at dixieontheotherside.blogspot.com for an in-depth review of what we did and, I suspect, what we ate (Dixie is a keen gastro-tourist).

Right now we're both sitting in an internet cafe in Taj Ganj in Agra. If you're itching to hear about our impressions of the Taj Mahal, I'm afraid you'll have to wait - we've only glimpsed it from our hotel roof and the thing looked so still, so much like a photograph that I'd like to find out whether it's a vast scam designed to dupe tourists before committing myself. Tomorrow, we intend to spend the whole day there, and view it as the light changes from dawn until dusk. Expect to be bored with phrases of the 'Words cannot describe...', 'You have to see it to believe it...' sort.

This evening, we've had a walk around the town, chasing the ghost of an 'Archaeological Survey of India' office. We plan to visit next the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri - thanks for the tip, Uncle Pete - and want to book tickets for what is apparently the only reputable guesthouse in the area (with large, clean rooms at an extortionate 10 Rs. a night, or 12p). In our ramblings, we came upon another Indian wedding, and were invited inside to eat and exchange conversational pleasantries with relatives of the bride and groom. Agra is not quite the hotbed of hassle we were expecting, though the rickshaw-wallahs are persistent. I'll let you know if this good humour holds.