We are going Nort

It’s been a few days that we are in Northern India. We took a plane from Trivandrum to Delhi. The train would have taken more than 40 hours, which means in fact, probably more like 60 hours. We slept in the cheapest hotel in the area of Connaught Place which had a shared bathroom. The problem is... the room, toilet and shower are on the roof. We arrived arrived at the airport at 8pm but the rickshaw driver had no clue where the guesthouse was. He asked to many people and we turned around and around and around. Finally, we took the guidebook and told him where to turn. We were at the guesthouse at 10pm! It is 15 degrees. I went to the bathroom and i almost froze my ass off so i decided to wait for a shower, i was pretty sure that there would be no hot water. I got cold in the bed too. I slept with my socks and fleece but it was not enough. We had to get up at 5h30 am the next morning to catch a rickshaw to the train station. It was still really cold, probably closer to 10 degrees. The rickshaw ride lasted maybe 30 minutes with wind coming in…grrrrr!


Finally, we get some sun when we got into Agra. It is nice enough to go around wearing a T-shirt so I my blood start flowing again. We leave our bags to the train station and get a ride to the Taj Mahal. This was a stop that i did not want to miss but I tought, couple pictures and then Red Fort, it was going to be quick. Eh no! The entrance is set up in a way that after a stretch of grass you have to pass through a first huge gate before getting on the ground of the Taj. This first gate does not allow you to see the Taj untill you’re have passed through the gate, and only, when your eyes got used to the light after the dark passageway of the gate. I had such a weird feeling in my belly on the way to the gate, I almost cried in anticipation. Emotional! Once your eyes can see again, the Taj is …there and it was beautiful! I took so many pictures to try to get the perfect one.

The Red Fort is next on the list and will be the last stop for the day. We have to get a night train to Varanasi. A night that i will not forget! I already knew that it was going to be cold, but not that cold. Air was coming in through some doors and windows that could not close completely. My feet and legs were numbs and my nose was running. Of course, i did not sleep much. I will have to get ready for the next train.