Agra et al.

After a very fun and busy 2 days in Delhi. Danika and I are now safely in Agra, India. Our two days Delhi began at the Colonial inspired Connaught Place, which is at the heart of Delhi proper. It is an extravagant traffic circle, consisting of 7 roads that spoke out from the centre (much like the Arche de Triomphe in Paris). The traffic is absolute madness regardless of the time of day. The building facades are reminiscent of the days of British Colonial rule, as they all have soaring pillars and are all painted a uniform white (now somewhat blackened by all the pollution). It's apparently the "uspscale" area of Delhi, in that all the boutique stores have their flagships here. But of course you still have your basic Indian sewage smell, tonnes of garbage and beggars. The food in Delhi has not disappointed, as Danika and I have fulfilled our desire for biryani, chaat and Mughali curries on a daily basis, I hope all your mouths are watering! We also visited the Palike bazar, an underground shopping area right under the Connaught traffic circle, and visited a unique outdoor observatory, built in the 1600's, and with large concrete and marble instruments that you can climb. Day two in Delhi consisted of visiting the famous Red Fort, it's really cool. And even cooler that we only paid 11 rupees each to get in (compared to the tourist rate of 100 rupees), because we convinced the ticket agent we were Indian, and flashed the "born in Bangalore" portion of our Canadian passports! We also ventured into Chandi Chowk and the spice market, which is a crazy, crowded, dirty, market area. But we quickly ventured out when we realized that there were only men everywhere, and of course that lovely sewage smell. After Chandi Chowk we went to the Jama Masjid, India's largest Mosque, which is gorgeous and very crowded. We weren't allowed to go inside as we arrived just in time for evening prayers, but still managed a few good snaps. And then lastly to the Gandhi Darshan, where India's beloved Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. It's a beautifully maintained garden area, and the place of his cremation is marked with a simple black marble stone. I felt very touched being there, and found myself wondering what the Great man would think of the state of India today. It is interesting that there exists such a pristine tribute to a man, who cared little for personal glory and more for the common people. It would seem the money spent for the perfectly pruned bushes would be better served on the poor and uneducated, as he might have wanted.
Today-- Friday, is Republic Day, and basically all of Delhi was on holiday. Neeks and I spent a relaxing morning waking up late, watching the Republic Day parade on tv, and then going to our Aunt's house for lunch. We caught a 6 pm train to Agra, and arrived safely at our hotel a few short hours ago. Tomorrow morning we see the Taj Mahal at sunrise, which I think I can speak for Danika and I and say is the highlight of our trip. Will definitely be posting pics of that. Only 3 weeks left in India, how time flies!