An embarrassing fact about me-I have never been able to get on a train more than 5 minutes before it leaves and sometimes even lesser. I think it all started with my Agra trip as far as I remember because I had never taken a train to travel from one city to another after the age of…well the age I don’t even remember, so you can guess.
So it was an 8:10 am train from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in the capital on a very will-freeze-your-soul kind of morning in December 2019 and I had taken an auto. The landlord of my Airbnb in Delhi had already given me enough instructions to be safe and to reach on time and make the most of it, but given I woke up on time. I think I was over confident as always and I woke up 45 minutes before, forgot my jacket and couldn’t find a cab. I luckily got my train at 8:05 am precisely and it was an adventure from there on.
My train journey was all about foggy fields, telling my co-passenger about the yellow flower fields (mustard flowers or so I thought), enjoying the sunrise, taking pictures, listening to a bunch of office friends behind my seat while they spoke about their eating habits & made fun of their peas loving friend and taking lots of pictures. I reached Agra Cantt station around 11 or so, somehow got on a cab and went straight to Taj Mahal. So Taj is about a kilometer from the drop off point for cabs and you either take a tonga, e-autos or just walk. I took a tonga and the man also helped me get the shoe covers which are necessary if you want to visit a certain part of Taj Mahal. Life had different plans for me at the ticket counter.
I just had my PAN card and he refused me the ticket. I had a major spat with him about this because it was my identity card and he refused to accept it and kept asking for an address proof. I mean they don’t even take a copy of it to save it or anything, but they just want to see it. I had left my Aadhar card at my room so I called home for my passport images which took a while, let’s just say 45 minutes and by that time, I was angry, pissed and emotional. I was so angry I cried but it was not because of not getting an entry but because things didn’t go as per my plan. I plan a lot but more about that some other day. I started walking out and called my friends and cried and spoke. My phone buzzed with my passport images but I didn’t return. I went to grab my lunch at a nice restaurant my landlord had told me about, Pinch of Spice where I spent half my time rubbing ice cubes on my sunburnt face and the rest ignoring the family on the next table while they stared at me their entire lunch because I was alone and in Agra. Food was ok though.
My actual trip begin when I left to see Baby Taj A.K.A tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah. It had this amazing huge entrance and it was not at all crowded. Exactly the kind of place I love. The security staff were good and the monument was beautiful. I once had this thought about my shoe covers being a waste because I never went to Taj but guess what? I used them at Baby Taj. I took a lot pictures there and relaxed and just felt all that amazing vibe I got from that place. It was the most beautiful place and you shouldn’t miss it if you are ever in Agra.
My return train to Delhi was at 5:50 pm and I hardly had some time, so I decided to give Agra Fort a visit before saying good bye to Agra. I reached there around 4-4:30 pm and while people were leaving, I made my way in only to be hounded by the tour guides. It took me a while to make them understand that I had just about less than an hour and I was alone, so please just chill you all. But one persistent one, kept walking with me and started telling me about the fort right away and asked me to pay whatever I can. I was glad he did because the fort was huge and I wouldn’t have seen half of it with my wandering habits if it weren’t for my guide. He took some pictures of me and made sure I was at the exit gate in time.
I reached the station about a few minutes before the train leaves, like I said, a few minutes. I saw some similar faces on the return journey and I must say the food on my way back confused me. They served something that looked like an Indian version of burger and I ate it like one, only it had chole as side dish. It was a naan that looked like burger buns and a patty which was actually a patty.
Well it doesn’t happen everyday that you visit Agra for the first time and miss the Taj Mahal but hey I have no regrets. There is always a next time and I had so much fun.
Doesn’t it sound like a crazy day to you? Let me know soon.
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