Agra

We flew from Mumbai to Delhi yesterday - landing at 6 ish - and were greeted by a lady who Sheri's friend's father in law knows...???...but she has arranged for us a driver and a tour guide and flights and fancy hotels...??? And we haven't even paid her. I thought that was odd...but going with it. So we drove almost 6 hours...again at mass speeds, with no rules from Delhi to Agra in a cracker jack box with a driver who speaks no English. We stayed last night at the JayPee Palace. It is crazy nice and marble everywhere. Today we are going to the Taj Mahal then being driven by same crazy driver 6 hours to Jaipur. We will be there 2 nights then fly to Varanasi then fly back to Mumbai to come home.

I like the northern part of the country better than Mumbai...but still...I was just not prepared for the poverty. I THOUGHT I had been to impoverished nations before...but...I was wrong I think. It is such an odd line to be drawn between wealth and poverty...and I had heard that about India...but to see it is insane. Literally the hotel we are at is pretty much carved out of marble...but people live in a tarp 300 feet away?

I cannot stress enough that the driving here is unreal...plus our driver has a bit of a road rage problem and tried to start a few fights along the way...then we got stopped for taxes somewhere late late at night and we were left alone in the car when the driver appeared to go into the trees to pay a wierd tax while we were guarded by some little dude who frankly I could have taken...I think this is my last adventure vaca for a while...Mimi - it is th carribean for a few years from here on out.

Again - let's hope the Taj Mahal - the inspiration of the trip - is worth all this. lis