the roads are getting nearer
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Monday, October 16, 2006
` Monday, October 16, 2006
Visiting the Taj Mahal

It wasn't one of the easiest weekend trips to make, even though we were already in Bangalore 2 weeks before. Given the time and distance to fly from Bangalore to Delhi (2 hours direct) and to reach Agra from Delhi (3.5 hours), it seemed like a potential logistical nightmare.

During the journey en-route to Agra, there were moments where everyone in the car fell haplessly silent, observing the stark pockets of poverty of the city of Delhi and its suburbs. Huge scores of people sleeping on the pavements, unbelievably large slums sandwiched in-between high-end hotels and apartments, street children desperately knocking on the car windows begging for money and hoards of cows awkwardly left feeding on the trees of the road dividers. It then occurred to us how far more developed Bangalore was, or that the class divide was less apparent than in Delhi.

However, I'm happy to report that all's well ended well and it was definitely worth the treacherously long, bumpy ride to see one of the most magical landmarks in the world. A weather tip: the heat in September was literally unbearable at 40 degree Celsius, 90% humidity, so choose your visiting month wisely. The other interesting thing to note was that the locals paid an entrance fee of 40rupees or so, but the foreigners had to fork up a hefty 750rupees. So much for tourist dollars.

I'm also happy to report that I've experienced a total of 3 domestic Indian flight carriers to date and they have been surprisingly above expectations. If I had to give due credit it would be to Air Sahara (Delhi-Bangalore) for its on-time flights, friendly aircrew and excellent food. Evidently, its quirky tagline of being "Emotionally Yours" is a mantra they take seriously.
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