So I'm in Agra (home of the Taj Mahal) at the moment and am pretty beat. I haven't gone into the Taj yet, I'm saving that trip for tomorrow before my night train to Varanasi. Today was spent sleeping in a little and going to Fatepur Sikri. I was really, really hoping to escape touts and annoyances there but if anything it was worse than Agra city. There are only so many times you can hear "I sir, where are you from?" knowing that it inevitably leads to some sort of sales pitch or begging before you want to punch someone. The worst are the bastard touts who try to guilt trip you into talking to them with lines like, "Please stop. I only want to talk. I like talking with foreigners to learn about other cultures." Sure you do Mr. rickshaw driver/gem store owner/serial killer.
That said, it's all part of the Indian experience. This is easily the most frustrating country I've traveled in. The incredible part is that it's also one of the most rewarding. When I was on my camel safari an English chap named Jay had a great analogy. "India is like surfing. You start out and struggle against the waves, pushing yourself farther out to the point where you just feel like giving up. Then you finally catch a good wave, feel like you're on the top of the world and go right back in to catch the next one." I know absolutely nothing about surfing but I have to say that yeah, India is something like that. You can have a terrible day, be absolutely fed up with the constant stream of annoyances that beset a foreign traveler here. Then all of a sudden you come across something that's absolutely unique, something you could never see anywhere else and then it all clicks and you know why you came out here in the first place.
So overall the trip is going well with good days and bad. I'm tired of the big, touristy cities I'm in right now and am really looking forward to getting out of them and into the Himalayan leg of my journey. I still have plenty of blog entries to write too and will sit down and do them shortly. In short, Rajasthan (excluding Jaipur) was awesome and the best state I've visited in India so far. Sorry Karantaka but you didn't have camel safaris or giant fortresses overlooking the cities.
That said, it's all part of the Indian experience. This is easily the most frustrating country I've traveled in. The incredible part is that it's also one of the most rewarding. When I was on my camel safari an English chap named Jay had a great analogy. "India is like surfing. You start out and struggle against the waves, pushing yourself farther out to the point where you just feel like giving up. Then you finally catch a good wave, feel like you're on the top of the world and go right back in to catch the next one." I know absolutely nothing about surfing but I have to say that yeah, India is something like that. You can have a terrible day, be absolutely fed up with the constant stream of annoyances that beset a foreign traveler here. Then all of a sudden you come across something that's absolutely unique, something you could never see anywhere else and then it all clicks and you know why you came out here in the first place.
So overall the trip is going well with good days and bad. I'm tired of the big, touristy cities I'm in right now and am really looking forward to getting out of them and into the Himalayan leg of my journey. I still have plenty of blog entries to write too and will sit down and do them shortly. In short, Rajasthan (excluding Jaipur) was awesome and the best state I've visited in India so far. Sorry Karantaka but you didn't have camel safaris or giant fortresses overlooking the cities.
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