Thursday 10 December

How Mosquitos get into a shut room I'm not sure. And they are huge! We get up and ready before 6 am so we can leave for the Taj Mahal. They have blocked the petrol and like motors and factories for about 1 km to try and help with the smog and pollution around the Taj. We take the bus, then an electric golf cart thingy. It's dark when we get in line and it slowly lightens up. Once through security we hurry to the first platform in order to get ppl free photos. Then we walk around, get a talk from our guide and explore by ourselves. It's a lovely story. The third wife was the emperor's favourite and they both loved each other deeply she was the only wife to bear his children. They married when she 19 and married for 19 years until she died from childbirth complications. She would travel around with him even to war so they could be close. A monument of their love to the works over her grave was one of her deathbed requests. The other two where to never remarry and to look after her family. The grounds and buildings are symmetrical. After leaving by 8:30am we walk to a hotel with a good buffet breakfast. Malcolm has a cold and feeling very under the weather. When we are back from breakfast he goes back to bed and I try to catch up in the internet. The wifi is so bad I can hardly load any web pages. After we check out we relax in the foyer before going out. We decide to walk to a park. It's not far, but of course we get many offers for tok tok rides. There is a bus load of young men getting off. Most of them want to get a photo with us. We sit in the park awhile then decide to walk along down an apparent market street. We pass another entrance to the Taj. It's definitely not a main tourist entrance! We walk around some street. It's not the market we were after and it turns out to be very slummy. The children are adorable. Malcolm buys some fruit. We end up with two followers. A boy wanting to sell tiny snow globes key rings of the Taj. Eventually he turns away and the other becomes more persistent! We try ignoring him but he follows us back to the hotel. On the way back we stop at a bazaar to look for skirts and pants. It's a bit more pricey than we want so we leave it. After a break at the hotel we decide to risk heading out again. Our annoying follower has been waiting and follows us a long way. Malcolm asks a security guard from a hotel we pass to ask him to leave us alone. It works. For a few minutes. Then he follows us again. Eventually he must get sick of following us or figure we are not going to be going to his friends shop. We walk along the road a long way. Still we find no mall. The road is disgusting and dirty. We buy some paracetamol from a small hole in the wall chemist. Eventually we come across a department store and buy a few food things and Malcolm gets a shirt. Then the long walk back. We rest by the pool to pass the time. Going out is so tiring with all the noise, confusion and requests by ppl. The pool side is old and not very nice. After 6pm we head in the bus for dinner. We end up eating outside, which we don't want. We talk about how the Indians always seem to get what they want - in the end! I must admit the city is much prettier at night. You can see the rubbish or the poor stray animals. I found out that there was a mall just a bit further down from where we made it to the department store! Dam! Over dinner the guide keeps us updated on the night train progress. It's about 30min late. By the time we get to the train station we don't have to wait too long. We sit awhile then pick beds. Malcolm is too and I am middle. The rest is fitful. But it's lying down and for that I'm thankful.