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T'Taj"3am. What am I doing up at 3am? Oh yeah, I'm going to the Taj with some friends. Why, again? To see the Taj at sunset, now get up. Fine. Just wipe the drool from your slack-jaw and scrape yourself off the sheets."Not my exact thoughts on Sunday, but pretty damn close. Six hours sleep over the previous 2 nights will send you a bit strange: I'd only just left a party at 3am the previous night. Still, I'd prise myself out no matter what - the Taj awaited, as did a cab full of travel buddies. The buddies in question were my new Indian friend Anuj and his girlfriend Raffia, his best mate Monica (d'Italia) and her friend Heidi (from Belgium…I don't know how to say 'from Belgium' in Belgian). Speeding along a darkened Delhi road in a climate-controlled cab is a rare and glorious feeling. Once we were outside the city limits the night unfolded before us, a bit like that scene in Terminator 2 when they're driving through the night (Stu will be able to give the precise timing of the scene within the film). Though I wanted to sleep, there was something compelling about the new landscape that presented itself. Silhouettes and shadows disguised themselves behind the dark veil that my mind, a muggy mess, was unable to translate into intelligible objects. There were no longer dogs sleeping on the street; people had taken up their position on roadsides and central reservations. Haulage trucks ruled the road, and we passed column after column of them, each brightly painted to reflect an individual personality rather than a corporate message. Heidi had jacked her Ipod into the car's cassette player so the driver's tape made way for Belgian rock, Daft Punk, mixes and Madge, all of which seemed strangely suitable at the time. I was comfortable in my little limbo between sleep and waking. It's a shame we had to hit a traffic jam.To be fair, it wasn't a jam as such. It was the border between Delhi, which is sort of a special stateless region in itself, and the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh. Any truck crossing the border is taxed, and any carload of people arrogant enough to think that driving around India at 3am will leave little congestion is in for a shock. I think we were stuck there for 30 minutes, sandwiched between trucks. By this time it was light so the chance to see the Taj at dawn had slipped away. Never mind - I'm sure it would still be a sight to see (partially quoting Matthew Broderick in 'Glory'; probably the first person in the 19 years since that film was made to do so, I wager).We made it to the Taj car park around 7am. As soon as we stepped foot on the ground, we were mobbed by guides, rickshaw drivers and various other wallahs. We got a rickshaw to drive us up to the entrance. It took about 3 minutes and cost Rs 100. We'd walk on the way back.Vendors still hassled us on our way to the ticket booth, although strangely it was Anuj who bore the main brunt of the sales onslaught. He organized a guide and we entered, the goras among the group carrying the 'free' bottle of water and shoe covers that come with the Rs 750 ticket price (about a tenner - locals pay about Rs 20). Security was no more tight than the Red Fort, with the exception that the security guard did feel the need to grasp Anuj's backside to make damn sure he wasn't carrying anything illicit. I was not subjected to that thorough a search. As for the Taj itself: let's just say it wasn't sparkling. You can see for yourself. I think it's best to visit during a full moon, but I can't justify the money for that trip.I can justify eating in the Taj restaurant though. The paneer parantha and cheese omelette are recommendations for anyone who isn't lactose intolerant, and the service was great. By the time we walked back to our taxi, the sun was beating down and the tourists were arriving en masse. Vendors flocked to us, selling everything from postcards of the Taj (I'd just seen it for God's sake) to Taj snowdomes (I don't think they are based on any historical weather anomalies). A wave of the hand and a disinterested look usually repels all boarders, but one vendor was very insistent on grabbing my attention. He was selling whips. I guess it would have gone with the Indy hat.Tony has recently discovered that one of his boxers has developed an extra leg hole. He's seriously considering scavenging it for parts when (yes, it's a matter of 'when' not 'if') another one of his boxers suffers a similar fate. It's his contribution to sustainability.Tony is also still in mourning for the loss of the Roxers, although their theft is a testament to the power of the message they espoused, as well as their build quality.
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