I gotta say Agra has a bit of a pong about it. Everyone says India smells but I havnt found that so far. Sure there is the odd smell when someone dumps a steaming **** on the footpath in front of you but generally I have found it to be OK, til I got to Agra. It smells like a sewer. The train was 5hr late coming from Varanasi cos we were stopped for 4hr of the last 6hr. After the trouble getting a room in Varanasi I thought I would have trouble again because we were after the Shatadbi from Delhi, but it was OK. The hotel I wanted to stay in had a choice of rooms so I chose the one with the view (see pics of view below). Because we were late it gave me the chance to barter for the room so I got it for 300rp ($8.50) for the night, high price cos of the view. I just walked around getting the lay of the land and checking out the area, Taj Ganj. The Taj was closed, always closed on Friday, which I knew, so I went to Agra Fort. I just walked in but a cop saw me and chucked me out again. The entry is 300rp and they gotta protect their assets. I asked and they confirmed I could get in free tomorrow with my Taj ticket so I said I would see them tomorrow. Tha Agra Fort is very old but most of what is there today was built by Jehengir and his grandson Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan was eventually imprisoned here by his son Aurangzeb for spending too much of his inheritance building the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal when she died in childbirth. It is said to be the greatest monument to love ever built. I actually think Shah Jahan was on to something. Build a few fancy buildings and the tourists will come flocking. Charge an arm and a leg cos they will pay almost anything. Jeez this is an easy way to fleece the tourists. I think Shah Jahan was a visionary way before his time. The touts here are easy. I just say no and they leave me alone? The boatmen in Varanasi were worse. They have a reputation here as being some of  the worst in the world but I think they are *******. I went to the Taj Mahal this morning and expected to be blown away. I wasn't. I is certainly an amazing building, and the closer I got to it the more it impressed me. There were people pouring in by the thousands all at 750rp per head ($20). You have to leave your bag in the cloak room and shoes off before you go up to Taj area. Shoe walla and bag walla both had their hand out for tip when you get back. Everyone has their hand out. It would be easy to spend $100 on entry fees in Agra if you went to see all the sights. Good old Shah Jahan would be proud. The Taj Mahal, as I said an amazing building, but, greatest monunent to love??? or massive massive money spinner??? I will let you decide?? There are heaps of pics for you to see here. I then went to the Agra fort with my free ticket in hand and got chucked out again. The 'free' ticket was actually a discount ticket. Even the cops are lying little *******s. And I told them so. I thought this was a bit of a ripoff, after all you can only see so much carved stone. Most of the fort is blocked off and you can only see the lower parts. There should be heaps of pics below so you decide.