Surviving India is all about managing expectations. Our expectations of Agra were well established. People come here for one reason. The Taj Mahal, from what we'd read and heard, will exceed your expectations no matter how high. It, alone, is worth the journey to Agra even if everything else about the place is a disappointment. We expected it to be uber touristy, dirty, unfriendly, and completely devoid of character. Our expectations were exceeded on all counts but one. The Taj Mahal exceeded our expectations just as expected.

I won't go into any great detail about the Taj Mahal simply because it is one of those things that must be seen with ones own eyes to believe. It is breathtakingly sublime. Truly one of the most exquisite things I have ever been in the presence of. In the three hours we spent leisurely strolling around and in it, I was captivated by the beauty and elegance if its story, design, symbolism, symmetry and mathematical perfection. How they built such a wonder nearly four hundred years ago defies understanding. Every time we turned away from it for a few minutes, the same calming astonishment would flow over us when we gazed back upon it. Even if you hate everything about India, beholding the Taj with your own eyes will make the trip worthwhile.

Our flight from Varanasi was uneventful. Our driver was loads of fun and cracked some excellent jokes on the trip to the airport. "How long will it take us to get there?" I asked, a little worried about the traffic. (Insert Indian accent) "Sir, normally trip take one and a half hour. But I give you discount of thirty minutes!" That alone earned him a good tip.

Typically, our pick up did not meet us at Agra airport so we hitched a ride with two Californians who happened to be staying at the same place as us. After checking in, we climbed the stairs to the hotel's rooftop restaurant for a coffee and our first incredible view of the Taj - splendid even at a distance of 1 km. This morning I got up at sunset to see if it was worth heading over right away. The Taj was still covered in morning fog so we slept an hour longer and took our time with coffee and breakfast. After our morning visit we hired a Tuk Tuk to take us around to a few other sites. After one of the best indian meals we've had yet, we visited the Agra Fort which was built by the Mughals and served as both palace and gilded prison for Shahjahal, the builder of the Taj who was later deposed and jailed by one of his sons. We hired a french speaking guide to take the kids through the fort with a promise of a 50 rupee tip if he spoke only french to them. It was fun and we learned a great deal about the muslim princes who ruled much of India for many years before being defeated by the Brits in the early 1800s. They were nothing if not determined and talented builders.

On the way back home we reluctantly agreed to stop in at a marble shop to witness how this crystallized stone was carved and set with semi-precious gems in the days of the Mughal builders. We fell hook line and sinker for the whole shtick and probably spent way more than we should have on a table mounted chess board. I couldn't get the price down but was able to negotiate free shipping, no service charge for use of the visa and two "free" marble and gem keepsakes for the kids. It is sometimes very hard to separate sincerity from complete bulls*** in this country. It will be interesting to see if we ever lay eyes on that chessboard again!

When we arrived back at our hotel, I walked through some of the alleyways to pick up some laundry we'd dropped off earlier. Once you get past the fact that throwing garbage on the ground is a national pastime in this country, Agra is relatively clean compared to Varanasi. I made it to the cleaners without stepping in a single steaming, greasy pile of anything and was thrilled to find my 12 pounds of laundry sparkling clean and sharply pressed and folded. The proprietor seemed so thrilled to have a western tourist as a customer that he insisted that I come behind the counter for a chai. I think he just wanted to show me off to his competitors. It was great fun sitting their with a dumb smile on my face clueless as to the conversations taking place around me.

On the way home I stopped by a tiny barbershop where some reasonably respectable dudes were getting haircuts and shaves. I was in need of both but was planning to wait until I was out of India first. These guys seemed to be great fun so I dropped off the laundry, put a few rupees in my pocket and headed back. Am I glad I did. I got a no nonsense haircut and, bar none, the best straight razor shave I've ever had. The owner, whose two sons now do all the work while he proudly supervises, showed me pictures of one of his sons giving a haircut to a British customer when he was only eight years old. I'm not sure if he was showing me this because of how young his boy was when he started work, or if it was because this was the last time they had a tourist in their chair. Half way through my shave the power failed and everything went dark. "What the hell happens now?" I thought. Either I was going home with a half shaved face, or I was getting my throat accidentally slit in some back alley of Agra. I heard a few shouts and suddenly two candles were lit. Someone woke an old man up from inside the house and he, along with a kid they pulled from the street, shined flashlights on my face so the job could get done. I began to laugh uncontrollably at this absurd situation which slowed things down further. Sensing that I had a sense of humor, the owner leaned over to me and said "Emergency lighting 10 rupees extra." Everyone cracked up including me and the old man holding the flash light. It was a memorable night. The haircut, shave, including face and head massage, came to 300 rupees ($6). It was probably five times what he charged his regular customers, but I was so thrilled with the experience that I gave him an even 500. "Ahhh, Canada very rich country!" they joked as I walked away. "Come back tomorrow night and we have another power failure!"

Deb and the girls were just finishing up a great vegetarian meal when I arrived back at the hotel. The girls took turns marveling at how soft the skin on my face was. Deb? She was just happy that they'd trimmed my eyebrows and nose hairs! And that was as close as we came to a romantic moment in the shadow of history's greatest monument to love!

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