The train arrived 20 minutes before it was due to leave and it was manic as people crammed into the 3rd class carriages which have unreserved seating - exactly how I imagined India! Luckily we had chair car seats and found our air-con carriage and seats easily. We were greeted by an English couple who had taken one of our seats so they could sit together. I got confused and thought it'd mean that Neil and I were still apart but relaxed as it was pointed out by Neil that our seats were now together too - so they had done us a favour really. However I still feel it was rather rude of the couple to assume it'd be ok to take the two seats together - they had no idea who was coming to take the seat. It's no wonder that western travellers get such a bad name!

I was amazed when the train left 5 minutes earlier than scheduled, and I watched as the slums of Delhi passed by under inches and inches of rubbish - it's so sad that it is so dirty here. We were also approached by beggars at the station which is always hard to ignore. As the train moved I saw a man squatting on a pipe so his bottom hung over the side relieving himself; it really is like no where I have ever been before!

Soon enough (maybe not too soon as I had been asleep) the dirt and grot was replaced with lush green fields and before we knew it we were pulling into Agra station. We eventually got off the train after having to push and shove our way off past the people who were getting on. After ignoring all the local touts we made our way brave and strongly like we knew what we were doing to the pre-paid auto rickshaw kiosk. We paid up, were handed a ticket and followed the driver to his rickshaw.

Here he introduced himself as KK and after a hello chat he handed Neil a book of comments people had made on a day tour he offers. We read through all the positive things as the main streets of Agra passed us by. We entered some smaller roads and upon request KK took us to a hotel he knows within our price range. The room was fine, so we took it, telling KK we'd see him in an hour or so for his tour. We relaxed in the room for a short while before heading up to the roof terrace to see the Taj Mahal for the first time. It is beautiful and people are right when they say there is something magical about it - there simply is.

We went to meet KK who was asleep in the hotel lobby area, the hotel receptionist woke him up and we were straight into the rickshaw. The first sight he took us to was the Agra Fort where he told us how the emperor had been locked away in here by his son who wanted to be King - the same emperor who had built the Taj Mahal. Back in the rickshaw we went to a bridge which is next to a 900 year old bridge. Here we saw lots of water buffalo and people bathing in the river below, as well as people washing their clothes.

The other side of the bridge KK took us to an area where professional clothes washers work. There were many beautiful coloured saris being washed. It was explained to us that these people were poor; they were born poor and they will die poor - it will never change. They are working by washing the wealthier people's clothes. I shouldn't have been but I was shocked that there is a hierarchy of wealth here as it all seems so poor to me. We watched them doing the hard labour of hand washing in the river for a few minutes before moving on as we felt a little sad and disrespectful. KK had already gone back to the rickshaw to watch it as 'the children are naughty here'.

Back on the move we passed even more poor people living in tent style houses at the side of the roads. There were loads of children around, they shouted hello and waved at us. KK told us they were not at school because their parents couldn't afford to pay for it. This is so sad and made me think how lucky people at home are.

It was then onto a Taj Mahal lookout point where there was also a Mogul well, now empty but 25 years ago it was full. There were also some shrines here to the Hindu gods. We saw some children getting water out of the well, and KK showed us some houses, one made out of mud and dung, and another tent style one. These house the people who farm the land around them. They farm lots of food here but no rice as there isn't enough water. We later walked down a short alley way to river Yamuna where we got an amazing view of the back of the Taj Mahal. We took some photos and stared at the stunning structure for a while before returning back to KK at the rickshaw.

It had started to drizzle a little, and by the time we got to the baby Taj, the tomb of Itimad ud Daulah, we were ready for some peace and quiet - luckily the baby Taj gave us this. It is a stunning little temple in the same style as the Taj Mahal. There were not many people here at all, we wandered around, and sat for about an hour watching some Indian tourists playing a game with their children. We also watched the huge monkeys scampering around. As we got closer to the temple some of the children came running over, so I took their photo and they were amazed to see their faces on the screen - it was lovely to interact with innocent locals like that.

Back at the rickshaw we aimed for Chini ka Rauza but on the way it started properly raining, I mean proper torrential rain. Thinking it was just a shower we sat and waited it out but it soon became apparent that it was a bigger shower than we thought and I was getting soaked even sat inside the rickshaw, so we went and hid under a shelter with a few local's playing cards and some dogs! There were children running around in the rain splashing each other and enjoying the coolness it brings - they seemed so happy.

After about 30 minutes the rain slowed enough for us to walk to Chini ka Rauza which is one of the oldest buildings in Agra. It is a mausoleum for a local poet which sadly is in a state of disrepair but the tiles we did see on the outside give you a good idea of how grand it would have been. It's a shame it hasn't been looked after better.

Back in the rickshaw again we headed for more sightseeing but were delayed by the floods. The short burst of rain earlier made the roads descend into chaos (more chaos than the usual Indian roads which is hard!) because the drains are not big enough to drain the vast amount of water, or they are blocked with the sheer amount of rubbish on the streets! Again we saw children splashing about in knee high waters while KK tried to steer his rickshaw through the huge puddles.

After being stuck in a lot of traffic due to many roads being closed because of the floods we eventually got dropped off at a great lookout point for the Agra Fort. We walked down and took some photos but by now Neil and I were both exhausted so decided we would leave the Taj for another day. KK lastly took us to 2 shops selling handicrafts. One was just clothing and when we decided not to buy anything it wasn't too bad, we just got the cold shoulder as we left. We got to the second shop after another short ride and here they were making carved things decorated in the same style as the Taj. The man doing the carving while we were there was apparently a direct descendent of someone who had actually worked on the Taj Mahal - Yeah right! We had a look in the shop but both felt uncomfortable as we had no intension of buying anything. We also both had the feeling that the sales man was going to get nasty, but luckily he didn't as we made a sharp exit.

By now we were both seriously flagging so KK dropped us back at the hotel and we chilled out for a little while. We decided for dinner that we would just head up to our hotels roof terrace where we ate vegetable biryani, paneer tikka masala and garlic naan - it was delicious and we could see the Taj Mahal as we tucked in too - perfect J

After a hot and sweaty night's sleep I was woken up by the rain pouring down but once it had stopped we went up to the roof terrace for some breakfast. Does staring at the Taj ever get boring?? I don't think so! After a long cool shower we went out for a walk through the streets of Agra finding both the west and south gates of the Taj. At both gate entrances we were hassled to go into shops or to buy something - luckily we have become accustomed to ignoring this.

Whilst walking around we nipped into a travel agents to book a train ticket for Varanasi, the lady turned on the computer to use the internet but we had another legendary power cut so we used it as an excuse to leave knowing we could look on the internet ourselves. Back at the room we checked which train we wanted and went back out. After haggling with a tuk-tuk driver we were on our way to the station. We filled in the form and waited in the line, which numerous people tried to jump but they didn't know who they were reckoning with - they were not getting past me! Once at the counter we were told we couldn't get a ticket for 6 days!

We left feeling deflated - we didn't want to stay here that long! The rickshaw driver (and his mate who had hopped in the front) took us to a travel agent. Again he could find no trains available in the near future and by now I was so frustrated I could have cried! The travel agent explained that there is a big festival going on in Varanasi and this is why all the trains are booked.

Back in Agra on a roof top café (why not stare at the Taj while you can?) Neil and I re-assessed our plans and decided we'd try to head for Jaipur instead, going back to Varanasi at the end of our time in India. In this café there was an older Indian man cleaning the floors from the rain water and he was dressed in all the traditional clothes. He couldn't speak much English but was the cutest thing ever. As Neil and I took our seats he tapped my shoulder and pointed over to the Taj Mahal with the biggest grin on his face, obviously very proud of this world wonder on his door step.

After our drinks we went to a different travel agent where a young helpful man helped us to make sure we got the right train and booked it all for us. We finally booked a train to Jaipur, albeit at an inconvenient time, but hey ho needs must. We also arranged with him a taxi to Fatehpur Sikri, an ancient city just an hour away from Agra for a couple of day's time. I was happy to finally have some sort of plan.

We went to a roof top restaurant with an awesome view of the Taj Mahal. Here we also saw children playing on the rooftops, got a bird's eye view of the busy streets below as well as seeing cheeky monkeys bouncing about. I have also seen (and had to swerve to avoid) my fair share of cows moseying about today - it's weird how quickly you get used to seeing them in the street.

We met a school teacher from Cardiff whilst eating who had just arrived in Agra, having been in India for a week. It was nice to talk to him and realise that all the frustrations and culture shock is not just happening to us but he feels the same too. It was also encouraging to know that he has almost come out the other side and is starting to enjoy his experience now.

We came back to the room, checked for mice as we had had to chase one out earlier during one of the many blackouts, and then tucked in for the night.

We got up at 6am, threw on some clothes and walked the short distance to the West Gate to go and see the Taj Mahal. It was much quieter and we were hardly hassled at all but there were a lot more monkeys about - these were fairly calm monkeys though compared with others places we have been so we weren't concerned. We joined the queue to buy our tickets which was easy enough and then joined another queue to gain entry.

I was happily amazed to see so many Indian visitors here, the ladies in beautiful coloured saris and the men were wearing orange suits - it was such a heart warming sight. We went in having our bags searched and being rubbed down (a rubbish rub down search by all accounts!) and we both got stopped as we had torches in our bags. The Lonely Planet book had suggested you bring a torch to see the translucency of the white marble and semi-precious stones. I said I had mine in my bag due to the power cuts and was allowed to take it in but Neil had to leave a battery behind - I was not going to be using mine anyway as I was far too scared of the consequences!

We moseyed down and entered through the red sandstone gateway which very cleverly has Islamic quotes from the Qur'an etched in that get bigger the higher the writing gets so they remain in perspective. Through this gate we caught our first unobscured glimpse of the famous building. Even on a dull drizzly morning the iconic Taj Mahal was stunning, beautiful and atmospheric. We stopped at the front to see the Taj reflected in the water and took a few snaps before moving closer. As with lots of places we have been so many people were trying to get the perfect picture rather than just actually looking at the attraction - there was the biggest queue for the Princess Diana bench that we decided to give it a miss. Amazingly Neil knew nothing about the Princess Diana bench - something I had to google to show him later in the day!

We wandered around, took a few pictures and then stopped to rest on a bench looking on in awe before we ventured to the entrance. Here we decided to be environmentally friendly, and more local, by removing our shoes instead of opting for the synthetic shoe covers offered. Up on the main platform we looked around, taking in the minarets which lean slightly outwards - said to be a master design so that if there is an earth quake they will fall away from the mausoleum and leave this area intact. We also saw the pishtaqs (formal gateways), calligraphy, marble relief work and inside the filigree screen and cenotaphs. We also marvelled some more at all the ladies in saris - beautiful.

We saw the Muslim mosque on one side of the Taj, and the exact same building built the other side for symmetry. We again sat on a bench and looked around finding it hard to believe we were actually here, actually sat looking at the amazing Taj Mahal. After this we circled one last time walking past the Yamuna River before walking down towards the exit. Thank you Sami for your kind wedding present for the entrance fee! We had an amazing time xxx

Neil got his battery back from the guard as we left the Taj Mahal and headed back to the Hostel. As we climbed back into bed with big smiles on our faces we felt so lucky to be here. A couple of hours later, after more power cuts (I thought all these power cuts were just normal Indian life, but it appears we are experiencing the worst blackouts Agra has had in over 10 years!) we got up and had breakfast on the roof terrace. We did some future travel research and managed to book a hostel room for our time in Rio before going out for a walk around Agra. Going down the road leading to the east gate of the Taj was a weird experience. The road was proper tarmac, there were pavements, no auto rickshaws and hardly any hawkers - it was so peaceful so we got ourselves a drink and a snack to enjoy the rare quiet!

We walked back into the Taj Ganj area (the area directly south of the south gate - the backpackers area!) and past our hostel. We turned down a side street and found a bazaar where the sides of the roads were lined with stalls selling everything you can imagine and more! There were children shouting hello and shaking our hands and one child even asked me for a chocolate. There were also lots of monkeys, cows, dogs and water buffalo around on the streets. It was noisy, hectic and absolutely manic here - more like the India we now know. A lot of the women still eye me with caution, but I have learnt to smile and say Namaste to them which breaks the awkwardness and more often than not I get a smile and Namaste in return. One girl of about 10 years old came up to me with her school friend asking my name, where I was from and if I had seen the Taj - I responded by asking her similar questions. She just wanted to practice her English - so sweet! As we said goodbye she smiled, said thank you and carried on with her day - a very memorable moment for me.

We felt brave today wandering around the bazaar and have vowed next time to buy something. It all seems to be getting a little bit easier now thank goodness! Back at the room we tried to book some trains with no success again so went out for dinner at a Lonely Planet recommend place. It had an awesome view of the Taj Mahal but I think every single tourist in Agra was here too. It wasn't a relaxing dining experience but despite this we had a delicious and cheap meal as we watched the Taj fall into darkness again.

Today has been a good day. India is undoubtedly one of the hardest places we have been to but at the moment also one of the most rewarding. It is also humbling to see the daily disruption these people live with such as the constant power cuts, flooding of roads and general dirt and grime - yet they go on with their day seemingly happy.

We got up, showered, and had breakfast on the roof terrace staring at the Taj again before meeting our driver at the tour office. We then set off towards Fatehpur Sikri a fortified ancient city just outside of Agra. It was all made of a lovely red sand stone and is amazing to think people lived here as it is totally deserted now. We spent a few hours looking around all the palaces and the Mosque avoiding the touts and child hawkers.

Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal empire for a while built by Emperor Akbar. There are 3 palaces on the complex, one for each of his wives with the palace of Jodh Bal being the biggest for his Hindu wife - allegedly his favourite. Jama Masjid is the big Mosque on top of the hill which is still in use today. The huge victory gate was spectacular and I loved all the horse shoes on the doors.

On the way to catch the bus to the city a man had given us his card to visit his shop after out sightseeing. We felt like he had helped us, warning us about the tour guides, and hawked in the correct way by not being pushy so we did visit his shop and I bought a pretty scarf. Back at the car we asked the taxi man to take us straight back to Agra, no lunch (at tourist tax rate no doubt) and definitely no shops where we would be bullied into buying something. It was an interesting journey both there and back where we saw local life in India. There was also some local smells that were not so good. There is a huge rubbish problem in India, and as well as the streets being lined with it there are also just random big piles of it on street corners. It doesn't smell good. There was also the Indian way of driving, full steam ahead beeping at everything and anything that gets in your way - it was all a great experience. Back at the tour office the driver was very persistent that we should tip him for his good service. Adamant that we would not tip him, we changed some money and paid him what he was owed. He took it all in good humour.

We also paid the tour office for our train ticket to Jaipur. It all seems to be in order but we did notice that we had paid almost double just for the tour office to book the ticket online and print it off for us. We thought this was a bit steep but never mind, we had no other choice and have learnt our lesson now. After this we went to the local market for some food. Neil had some pakoras, samosas and a deep fried toasty all for 50p while I had some Bombay mix - yum! We wandered through here for a while alongside the cows and goats which was interesting. There were also lots of children saying hello and even a middle aged couple who tried to talk to us showing us what was in their shopping bag.

Back at the room Neil tired to book some train tickets but again to no avail. We both got a little down due to being frustrated. It seems that nothing is easy to do yourself and everyone sees you as a walking cash machine which isn't a nice feeling as it is so constant! We tried to look on the positives so we went out for dinner - this was after another blackout! We went to a roof top restaurant we had been to before where the food was delicious and there was a fab view of the Taj. While we were waiting for our food a monkey jumped onto a nearby table where 3 girls were sitting, grabbed one of their books and jumped onto the next roof. He then tore a page out as if he was reading it. Naughty monkey! Someone threw some naan at him and he let go of the book bouncing off with his naan. Someone went to the next roof and the book was returned - so funny!

We ate our yummy dinner while gazing at the Taj silhouette - beautiful! Whilst sitting here Neil had seen a man sitting in full Muslim dress looking at the Taj. He tried to take a picture but the man saw him. This started a long conversation rooftop to rooftop. The man was observing Ramadan and was waiting for the call to prayer so that he could break his fast. He seemed very intrigued with both Neil and I - it was a nice experience. The restaurant is on top of a hotel, and we had noticed a book shelf so went in to have a look. Neil chose a book and we haggled to get a good price for it.

Back at the room we checked for the mouse, we had found him in our bed earlier, naughty mouse! He wasn't hiding anywhere so we climbed into bed to settle for the night. We are still having a love/hate relationship with India but I am hopeful it is getting easier and more enjoyable each day.

We got up, finished packing and checked out at 10am leaving our bags in the store and heading up to the roof terrace for some breakfast. One of the waiters who is now a little friendly with us as we have been here a few days (it seems most people only stay one night!) told us how today was a Hindu festival called Raksha Bandhan. During this festival brothers are given bands to tie around their wrists by their sisters, and in return the brothers give the sisters gifts. Being a typical man the waiter had not yet bought any gifts for his sisters and said he would be going this afternoon. Seems that men the world over like last minute shopping! We ate our breakfast and relaxed for a while looking at the Taj before moving to the common area where we read and updated the blog.

We then went to the Taj café for a cup of chai and to just while away the day - as always on a day before moving it feels like a waste of a day but it's a good opportunity to relax. We had some lunch and unfortunately I got a touch of 'Agra' belly. Luckily the issue seemed resolved by the time we collected our bags for the station. We got into a rickshaw for the station, agreeing a price beforehand. Once there we headed straight for the reservations office which was relatively empty - probably due to today's festival. We filled in the form, joined the queue at the tourist counter and waited with our fingers crossed.

At the front of the queue the man behind the counter found us 2 beds (for a future journey from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer), sadly not together, but needs must so we bought them. Fingers crossed it's not as scary as it looks! We walked towards the main entrance for the station and bantered with the rickshaw drivers who were trying to get our custom. They were very jovial when we told them we were here to get a train. We worked out which platform we needed to be on with the help of the electric boards and made our way there for a long wait - we'd always rather be early than late (so Neil says anyway!).

As we waited along with millions of flies we saw people jumping on and off slow moving trains as they pulled in and out of the station. It was cool to sit back and watch daily life on the Indian railways.

Sorry it's such a long one!! Hope you are still enjoying reading about our adventures!

Love and miss you all lots xxxxx