Everyone tells you that India is horrible. That everyone wants to rip you off. The beggars and poverty are overwhelming and that you will definitely be sick with something the vast majority of the time you are on the subcontinent. And, they’ll tell you, the biggest most horrible city of them all is Agra. Home of the Taj Mahal and the unquestionable tourist capitol of the country, Agra is a natural place for all those Indians seeking the tourist dollars to flock. Everyone passes through… it’s the place to be for rip offs, scam and hassle.

So, we expected the worst when we arrived in this large industrial dirty city, but we didn’t find it. Sure, there were people offering things for sale and the rickshaw drivers were persistent. A typical conversation usually goes something like this:

Rickshaw Driver: Hello! Yes!?
Us: Hello (Thinking: Oh Great… Here we go again….)
Rickshaw Driver:  Where you from?
Us: Luxembourg (Or any other small random place they’ve undoubtedly never heard of!)
Rickshaw Driver: Oh. (Puzzled)Very nice country. Is that in South America?
Us: Nope… it’s in Europe.
Rickshaw Driver: (Very Puzzled) Okay. You need Rickshaw?
Us: No Thank you.
Rickshaw Driver: Where you going?
Us: Just walking. (Thinking: It’s none of your business!)
Rickshaw Driver: Walking, no good. I give you cheap price.
Us: That’s okay, we need the exercise.
Rickshaw Driver: You take my rickshaw. I ride.
Us: How much does that cost?
Rickshaw Driver: Cheap price, promise.
Us: That’s okay, no thanks.
Rickshaw Driver: You help me, you help God.
Us: (Starting to get annoyed at the guilt trip now) Sorry, we'll walk, thanks.
Rickshaw Man: Cheap Price!! Cheap Price, Yes!?! (This goes on for about 100 meters until he eventually fades into the distance yelling, “I wait for you!”)

(30 seconds pass)
New Rickshaw Man: “Hello my friend!”….

Okay, so this is annoying but it certainly wasn’t the hassle that we were expecting based upon the stories told by those who’ve come before.

Our experience at the Taj Mahal also provided us with a better experience than we had expected. Everyone has seen the photos of the world’s so-called greatest monument built for love, but in real life, it is truly stunning. (Despite the horrible tourist hoards, that is!) Bill Clinton who visited the Taj after completing his second term as President said in his speech to the Indian parliament, that there were two groups of people in the world: "Those who have seen the Taj Mahal and those who have not." And we now understand what he meant. It alone was worth the trip to India.

We also visited Agra Fort, which is supposed to be one of the best in India, but we found it rather uninspiring. To be honest, we are a bit fort-ed out… having seen so many of them now.

From here, we’ll pack up our things and continue on our journey to the small Indian town of Orchha.