God knows what made me think that trains in India would be as efficient as China.... My train to Agra was 4 hours late arriving at New Delhi station and then was further delayed by an hour and a half between Delhi and Agra!!! That meant instead of arriving at 18.30 I arrived at 23.30. Try getting a nice hotel at that time! That's right, I didn't.....
But that's all forgotten now. Today I visited the Taj Mahal, although undoubtedly a beautiful building I found it lacked historical context. It seemed to me that most people were just be there for the photo, which I found a bit of a shame.
Anyway to go with the trend here are a couple of pictures...
After the obligatory visit to Agra Fort, which I found very interesting and in much better context, I decided to check on my train booked for that evening....
You probably guessed it, cancelled!!
So after much research in an Internet cafe (where I discovered I'd lost my bank card, another saga) I found out my best option was a train back to Delhi and flight to Calcutta. An agency matched my price including overnight stop in Delhi, so far so good....
Feeling happy again, I Went to watch the sun set over the Taj and then back to agency only to find.... Train delayed by 6 hours!! With risk of flight being missed.
At this point I have to admit I lost my rag! The agency boss after I long row agreed to get me to Delhi airport by car.
So as I write I'm sat in the car on route with fog all around us.... I think I offended the driver when I put on the seatbelt but hey!
...
Just to finish off this post, I made it safely to New Delhi. Spent the whole night in the Airport. And caught my flight to Kolkata with no further problems. (Other than sleep deprivation!)
I'll update you on my Kolkata adventures anon
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