Overwhelmed in Agra

This is one busy place. I have been hiding out in my guesthouse for a week now. I venture out at least once a day, but not for long. I am an utter failure as a tourist. I haven't been inside the Taj Mahal, which is why people come to this town. I saw it when I was here the last time, in 2004, and am quite satisfied to let that be one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

I did see the Taj from afar, while having lunch at a rooftop restaurant about a half mile away. The weather here has been weird - very cold yet also hazy and foggy at times. I could see the Taj, but not really. More like I could see the outline of the Taj against a same-color sky.

The trouble with Agra is the relentlessness of the rickshaw-wallahs. There are more of them than there are passengers, by a lot. They want to work; they need to work. But I prefer to walk. Again, an utter failure as a tourist. Tourists don't walk here. It's much too chaotic for a stroll around town to be enjoyable. But I prefer to walk, and this is very confusing to the locals. I usually have a cycle richshaw-wallah trailing me like a puppy as I walk down the street. But by now most have them have learned that I am serious about walking and they give up very quickly. Thankfully.

It's not that I don't like Agra or its people. It's just that there is one of me, and several million of them. And those are tiring odds.

Tonight I leave my peaceful guesthouse to take the train to Khajuraho, eight train hours away. I am hoping that the train will be close to ontime. Khajuraho is home to some of the best temples in India. The theme is Kama Sutra, and most of them are quite explicit, showing people in the process of all manner of sexual acts. Should be interesting. I have booked into an ashram a mile out of town that offers yoga and a peaceful environment. At least that's what the guidebook says. Boy do I hope it's true!