So, on to Jaipur.......

...which if you like your 'pink cities' er...brown, then its pretty good. There was a problem with our bus so we ended up in a smaller one which ment that I had to share the cab with 3 Japanese girls in facemasks and the leather cap wearing driver! Pretty uncomfortable really but never mind.We met Adrian and Ginny in the queue for our train tickets to Agra, they are Australian and really good fun. We all check in to the same hotel and go see Jaipur. There is a strange astrological place that looks like the set of Labyrinth, then we go on a bloody tiring walk up to a fort on the hill to watch the sun set. It was worth the walk and the view was great. On the way back down is the 'how many westerners can you fit in a jeep?' episode whereby about eight of us stand/squat/sit and generally hang on for dear life on the long road back into Jaipur. Was realy good fun if a little painful.

An early night was called for as we are off to Agra on the 6am train.Its been suprisingly cold since we left Mumbai, until the sun really gets going you need a jumper and trousers. The lonely Planet isnt too kind to Agra but we find it just like everywhere else, the usual rickshaw drivers hassling you a bit, nothing unusual.

We find the highly recommended Hotel Shanti (recommended by me on account of it's view of the Taj Mahal from the roof-top restaurant) and get another early night as its Taj time at sunrise.

It was worth the early start. Not normally one to get exited about buildings, I found this place stunning. Beautiful, any picture I've seen doesnt really do it justice. We try unsuccessfully to get the 'Princess Diana' shot due to the crowds building, still get lots of pictures and it is a highlight so far for sure. They make you take your shoes off before you go into the building, and when you do....Pidgeons everywhere. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure thier shit is pretty corrosive, they should get the priorities right I think. Later in the day we go off and see the rest of Agra, mainly this involved shopping though, I'm getting used to this.

The downside to Agra is the corruption. All the trains booked for 15 days? Bollocks! The girls kick up a fuss and are told,among other things,'In India, never ask why'. Not very nice men. So we end up getting rippped off by a travel agent who sold us seats that were actually spaces in the corridor, most of the way to Gaya. Luckily a family returning from a wedding adopt us and lend us a couple of bunks, as well as feeding us lots. We didnt have time to go to Darjeeling in the Himalayas, so the decision is taken to return to India in a couple of years time to see the places we missed, and would like to return to.