Waah TAJ- Quest for an ATM

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So where can you go with 20 rupees in your pocket? only one place Agra!!!
It was one of those crazy unplanned trips with scatter brained me and an equally unorganised and spontaneous friend.

Both of us were working as apprentices and one weekend we decided we must see the Taj Mahal….
So that night we went bus hunting and we reached the dark streets around Jama Masjid, thats where the buses go from and almost ended up taking a bus to Jammu. I must say the agents are very convincing and if they know you have the wanderlust get ready to be shipped off.

However we managed to scramble our way through, duelling and battling the agents and made a tour booking to agra to the the monu ment of Love- The Taj!!
Both of us are saps for romance and in our excitement seemed to forget one very important thing- a trip to the ATM.

The bus was scheduled to leave at 6am and neither of us being morning persons, barely made it. It was a crammed, rattling, ready- to- fall- apart kinda model. Everyone was cribbing and complaining and who would’nt; even auto rickshaws were passing us. My friend and I were given the so called ‘Ladies Seats’ which were so close to the driver that we might as well would have driven.

Now the bus comprised of one group of Bengalis and one Group of South Indians and thanks to the bellowing of the Bengalis and Sulking of the South Indians we were shifted into another bus which moved a little faster and seemed a little more promising in the pursuit of getting us to our destination. Alas it broke down not fifteen minutes away from where we had boarded, and not a minute too soon i must say. We were soon shifted to a third bus and that was a stroke of luck as it was a deluxe volvo and thats the best!!!

We were off again with evryone happy and merry making and this time in style . We pulled up for breakfast to a dhaba and thats when my friend and i realised that combined we had only 20 rupees. Undeterred by this unfortunate turn of events we decided to do the smartest thing we could- order one paratha for rupees 15 and split it between our growling tummies while keeping an emergency fund of 5 rupees. The food was brilliant and the dhabas on these routes are worth your money. The pipping hot paratha stuffed with paneer dripping with melted butter and ghee with a side of dal, yougurt and pickle….

Feeling quite proud of ourselves we headed back to the bus, yes our deluxe volvo bus and took our seats. However our glee was shortlived as we pulled up to our first stop, the Agra Fort. We had seemingly over looked one very important aspect of visiting these monuments- the Entry fee…sigh…. crestfallen we asked the guide what were the charges and he said 20 rupees per head, extra for the camera…

Now the tour had certain rules, one of them being nobody can break away from the group. Feeling stupid and idiotic my friend and i did not want to reveal our empty wallets to anyone, so we decided to follow the tour group and when the guide was not paying attention, break off just before entering the monument . We stealthily slid out of the group and got into the first auto rickshaw we saw. We told him to take us to the nearest ATM and that we would pay him when we got the money. So, as if on a mission and understanding our plight he drove as fast as he could asking each and every local if they knew where an ATM was…”"vrooooooooom vroooooom beep beep(the horn) Bhai apko pata hai ATM ka??”"(do you know where is the ATM)

And finally we saw it an SBI, man when they advertise that they are located all over they are serious, but what they do not advertise is most of them are OUT OF ORDER!!! We- my friend, me and the auto driver- did not know what to do, however our determination to see the Taj Mahal led us to asking every single soul for another ATM and we finally found it.

It was so beautiful located in between a local restuarant and a cafe coffee day (franchising i tell you..). However the auto driver did claim his price. He not only charged us an extra 20 rupees for all the help but made us purchase some clay figures from his friend the ‘show piece wala’. Advice for tourists in Agra, remember that its a place that thrives on tourism and brotherhood. All the people involved in the industry are connected from the auto drivers to the guides to the vendors and they will all try to rip you off a bit and ensure they get some ‘boney’ (business) for their friends. Be a little weary of people who seem very helpful they will help but will ask for something in return.

So me and my friend made it back to the bus just in time. We took some pictures outside the Agra fort to make up for not being able to see it. And just our luck the next stop was lunch and you know where…at the local restuarant where the ATM was!

The both of us felt really silly and decided to get comfort food. We binged at the restuarant which was not only easy on our pockets but glorious in our bellies! yummy!!! Food in Agra is really great espescially at the local restuarants.

After lunch we headed out to the Taj Mahal and it was everything we hoped for and more…..it was all woth it. And this time we even had the entry fee to get in and our camera….

The Taj looks two dimensional, the best description would probably be that it looks exactly like it does in the postcards, completely flat and gorgeous standing upright in all its pure white glory…ahhhhh. As you get closer you realise there is a third side to it…its huge and towering, your voice reverberates off the marbel. The craftsmanship is incredible, the stone reflects light and you can see the incomplete black Taj in the distance. A replica of the actual tomb is open to tourists and you have to wear plastic bags on your hands and feet so as not to dirty the monument as you walk through it.

It is unbelieveable and worth evrything you have to endure to get there if your on a budget. If you have the money you could get there in style too but i believe that no pain no gain…it was worth every bit of it!

Waah Taj!!!!