Delhi to Agra via Mathura

On the road again--our song this past week.

After our open air dinner last night on the terrace at the grill, we slept in and had a leisurely departure for Agra at 9am. Things were going along just fine until after a tea stop (which was in actuality a coffee stop at Cafe Coffee Day, India's answer to Starbucks), we were easing back into the "flow" of traffic behind rickshaws and bullock carts when our van was pulled over. After much checking of documents and many beads of sweat upon our drivers heads, they were issued a ticket for speeding. Maybe compared to a snail. It was an Indian police shakedown, which is quite common. Has happened on other trips. Our guide several years back told us then that when they see a van of westerners, tickets are issued (the driver must pay on the spot) because they know full well that the fine while steep for the locals is not much in dollars and Euros, and the westerners will take pity on the drivers and usually reimburse them. So it is in fact a shakedown of the tourists. And of course that is exactly what we did.   

And on we went.

Next stop Vrindavan. Another bribe at a check point to get beyond a certain point, and then a short walk to the temple which was not going to reopen for four hours. But wonder of wonders, there were dozens of stalls selling ribbon garlands. All sizes. I had been looking for these for three and a half weeks, both for myself and for our circle's Last Smile picture. At last! So I was more than satisfied with the outcome of this outing! And none more were to be found the rest of the day.

Mathura. Krishna's birthplace. One of my favorite places. We we able to loiter for awhile in the prison cell area, and then spent a good amount of time in the temple which with its beautiful muralled ceiling one of our group called the the Sistine Chapel of Hinduism. Truly spectacular. Very sacred space.

And I discovered that if you treat the kids hocking their wares like monkeys (without the foot stump) they will leave you alone.

And now we are at another Jaycee hotel which is obscene in its opulence. Way beyond my comfort zone. Keep expecting to run into The Donald. Had to Clif bar for dinner rather than pay another $25-30 US for a meal I would only eat 25% of. They actually gave us a map with our keys so that we could find our rooms.

Now bedtime for a predawn departure tomorrow.