My New Best Friend

Before I discuss anything else I am going to skip to the best part. Meet my new best friend. A camel. Have you ever been up close to a camel. They are just about the best animals ever. So calm and friendly. They just let you pet them and be their buddy. On our way into a park across the river from the Taj we came across this guy (the camel) and for a few rupees we got to say hi. This picture was actually taken just a few moments before it gave me a huge kiss on the check. Camels don't lick like dogs. Nope. They use those huge, full, camel lips. Camels, they are pretty chill.

This Saturday we took a train into Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I really enjoyed Agra. It has a much more relaxed feel to it compared to the other towns we have been too. That is if you don't mention the many, many people trying to get money from tourists. You really can't blame them, but it can get taxing. Over all it is a beautiful place. The Taj is a lot bigger than I expected it would be. It is massive and really is a stunning building. A piece of art really. Though to be honest, as amazing as it is, it is not my favorite. Part of me feels it is too bad that so much money, and life went into a building for the dead.

There is another marble building in Agra. Its real name is Itmad-ud-Daulah, but some people call it the "baby Taj." It is another marble tomb in a garden. It is a lot smaller but the atmosphere there I liked a lot better than at the Taj. Not many people go there in comparison so it is very peaceful. We chilled in the garden there for an hour or so.

For the remainder of the day we went to a park across the river from the Taj. You can actually see the Taj for free just down the road from it. It is a good place to watch the sun set or rise. It was a nice park to wander around and a lot of people just dropped by to talk to me. I ended up telling stories to a young teacher and her class of school children, became best buds with a bunch of Indian guys, and pulled out my rusty Japanese to talk with some Japanese girls. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Japanese. I am glad that I can still hold what can be loosely described as a conversation. All in all it was a great trip.