One thing after another

Hey there, here are the even more overwhelmed backpackers again. Whoever thought we would sleep until noon was mistaken, because our alarm clock rang every day before sunrise. After exploring Vrindavan a bit, we ventured with the other backpackers from our accommodation, eleven of us in a tuk-tuk + driver, to the next bigger city Mathura. There we took a boat tour on the holy Yamuna river. On foot, we walked through busy alleyways that are usually traversed by wheels rather than pedestrians. In conclusion, we visited a temple complex guarded by the military where photography was not allowed. Not to forget: the Holi festival was still in full swing, meaning we were covered in color from head to toe. This day was extremely exhausting for both of us because the city was just so overcrowded, noisy, and dirty. The next day we left Vrindavan and headed to Agra with Anthony, Dani (Philippines/USA), and Dalva (France). To avoid getting fully covered in color again, we started early with the train. We managed to do this somewhat successfully. Because on March 2nd was the peak of the Holi festival, meaning everyone is celebrating and throwing color powder around. After a relaxing day in Agra, we went to the Taj Mahal the next day at sunrise (6:40 a.m.). The building is truly impressive and overwhelming, the whole complex is simply beautiful, aside from all the tourists (including many Indians). The other three went north directly after visiting the Taj Mahal, and the two of us visited the mighty Red Fort of Agra. After the extremely touristy and crowded city, we escaped early in the morning to the train station today to take a train to Ranthambore National Park, which was then delayed by 3 hours. Now we are in a very quiet hostel, taking a few days to relax and breathe in some fresher air (not just the smog that gives us a constant cough). Finn also needs to recover a bit because his stomach doesn't quite like the street food as much as his taste buds do. :-)