From the plane to the car. Let's go to Agra!

Namaste. Completely rested and excited about the things to come, we got off the plane in Delhi shortly before 7:00 am and made our way through immigration and baggage claim to the exit of the huge airport, where we met Pradeep, who would safely take us from A to B and C and D in the coming days. It all sounds nice and easy, but it took a total of about 1.5 hours.

We started the wild ride towards Mathura. Lotti is already in India for the second time, so the shock for her was quite small, but Karsi was not so well prepared. Let's be honest, everyone has heard of the famous traffic chaos in India and seen pictures, but being right in the middle of it is a whole different experience!

Constant honking, often just to get attention, as the use of mirrors seems to be more optional (ours was bent for the first time after a few hours of driving - quickly straightened back, all good) than it is as stressful as it is meant in Germany. If I understand correctly, the turn signal is only used for curves over 90* and why someone bothered to put up road markings is also a good question: everyone drives where they want, how they want, you can also endure driving in the opposite direction for a while. And surprisingly, these vehicles can accommodate a lot more people than I thought: 4 people plus luggage on a moped is not uncommon. Despite everything, it seems relaxed, no one is complaining, no one is gesturing, honking is the only requirement. Our guide later said that driving in India requires three things: "A good horn, good brakes, and a lot of luck!"

Then there are, of course, the impressions of the people, the landscape, and the buildings. Everything seems very poor, very simple, of course, in no way comparable to our home. The litter that is lying around everywhere and the buildings that have either already decayed or were never completed are shocking. But the people are friendly, helpful and, to be honest, we have been living in our tourist bubble in India for 9 days, with Pradeep, our private driver and vehicle, and local tour guides at all the monuments.

Pradeep safely navigated us to Mathura, our first stop on the route and a very holy place, the birthplace of Lord Krishna. We had no idea what to expect. A local guide welcomed us. Before we were allowed into the temple complex, we had to leave all electronic devices, etc in the car, so we walked through the narrow streets to the entrance only equipped with our passports and cash. So, no pictures. But don't worry, we will have enough photos of us in front of beautiful buildings later!

As we later found out, there was a bombing, since then all electronic items are forbidden. After our passports as foreigners went through several hands and the data went through countless radios, we were granted access, Lotti separately, where her newly purchased local SIM card and the cap for the camera lenses were also taken from her. Quickly handing over the shoes and off we went through the temple, which looked impressive and was of great importance to religious pilgrims judging by the sheer number of local visitors and their behavior. What we took away from it: Lord Krishna was born about 5500 years ago, he appeared in three personalities and then died/disappeared/in a puff of smoke at the age of four years, but at the age of 7 he killed his uncle. There are several altars in the temple, for each of the personalities, great paintings and the birth bed of the deity. If we understood correctly, he had 16000 women, but unfortunately, our English skills and the clarity of our guide's pronunciation failed us at this point. The building and especially the ceremonial part were definitely worth the stop. In the next WiFi, we will definitely do some reading.

After about 90 minutes, we were back in the car heading to Agra, where we picked up our tour guide Sanjey and then drove to the hotel. At that time, we still didn't quite have the hang of having small bills ready to give appropriate tips here and there. So, after checking in at the hotel, we went to a restaurant recommended by the tour guide, where we cautiously introduced our stomachs to Indian food with a vegetarian buffet. It was delicious. Also here, extremely hospitable service, always concerned about making you feel comfortable.

We continued to ATMs, which unfortunately did not give us small bills, and passed by Agra Fort. Our local tour guide there, Sanjey, was much better at speaking English, very easy to understand and patiently answered our questions. Honestly, it's not that easy to follow all the data and not-so-Latin-sounding names. And they are all related, they have done something to each other, and someone else avenged them! The 16th-century building, which is quite well preserved, impressed us, not least because of its sheer size and the materials used. Unfortunately, it also fell victim to the plundering of its art and gold. From one of the balconies, we already caught the first great view of the famous Taj Mahal. In fact, one of the important rulers and the patron of the Taj Mahal was held captive by his son in a marble palace in Agra Fort with a view of the Taj Mahal and died there 7 years later. There are certainly worse prisons, but a UNESCO World Heritage site is probably rather boring to look at within seven years.

We went directly from the tour to the Baby Taj, or officially Itmad-ud-Daulah! An incredibly beautiful marble building with handcrafted gemstone inlays. Again, a mausoleum that revealed even more in the evening sun.

Of course, we enjoy the safety of the private vehicle, the information from the guide, and his authority when it comes to beggars and street vendors who can become a little too pushy. But of course, it also takes away the freedom we had on our previous trips to plan the times ourselves and really absorb what we are looking at. We would have liked to sit on a bench at the Baby Taj and watch the sunset on the marble in peace. But maybe Agra and Delhi are the wrong places to find peace.

Although we thought we were going straight to the hotel, Sanjey accompanied us to two shops that showed us the art of embroidery, as well as marble and gemstone processing, but then also wanted to sell us something. Although rubies and emeralds enchanted us and especially Lotti contemplated buying one for her next goldsmithing course, we decided against spending so much money on the first day.

Pradeep safely brought us to the hotel, where we freshened up, laid out our things for the next day, and were very glad to spend the night in a horizontal position.