Talk about culture shock.  I really can’t even begin to explain how intense this place is.  So full of life, energy, movement, and NOISE. So much noise.  Oh, and dirt. India isn’t exactly the cleanest place I’ve seen.

After getting to Delhi late we had to be up very early the next morning to catch the train to Agra.  We didn’t have paper tickets, only an electronic confirmation, so in order to get on the train we had to run up and down the streets to different offices…running down a Delhi street is tantamount to competing in Olympic hurdles…stray dogs, sleeping people, trash piles, broken bicyles…oh and did I mention the sun hadn’t risen and there aren’t any street lights?  Add in the ruthless motorbike drivers and we felt like we were in a game of frogger.  I of course slipped and fell and had to be pulled up because the weight of my three packs made it too difficult to stand on my own.  After furiously running down the platform we made it with seconds to spare.

Phew.

After a two hour sunrise ride we arrived in Agra where we will stay for the next week.

We went to market today (where I splurged on some traditional Indian outfits called salwar suits, bangles, and too many scarves), and I took my first ride in a bicycle rickshaw.  I am still quite overwhelmed by just how different it is here, so nothing too fancy photo-wise, but instead a bunch of shots to give you an idea of what it like to walk down a northern Indian street.

For one thing, you see animals. Everywhere.  Cows, goats, hogs, cats, dogs, and……..

MONKEYS! Seconds after taking this guy’s photo he basically attacked my cousin in an attempt to steal her cache of delicious bananas. She stood her ground, but we definitely learned to give the monkeys their space…

The streets are crazy busy, with at least 5 different kinds of vehicles sharing the roads with all the animals and a constant stream of pedestrians…

All of the colors in the market were just beautiful and clearly enticing to my wallet.  The shoes you see on the left cost about $4 a pair…

We stopped briefly for my cousin to have a small Mehndi pattern put on her ankles…

Saw and captured a few faces from the street….

Got to the bottom of why the power randomly but consistently goes out throughout the day…it is not surprising when the you see power lines like these…

We didn’t have a clue what any sign read….

…and we loved every moment of it.

That’s all for now. Namaskar.

xoxo,

klc