Overnight Sleeper Train to Agra and the Taj

We have a leisurely morning on the day of our night train to Agra. Breakfast at 9:30, then back to our room to shower and get ready to check out by 12 noon. I always like to watch the local TV to get a flavor of local life and I find the Indian equivalent of the Food Network, “Food Food.” Although the dialogue is in Hindi, there are English subtitles, so I’m able to follow along with the recipes, which include a stuffed paratha and rice with curry leaves. There’s another personality, Amal’s Food Secrets, and Turban Tamal who reminded me of Emeril. We check out and I opt to hang around the hotel awhile while Hoyt explores the shopping area around our hotel and buys a miniature painting, which he’s told is going to be much cheaper than in Delhi and more authentic. I’m happy reading two daily papers and having lunch in the courtyard of the hotel. I enjoyed my chai but my falafel – well, let’s say I’ve had better. Hoyt also returns with a smoked chicken sandwich from a restaurant called “Brownie” which he says is just around the corner from our hotel. He convinces me that we should buy a second sandwich for the overnight train trip. Food is sold on board, but we’re told it’s of questionable quality so it’s best to bring your own aboard. Immediately after stepping out of the hotel we are bombarded with tut-tut and rickshaw drivers offering us a ride for 5 rupees, which is cheap. We opt to walk to the Brownie restaurant, which is more than “just around the corner” but Hoyt sees the rickshaw driver he used earlier in the day who’s agreed to take us back for 5 rupees. We need the ride because we’re due back at the hotel by 4 for our pre-train meeting. In addition to the sandwich we opt for two chicken parathas, which are delicious. Once back at the hotel, we learn our train is late. No surprise! A large group of New Zealand school boys headed by train to Delhi is back at the hotel because their train has been cancelled, so they will have another night in Varanasi. We learn that our train is going to be about three hours late, so we cool our heels at the hotel. Finally at 6:30 we leave for the station. The station has no waiting room and the pre-board platform is essentially a concrete and dirt floor. Hoyt sits down on a concrete pillar and notices a rat scurrying by. I figure that as long as there are no vermin on board the train, we’re good. At about 8 pm our train finally arrives and we settle in to our compartment. Six to a compartment, three berths, and Hoyt and I get the bottom one (a concession to our age, no doubt, which I gratefully accept). There are police escorts on board and we are advised to not accept any food from strangers (because it may have hallucinogens in them that could make us unable to protect our valuables) and to lock our bags, which we do. People get on and off the train all night. We actually get some sleep but it’s off and on. Right now it’s 9:20 am and I’m taking the opportunity to write this while we have about 2.5 hours to go until Agra. ……Update: it’s now 9:40 and we’ve had a bit of excitement on the train. Our tour mates, a couple from Munich and London (long distance relationship) lose their passports down the toilet of the train. Alan went to the toilet to clear some crumbs from his rucksack and didn’t realize that the couple’s passports were in the bag – so down they went on the tracks. Alan yelled “stop this train” and the emergency cord was pulled. We weren’t going all that fast, so the train stopped right away and both Alan and Renate jumped out the door, closely followed by Singh 1 and Singh 2 and about 25 other Indian men. It took about 20 minutes, but Alan finally found both passports on the tracks. The train was abuzz with “passport” on everyone’s lips! Glad this had a happy ending. Meanwhile, the estimated arrival time in Agra kept getting pushed out again and again. Fog was the problem, plus having to wait for other express trains to pass. Finally we reach the train station just before Agra at about 12:30, meaning that Agra was about 40 minutes away. We reach the train station, quickly get ourselves and our bags onto the platform and to the vans waiting to take us to the hotel. We grab a quick lunch at McDonald’s next to the hotel (veggie burger and McChicken sandwich) and return by 2:45 for the trip to the Taj Mahal. We had

until about 5:30 to spend at the Taj and it was spectacular, though crowded with many people. Unforgettable…