Epistle 5: Agra

Well...so much has gone on in our lives since our last post. We trained out of Delhi with V and S along with their 2 children at 6 am on Tuesday morning. The chaos at the train station was unbelievable. The porters were so demanding that we left them standing and carried our VERY heavy bags ourselves up and down flights of stairs..eventually arriving on the train totally exhausted and I even saw a frustrated J for the first time. Too much stuff in suitcases makes very heavy bags to heave up and down under pressure.
Anyhow, we landed in Agra and eventually found our way to the Taj Home stay. Very nice hotel but with the usual quirks which make India interesting. We have learnt to not expect perfection anywhere. We have learnt that perfection does not necessarily exist - we hope and believe we will find the standards that we have learnt to take for granted but the surprises we find make many good stories for us all. We have laughed a lot.
That afternoon we headed out to the Red Fort in temperatures which must have been up to the 40s - soooo hot that even the Indians found it unbearable. I wilted and lay crippled with sunstroke and migraine in the evening whilst life went on around me.
P and J had a marvellous time with V and S encouraging them to dream their dream. Very special and what we had all been praying for.
Second day we headed off to see the Taj Mahal at 6 am in the cool of the day and as sun rose. Marvellous pictures and far more bearable. It did not fail to impress any of us. Magnificent and we had a great guide who helped us to understand so much more.
We bought ....yes!!!!! You guessed it, those of you who know P. A marble elephant with inlaid semi precious stones as done in the Taj Mahal. Far too expensive but nothing like what J and J spent on their small coffee table!! Was fun and was in air con room which was an extra bonus!!