Agra, Sunday

1138 We left about 1010 and we just got here. Driver off having chai, I said I was happy to wait in tuktuk. He is getting a friend of his to serve as my guide. Woo! Still, I am getting the feeling the place is overrun with touts so [continued much later, I broke off when something happened re guide... on the protection racket principle better to have one I can semi-trust who will fend off the others. I don't know if I would have been beset by guides if left alone, it wasn't that blatantly pushy, but then I guess the guides know each other so you might expect them to keep back. Meh, who knows.]

1438 At Akbar's Tomb (sp? and general ?), an optional 500 rupee extra from driver. WTF, see it while I'm here. Good job I bought three Snickers bars this morning. Anyway, got phone out to look at guide book not write this.

1704 At Shanti Lodge for late lunch/early dinner. Taxi driver took me to some shop but I pretended I'd need to think about it and got out. He nearly took me somewhere doing cheaper stones but I insisted on returning to hotel. Owed him 900 for original trip plus 500 for the tomb (probably a con, but still), gave him 1800 - I was lacking change but he gave me 200 back. Had to dredge hidden belt out to pay him.

Went back to hotel, checkout is 10 (wonder if that's what it said on booking.com) but I can leave my bag. Popped out for cash (don't want to be hunting for ATM at Jaipur station or in street after dark, do need to see if can arrange pickup by hotel tho otoh trying to meet the pickup driver might be a challenge if stn is heaving)

Traffic absolutely crazy, you would have to be insane here to drive yourself as a tourist. We had a minor bump with an adjacent tuktuk but since we were in a huge traffic jam speed was negligible.

Will waffle more later but want to relax and then eat.

1755 Food actually not bad. Back at hotel. Bill was 310, made it 400. Maybe not super generous but FFS is getting on for 30%. Anyway. Was tempted to have a beer (I just had diet coke with food) but resisted. This may be a good opportunity to have an alcohol free day, but also I just might go out (probably back there if want to eat again, or to this hotel restaurant if just want a drink) later anyway so no need to decide now.

2112 Having quiet (slack) night in. While I remember somewhere today, probably Afzal's Tomb, some itinerant seller tried to sell me an elephant model with another elephant in its lattice stomach. This is the same piece of tat I allowed myself to be psychologically engineered into buying for 430 at the marble shop. He eventually offered me three of the things for a 100, as I walked away. This is annoying but it's not as if I desperately wanted the thing nor deluded myself I'd got a bargain, I was not strong enough to resist the compulsion to buy *something* and that was the relatively cheap get-out option. But it is annoying to see just how much fucking profit (I *assume* they are identical) they squeezed out of me. Mental fortification for next time, if I don't simply refuse to be taken to any shops in the first place.

Maybe, had I turned down 3 for 100 from a wandering hawker *before* going into the marble shop that would also have fortified me against agreeing to pay 430 for what I knew was clearly worth less than 33. But they'd probably have gone on about how theirs was real marble and the others weren't and I wouldn't have been able to argue. I was also fully aware at the time of the 'stupidity' of purchasing such tat, which doesn't even pretend to be inlaid with any colourful stones, from a shop specialising in such inlaid work. As I say, it was psychological ploy (I did *remember* Influence, it probably shaped who I am today to a small extent) I just didn't struggle hard enough to get out of. I mention this today because I'm just that fucking honest.

Actually, the guide at FS took me over to a vendor in the mosque there who also tried to sell me the same (or at least very similar; I didn't examine any of these object d'art too closely lest they break in my hands, by accident or design) thing, but I didn't get the price.

There were signs at FS, official looking national archeological board or whatever ones, saying the charge for a guided tour for one person in a foreign language should be 300. My guy (who tuktuk driver said afterwards he had never used before, his friend being occupied) had quoted 500. Of course I couldn't argue by that point, and on similar grounds felt compelled to make it 600 with tip. (I suppose I could just have paid him 500 and mentioned the sign if he cut up rough about the tip, but my driver wasn't there and also he was obviously kind of in on this so I didn't want to stir too much shit up, feeling a touch vulnerable.) I dunno if it's part of the scam but my driver pulled up at some shabby roadside area and the guide took me a couple of minutes up to the actual site on his motorbike (which was an experience, at least). To be scrupulously fair I am not sure I saw any tuktuks up there so they may not be permitted, but it's hard to resist the inference this is a scam to stop suckers like me reaching the site and seeing the official tarriff. There is actually a sign saying only official guides are allowed to work there, but maybe my guide is official and they don't enforce the tarriff, or they just don't enforce the rule full stop. It's all only a few quid but it does grate a little, and as I said before (I think) nowhere else I've ever been has felt as chiselling and manipulative as India. In this case, at least, I had absolutely no way to know what a fair/official price was (even if it says, my guide book speaks of 2010 as the future, so simply can't be trusted on prices) so I don't blame myself. (Allowing myself to be compelled to buy that elephant was a touch weak, but I did at least not agree to pay ten quid for something. In hindsight, having extemporised to this extent at the second shop yesterday, I should have expressed reluctant interest in a massively expensive article like an inlaid table but said I'd have to think about it and/or show the photo - a good touch of fake interest, that, I though - to my girlfriend that night to see what she thought. It's still a bit weak, but it costs nothing except time and while you can spin it as weak, it's also a low stress low risk (not that I seriously think it would ever turn nasty, but still) of dealing with the situation.)

While I'm waffling, lest I not be inclined to write more later, the itinerary today was (I dredged guide book up on netbook to spell these correctly):
- Fathehpur Sikri
- Akbar's mausoleum at Sikandra (tuktuk driver kept having to ask for directions and eventually picked up a woman who presumably said she knew the way, the road he intended to take allegedly being blocked - however, I see no profit in him lying about this, so probably true)
- Jama Masjid ('free', except for a 'voluntary' donation, the sheet with the donations on revealed a surprisingly generous collection of tourists, frequently giving 1000 or 1500 rupees; I *despite knowing this is also a psychological ploy* allowed myself to be guilted up to 200 from the 100 I had intended to give, then the guy showing me round asked me for 100 for himself, fortunately I was evidently a bit confused and he took it for reluctance so went down to 50, which I gave him, then I had to tip - another 50, although that was pot luck coming out of my 'small notes' pocket - the guy who'd guarded my shoes)

Getting to FS took as per my incomplete note earlier in this entry about 1h20. I am pretty sure, both by glancing at watch and my impressions, that the vast bulk of the journey time was in fact getting across Agra. The traffic was intense - at one point a level crossing was closed, when the train had gone there was a chaotic scramble of traffic which had built up, also at many points later in the day it was the same or worse. Once we got out on the main road outside town progress was pretty rapid, although driver (with a somewhat belated 'OK?' to me - I didn't really mind though) - gave a free lift to a woman and kid part of the way, though they sat up front with him despite me moving off to one side in the back to make room.

(On the way back he did ask me if I 'liked Indian ladies' as he passed some - but he didn't give them a lift, not sure if they wanted one or I put him off somehow. I didn't seriously think he was proposing anything dodgy, but unsure what level of levity might be culturally appropriate even had this just been a slightly blokey conversation opener (he's probably fiftyish, or at least looks it), I invented a girlfriend of just a couple of month's standing (ie still within the obvious infatuation phase, not the potential 'bloom has gone' 10 years in phase) on the spot. Anyway, he said the ladies didn't pay with money, just with a smile. Presumably not in general, maybe in those cases where they get a lift when someone else is paying. Dunno.

Having been a bit chilly yesterday evening and also not sure what FS would be like (I half envisioned some under-developed ruins, a bit like the non-central zones at Sukhothai) I took the daypack with me with some water and my jacket. I should have worn the jacket on the way out, as although the day was pleasantly warm there's a fair breeze in the largely open tuktuk at 30km/h or whatever it was doing. I didn't like to risk opening my bag while we were moving, so I put up with it - wasn't that bad. But I did wear the jacket for the 'open road' bit of the return journey.

When got back to hotel checked checkout time and bag storage at reception as already said and got a new (but virtually empty) toilet roll and chap at desk chatted with me. Asked me how the driver had been. I said he was good, I perhaps should have mentioned about him taking me to obviously-commission shops, but I doubt the hotel would care and/or they probably know and/or they may even get their cut of the take anyway. Anyway, chap said there was no need for a guide at any monument in India as they always have signs up (which is largely true, even if I felt Red Fort was a bit lacking in them) - I didn't mention driver had 'suggested' a guide (on same grounds as didn't mention commission shops). It was true though; had the driver taken me up to the proper entrance (or I could have walked it, really) and had I managed to fob off any wandering guides, I could easily have seen myself round FS. To be scrupulously fair, while I felt a touch harried and also was continually wondering/worrying about if he'd try to sting me for an enormous tip or whatever and he wasn't good value, the guide did seem moderately well informed and it was sort of nice to have him explaining stuff.

It wasn't the first time I've thought it, but really *if* (and it seems hard) I could go to a travel agency and join a small tour group (eg as I did at Doi Suthep) with a minibus and a shared guide, that would be way better. Apart from amortising the cost over more people, the loss of personal attention is hardly huge and the upside of being with a larger group when being pushed for tips and/or shown crap by vendors would be enormous. I could hang back while the eager spenders spend, and if no one is interested it's less pressured in a big group. I will see if I can do that in future, but the way it seems to work it's easy to fall into being handled individually. Also, you can hardly insist on a minimum group size, so you might book a cheap tour expecting a group and then it turns out just to be you. I dunno. Have to see how it goes.

0042 Finally going to bed. Quiet if slightly enjoyable but unproductive night in. Really didn't want to pack etc, as if it's some huge tedious job. Wifi down most of the night, yay, still down now. So I haven't been able to mark the Jaipur hotel as an offline starred thing in Google Maps. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. I suppose the wifi at Stwhatsit is available, and I'm bound to go there for breakfast and/or lunch.

Torn as to whether I should go into the Taj Mahal again tomorrow. Rather inclining not to - it would be a bit depressing to feel I'm desperately trying to see it as much as possible, just because I'm waiting around here for my train. On the other hand can/do I want to really sit around in a Swhatsit drinking coffee all day? I don't think going for a walk is feasible here, if what the guide book says about being pestered by cycle rickshaw drivers is true, and my experience walking just to ATM/Taj gate is not quite that bad but highly suggestive it's not too far wrong. Guess I'll see how I feel tomorrow, but whatever am leaning not to going into Taj, I will *probably* be back here again at some point and I certainly *can* come back if I really want to, so better not to turn seeing it as much as possible into some massive deal.

Anyway, bed.