2039 I was at the Kamal Hotel in Agra. An OK choice, I think it was smart to stay in Taj Ganj given I wanted to be able to go to the Taj around dawn easily without needing any transport. Maybe I missed out on half-decent restaurants (since I didn't want to trek out by tuktuk at night) elsewhere, but Shanti Lodge food was OK and convenience is important.
2112 Doing some laundry, including combats which probably need it. Socks seem dirty, presumably due to all the taking off of shoes.
Tuktuk driver over here did show some awareness by saying he wasn't being too pushy (my word, can't remember exactly what he said) about offering his service as he knew English people didn't like it. He also, when saying about 'pay what you feel' for day hire, said something like 'if I make you happy, you make me happy. If I don't make you happy, you don't pay, you kick me' (and made a kick gesture out the side of the tuktuk). While being in India inevitably provokes a bit of Kipling recollection (though oddly for me mainly Stalky & Co, the monkey temple scene in Jungle Book and the "India's sunny clime" line out of Gunga Din), especially looking at stuff from the train today I'm getting an Orwell Burmese Days vibe. I do wonder if the driver is deliberately invoking a colonial era mentality with his words, or if this is something he would say anyway, or if maybe I'm just reading too much into his choice of words.
2125 While I may have acclimatised a little, I think the weather here is way cooler and possibly less humid than Thailand. Quite apart from the fact it actually gets cool at night, I remember having to change my clothes twice a day because I was just sweating so much when I first arrived in Bangkok. It's not unpleasant walking around during the day here. I suppose time has also moved on and we're a month or two further into winter, which may also contribute.
2155 There is a lot of noise here, on way to room we passed what looked like a cross between a church hall and a gym rammed with people, presumably having some kind of meeting, and that sports hall kind of echo has been going on ever since. There was a bit of a surge just recently. It's OK, the place is cheap, I could probably sleep through it anyway and I don't expect it to carry on all night either.
0020 Been uploading some photos. Wifi works fairly well.
No hot water in shower. They told me both at checkin and also one of the guys who came up to my room told me that the hot tap was the left one. I tried both, let it run for a while, nope. To be scrupulously fair the left tap did seem to cause the emission of water which had the chill taken off it, but calling it lukewarm would be a stretch. Not the end of the world but still.
A certain one-or-two-people-talking-at-normal-volume-in-a-sports-hall rumble still audible but much quieter than it was.
0059 The room is not really in bad shape, but the walls have quite a lot of dirty marks on them. The ceiling however is absolutely beautiful and white, no dust, nothing, even around the elegant boss on the ceiling fan.
0117 Finally, to bed.
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