Outside the Taj Mahal things are less fortunate. The people are living in bad conditions. Hawkers and beggars hassling the tourists. What has gone wrong here? They have one of the seven wonders of the world, and still the people are living in a terrible state. They get so many tourists coming to visit the Taj Mahal, but when the tourists come, they first have to overwhelme by the way of living of the people, and the surroundings. It simply can't be overlooked.

What else did we see in Agra? Well, there were the temples, seriously I forgot their names. Oh yeah, and of course Agra Fort, where Shah Jehan was imprisoned under house arrest. I believe that India has beautiful architecture. It's quite difficult to picture if the people in the older days were as poor as they are today, or things changed since then. With all the magnificent buildings and monuments, I really can't say much. Agra Fort is where the royalties such as Shah Jehan and his predecessors lived. I believe once upon a time it was such a beautiful and breathtaking place.

Fatehpursikri’s architecture is amazing as well. Meant to be a mosque as well as something like a "madrasah" where children and adults learn the Islamic religion and how to read the Quran.

There is a travel centre in the Clarks hotel, that will organise and book taxis for you, to and from the airport, Taj Mahal, the Fort, or Fatephur Sikri. The car we had was modern, and not an Ambassador, with a quiet engine and good suspension. The centre was very helpful when we booked, and the driver spoke English well. The prices were non-negotiable, however, but were reasonable if on the pricey side, and very reliable. It’s a good idea to have a car booked to take you from the airport to the town if you are arriving by air, as it’s a military airport with the odd civilian flight, and there aren’t many taxis there.

The driver we had spoke English well and knew exactly where he was going, but there were some (typical for India) irritations – he picked us up at the agreed time, but 5 minutes later stopped for petrol, and put pressure on us to be taken to handicraft and marble shops, etc. After words with the office, this stopped.

The prices we were quoted were 150 Rs to the airport or back, 500 return to F. Sikri, and 300 Rs return to the Taj. The last of these is very expensive, as it’s a short distance, but the other two aren’t bad.