Day 302: Dhaulpur-Agra

The remaining distance to Agra was short and I reached the city before nine, had a lot of time to check hotels and settle in. The prices they want to charge are easily four times higher to what I got accustomed to the past days. I settled not for the cheapest, but for the one I thought I get most for the money.
After relaxing into the late afternoon I went to seeone of these world wonders, the Taj Mahal. It's just a mausoleum with a very gruesome legend, but I was very curious to see the original whose pictures always had been looking very appealing to me.
I was a bit shocked that foreigners pay 37.5 times the  price for an entry. Should I negotiate the other goods at the same rate? And then there is a special foreigner-route to walk (which I ignored)
The first view you get when you enter the north gate is the postcard one. While walking through the park between the gate and the main building I began to appreciate the dimensions of this monument. When looking closer I found familiar details, I discovered in Abu Dhabi last May.
The tomb chamber was very dark and a security guy would blow his whistle all the time if somebody was slightly out of line. It was forbidden to take pictures and obviously people tried, because the did not read the sign or because whatever. Other people would test the echo of the room or shout for a friend or family member. For a mausoleum the noise-level and ambiance seemed very inappropriate to me and I rushed through. The two buildings in red sandstone east and west of the white mausoleum where more peaceful and attracted me more, they offer nice details and interesting room-perspectives themselves. Sitting in front of them one could admire the center piece of the construction.
And for the first time since I left Mumbai I saw other tourists and even foreign tourists!
After a long tour in and around the Taj Mahal, I walked through the maze of shops selling handcrafted goods, the Kaserat Bazaar. They have some really nice statues and other objects made of different marble types, but I would not know what to do with the stuff once bought. I like looking at it, as long as it does not gather dust in my place.
And finally I look forward to an entire day of rest, the first after two weeks. Sleeping off and explore some other spots of the city is a most welcome change to cycling in the heat.