Drive from Delhi to Agra

We made it to Agra! We left at around 1PM and got here a little after
5PM. As we left Delhi, the landscape became distinctly more rural.
Cows were much more rampant, sleeping and grazing along the side of
the road. Boars and stray dogs trotting the streets, people riding
camels down the highway alongside our car, and trained monkeys used
for entertainment completed our wildlife scenery.

The drive was relatively uneventful, but still eye-opening. Anytime we
stopped in traffic, we would be approached by beggars, who tapped on
the windows. Some danced, some pointed to infants in their arms, some
tried to sell us trinkets.

Upon entering Uttar Pradesh, our driver inexplicably pulled over on
the side of the highway and left the car to pay a toll. We were
initially skeptical because other cars zoomed right past us, but we
were somewhat reassured by the fact that the car pulled over in front
of us also contained foreigners. Apparently, this is a toll only for
foreigners and is on the honor system because there was no one to
enforce the toll. This was also where we saw men with trained monkeys
offering to let us take photos of the monkey for a fee. We've gotten
quite good at refusing these entreaties, though the monkeys were cute.
They would sit on the curb and groom each other in their down time.

After this toll, our driver took us to what can only be described as a
rest stop for foreigners. The restrooms had western toilets, and the
food court tried to charge us 90 rupees (~$2) for a can of Coke.
Although this isn't terribly expensive, it was still price-gouging in
a country where you can get a Coke for 20 rupees. We think our driver
earns money for taking us there and probably get a commission on any
items we buy. In any case, we decided not to partake, and drove
onward.

Upon reaching Agra, we had some difficulty locating the home stay, but
our driver pulled through in the end and we reached our destination
safely. We had dinner at Peshawri restaurant in the ITC hotel, despite
our homestay's owners attempts to steer us to another restaurant. Our
dinner at Peshawri was wonderful (chicken tandoori, shahi paneer, a
lamb dish, and excellent nan) and we were able to see the kitchen
chefs preparing nan and other dishes.

Quack

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