Agra

Overall the train ride worked well. Muriel and I had taken a night train from Lyon to Bordeaux once and we already knew one can barely sleep on. Sure we lay flat but the shaking makes it almost impossible to fall asleep. Same thing in India!

We arrived on time in Agra, at 6am approximately. The heat was already noticeable and we were tired but we also knew this was the best time to go see the Taj Mahal.
It is indeed a remarkable piece of architecture made of marble. We toured it and pictured it like all the many other tourists; mostly Indian by the way.
And the heat kept going up. By 9am I started to understand that we were going to suffer from the heat. And yes we suffered. This place is like Arizona with humidity as an extra! And there is no AC! By 10:30 we crawled to our hotel, checked in, took a cold shower and simply lay down on the bed under the ceiling fan. Some rooms have AC but the power they need stays off most of the day. Our room has an evap cooler, useless when it's this humid but its powerful fan helps cooling, unless it's powered off like the AC... Only ceiling fans and some lights stay on, thanks to a generator belonging to the hotel.

Then I got sick.
Herr...
Was it the scorching heat? The Ganga revenge? A meal? Or the side effect of our malaria prevention medicine? Or all together??!!
Anyway, my digestive system was not holding anything and I only stayed focused on preventing dehydration.
We still made it to a rooftop restaurant to admire the sunset over the Taj Mahal.

This morning I felt much better. We woke up early to go see Agra Fort. It's another beautiful building, mostly made of red sandstone. Some areas are made of marble with precious stones engraved on it. Amazing art work. A huge falcon kept flying above our heads, quite close sometimes. My stomach was better so I was happy! To the point where I asked my tricycle biker to switch seats on our way back to the hotel! I made it! I drove some Indian traffic by myself! Sure it wasn't Varanassi traffic but still! I was proud.

Herr... Diarrhea came back this afternoon. Just a little bit after I took the malaria medicine! Why do I get the side effect they mention?!
So, now here I am stuck between the ceiling fan and the toilet while Muriel went to visit a palace with some newly met travelers.

I actually recognised them at our hotel's restaurant so we sat and chat together. It was the same Peruvian American couple that I had met in Varanassi! Back there she looked desperate as her husband had lost his temper with the very poor service we were all having. She then had asked me for some help but there was very little I could do since their kitchen was totally overwhelmed by a big group!

Well, they came back earlier from the palace. Too hot. I'm glad I didn't go. My tummy feels better also. Immodium was the answer not Ercefluryl. I didn't get food poisoning, I'm simply adjusting!