All These Colors Tour: India Part 38
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Agra, India
I thought about visiting the Agra Fort on my final day in Agra, but I suffered a wicked case of insomnia the night before, which caused me to sleep in far too late. Instead, I just went out on another random photo mission in the back lanes and streets of the Taj Ganj area. Many photogenically weathered walls, stalls and other buildings beckoned the lens of my camera as I waddled my way down to the nearest East-West main drag. After visiting a moneychanger, I headed down the street as a phalanx of dust-covered buildings absolutely smothered in eyeball-assaulting signs greeted my furrowed face. One old man lured me into his little drink stall, where I spied some Mountain Dew in a trendy-looking skinny can. After a little bit of price haggling, the sugary concoction found its way onto my tastebuds and down into my gut. A bit later, I passed by a fairly large dead animal right on the sidewalk where everyone walks. It looked like it had been dragged there after being hit by a vehicle out in the street. I wondered how long it would stay there rotting away before someone moves it somewhere else?
After about a half mile, I climbed down inside another back lane under a bridge and headed back toward the Hotel Kamal. On the way, the lane became quite crowded as I passed through a bunch of market stalls and shops. Glancing up a steep side lane, I saw a man sitting inside a really colorful diorama featuring a lion and other characters in a Hindu shrine at the top, where recorded music was blasting. As I walked halfway up to get a closer look, a girl appeared and smiled, probably amused that a tourist would take an interest in this humble little scene. The man sitting there beckoned me to come up, but I chickened out and headed back down to the alley. Later, I was kind of bummed I didn’t even get a photo of it. Before I returned to the hotel, I stopped by a little snack shop across the street. A couple of times before, I had hung out with the guy who runs it, and it was nice to just sit and exchange bits of knowledge about each others’ cultures.
Roll over photos for captions.
Words and photos ©2012 Arcane Candy.
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