Next I flew to New Delhi, then took a 6am train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I think this was my first rainless day! As nice as it was to not be rained on, I wasn’t prepared for the heat. It was really hot and I didn’t have the right clothes (I was advised to dress modestly and be prepared for cold weather.) My plan was to spend the day in Agra, then take the overnight train to Varanasi on the Ganges for my last day in India.
The Taj Mahal (and Agra Fort) were beautiful, but by 3pm I was pretty hot and exhausted and I still had 8 hours until my train for Varanasi left. Thank goodness for the Lonely Planet guide book that listed a 5-star hotel that will let non-guests use the pool for a mere 500 rupees (a little over 10 bucks). Due to another little twist of fate I happened to have a swimsuit… Two journalists were with us the day of the earthquake and they weren’t able to get back to their hotel to collect their things and still make their next flight, so they left their belongings at the hotel and gave me the chore of sorting through the stuff. I sent their valuables back to them, donated most of their clothing, and kept a swimsuit. I sent them this picture with an offer to return the suit when I got back to the states:
She wrote me back and said “You must keep the swimsuit!”

































