We went to see the Taj Mahal yesterday getting up at 6am to be there for sunrise, only to find out that the ticket office we planned to get our tickets from at the eastern gate had moved 1km down the road, so we arrived about 15 mins after sunrise but it was still good. The shere size of the thing is amazing! And so much marble, all polished, carved and inlaid with precious stones. We took many pictures (some of which you can see on Eri's blog entry as well as mine).
I am almost recovered from my illness now and the antibiotics seem to have done the trick. We also recovered from our biggest crisis of the trip so far when our all-in-one mains/USB charger decided not to work anymore! Having thought that there was no way that we could get it repaired in Agra; we did! We also found another plug doing the same thing for 150 INR. Therefore I was much displeased when the guy who mended our original wanted to charge us 450 INR!!! Initially his son had said it would be about 200 INR and at the time I said that we could discuss the matter if it was fixed. After some discussion with his father I settled at paying 150 INR.
I think we are getting quite good at this bartering business now (even though I probably am not lol). When I get qouted a price that sounds too high (which with experience we usually are) I usually show a look of shock on my face, and offer something around 30% of that price. Thats obviously too low and their turn to look shocked, and we end up somewhere in between 75% to 60% of the initial price. I will then usually offer 35/40% and see what happens..Hopefully ending up around the 50% mark. If we are bargaining for a rickshaw journey it is much too our advantage, because many drivers want to take us and I can offer our custom to the lowest price. Its all part of the fun, but sometimes (as in the multi charger case) it is annoying that such a high price is being asked. Even the guy who sold me the new one and his pharmacist son laughed and said the price was extortionate!!!
Anyway, we are off to Delhi on the train tomorrow morning (Mon) so that we can attend the wedding on Tuesday. We then leave Delhi on Wed evening heading to Varanasi. We will stop there for 2 days max, before heading off into Nepal. We are both looking forward to seeing Nepal. We both want to see the Himalayas and a little break from India will do us good.
I am almost recovered from my illness now and the antibiotics seem to have done the trick. We also recovered from our biggest crisis of the trip so far when our all-in-one mains/USB charger decided not to work anymore! Having thought that there was no way that we could get it repaired in Agra; we did! We also found another plug doing the same thing for 150 INR. Therefore I was much displeased when the guy who mended our original wanted to charge us 450 INR!!! Initially his son had said it would be about 200 INR and at the time I said that we could discuss the matter if it was fixed. After some discussion with his father I settled at paying 150 INR.
I think we are getting quite good at this bartering business now (even though I probably am not lol). When I get qouted a price that sounds too high (which with experience we usually are) I usually show a look of shock on my face, and offer something around 30% of that price. Thats obviously too low and their turn to look shocked, and we end up somewhere in between 75% to 60% of the initial price. I will then usually offer 35/40% and see what happens..Hopefully ending up around the 50% mark. If we are bargaining for a rickshaw journey it is much too our advantage, because many drivers want to take us and I can offer our custom to the lowest price. Its all part of the fun, but sometimes (as in the multi charger case) it is annoying that such a high price is being asked. Even the guy who sold me the new one and his pharmacist son laughed and said the price was extortionate!!!
Anyway, we are off to Delhi on the train tomorrow morning (Mon) so that we can attend the wedding on Tuesday. We then leave Delhi on Wed evening heading to Varanasi. We will stop there for 2 days max, before heading off into Nepal. We are both looking forward to seeing Nepal. We both want to see the Himalayas and a little break from India will do us good.
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