Train Travel
Just to have a brush with Indian train, I decided to travel by train to Agra. I started off early in the morning and reached Agra after nearly three hours by Taj express train. As advised by my travel agent , I got down at Agra cantt Railway station. I landed my first step on the platform, with caution and excitement. I found the station too crowded, bustling with the cries of hawkers selling various items. The cacophony of train whistles and human cries , rendered me totally clueless. On asking for help from a person, he ushered me to the forecourt of the platform. There were large number of auto-rickshaws, taxis waiting in the forecourt.

Agra Overview
I boarded a taxi and asked the taxi-driver to take me to Taj. As, we started, the scenes which flashed before my eyes were quite disturbing. The roads in Agra are shabby and narrow, city looks dingy and the air is filled with dust. The traffic pollution is appalling.
Most of Agra is on the west bank of the River Yamuna , with fort at its nucleus.

On the west of the city there are the labyrinthine bazaars of the Jami Masjid district, to the southeast is the enclave of Taj Ganj, directly south of the Taj . While passing through Sadar bazaar, taxi-driver said, "This is the place where most of the mid and upper range hotels lie."

Puzzled out
As soon we reached Taj, I was thunderstruck by the sheer majesty of Taj. All my picture-postcard memories were sent rolling into the air. To put in words Taj is like a lotus in the mud. It effortlessly transcends all the frippery and commercialism that surrounds it . It is bound to have a fresh and immediate impact on all who see it.