I share my experiences travelling in Agra - home of the Taj Mahal.

Contrary to popular belief, the trains in India are actually quite pleasant. They aren’t so crowded that people are relegated to sitting on the roof, and while they take a distinctly Indian approach to timekeeping you can get almost anywhere in the country through its sprawling railway network. I did spend one journey crammed between passengers atop a luggage rack in general class, but that’s a story for another time. Our first train journey in India was a quick three hours from Delhi to Agra. We travelled second class, which gets you amenities like AC, plug sockets, and seats that fold down into beds. Most second class journeys will cost you around £20, which is a bargain when compared to UK rail fares.

Despite its rural appearances, Agra is still a bustling place. Our first tuk tuk ride from the station saw us weaving in and out of honking traffic, our driver slamming on the breaks as he almost rear-ended a strolling cow.

I blog about our arrival into India and the first few days we exploring its vast capital city.

Delhi, for all its beauty and vivacity, does not make the best first impression. We exited Indira Gandhi airport to a wall of late-night humidity and stuffed our backpacks and bodies into a tiny white cab. The ride was uncomfortable in more ways than one. Packs of wild dogs roamed the streets while dozens of Delhi’s homeless slept in the dirt outside compounds with huge concrete walls and golden gates. In what would be a common theme, our driver didn’t know the way to our hostel and asked me for directions at every turn, ignoring Clara’s attempts at conversation as we drove deeper into what felt like the wrong part of the city. Eventually he stopped to ask a guard for directions. We’d been forewarned about taxi scams, and sitting there lost at 2am was a less welcoming arrival into India than we’d hoped for.