{"id":3709,"date":"2020-02-09T08:06:20","date_gmt":"2020-02-09T08:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.samsonandsuzi.com\/?p=3709"},"modified":"2021-02-22T19:09:50","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T19:09:50","slug":"our-second-wonder-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samsonandsuzi.com\/?p=3709","title":{"rendered":"Our Second Wonder of the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Saturday morning, up early, train to catch, you know \u2013 the one that took 2 hours to get a ticket for! Tuktuk to the station, ignoring the hassle from porters, went to go through a luggage scanner , \u201cwhere\u2019s your tickets please?\u201d David looks at me, I look at him. Don\u2019t you have it? No, don\u2019t you? So backtracking to 24 hours ago, I do remember putting the printed ticket \u201csafely” inside a zipped pocket so we search two rucksacks, in plain sight of 20 people queueing behind us, no ticket. FFS, (David mutters) I\u2019m gonna have to empty the suitcases to find it\u2026..10 minutes later, still no ticket, we learn that our train has been delayed by 6 hours anyway! The security man recommends a travel agency not so far away, it\u2019s the only one open as today is a bank holiday, and he chucks us into another tuktuk, telling us to buy a ticket for the next train out, in 2 hours, maybe\u2026. we just about manage to wedge 2 big suitcases, 2 rucksacks and 2 bodies into a tuktuk, my legs are hanging out the side, and off we go.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the Official Government Travel Agency is blessed with a friendly man called Iffy ?. After listening to David bemoaning his secretary whilst trying to rifle through the suitcase again , spilling toiletries all over the office floor, Iffy offers us a cup of coffee, bottle of water and a seat and says \u201clet me help you.\u201d
Two hours later, after confirming that he cannot reprint our tickets (office closed) and the day\u2019s next 4 trains are full, and we are MAD to try to \u201cwing it” with our travel bookings, we plot out an itinerary with him that involves hiring a driver and guides in Rajasthan (the busiest and most complicated area) then trains and flights down the west coast, we pay him and are bundled into a car with Raj and begin our 3 hour journey to Agra.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David struggled with this plan but it proved that we are wet behind the ears simple tourists in a manic foreign country who know nothing, yet! Iffy is convinced that after 6 weeks with Raj we will be much wiser, ha ha ha\u2026\u2026.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Short roadside break to watch goats and herons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our planned itinerary is for 12 weeks where we end up in Goa in time to meet with some friends Carol and Steve, who we met in Jamaica a few years ago! It was our original plan to head south to Goa and Iffy gently suggested a few more stops en route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n