love and money

Agra is famous for the Taj Mahal, and infamous for its vendors, touting every knick-knack known to man. They also do beautiful inlay marble work, in designs native to here or imported from Italy.

I'm in the middle of the city and a camel just walked down the street - yesterday they were a novelty to me, today they are old news. I've become fascinated by the creative forms of transportation here: today I counted walking, two-wheeled cart pulled by ox, buffalo, camel, horse or person, bicycle rickshaw, auto rickshaw, bicycle - with or without three other people on it with you and all their luggage, motorcycle - with or without family of four including mother riding sidesaddle in sari, bus, car, three-wheeled truck, elephant. I tried to take a picture of what was happening on the road today and realized there's really no way to capture the speed and craziness of getting around. The eye just catches so much more than the camera.

Driving on the bus from Jaipur to Agra was an experience. Whole families work together on the side of the road, making bricks, farming. In the villages, it is clear that people don't have enough work - sitting around, passing time, playing cricket.