A boa, monkeys, and the Taj Mahal

Keoleteo National Park in Bharatpur is a joy on bike. The park also holds the record for the most birds killed in one day by some bloodthirsty English nobleman, bagging around 4200 birds. Birds migrate the the park during the cold northern winters, taking advantage of th 520 species of water plants and rich habitat. Monkeys gawked at us as we rode through the narrow paved trail, we spotted a boa constrictor sunning itself before retreating back into its dark underground den, a jackal who doesn't yet know it is dinner for the boa, ducks that glow like gold in the sun, a turtle lurking in the mossy green lake, antelopes with red horns, owls and baby owlettes (?), a cute pony who kept poking its nose at a man's butt, birds whose bright yellow and blue tails fan out when in flight, and families of wild deer who come here to graze and get a peek at the tourists.

We arrived in Agra today and will be visiting India's most recognizable landmark, the Taj Mahal. Leaving tomorrow night for Varanasi, the holiest city in India. It is Christmas Eve, and 81 degrees fahrenheit. It is weird for me to have a warm Christmas, but not for my fellow travelmates who come from down under (Australia and New Zealand), where Christmas has always been associated with warm weather.

Our tour guide warns us that we will probably get hassled much more in Agra than in the previous cities we've visited. It always saddens me when a young child, barely older than a toddler, comes and holds their empty hands up to me. It is equally sad when this young child grows up to be the one trying to sell me postcards or some trinket on the street while other children dressed in neat woolen uniforms and shiny shoes are going off to school. India is a land full of contradictions.