Agra – Delhi (By train)
The following morning, it was ‘take two’, and we were at the gate of
the Taj Mahal by 5h50, only to find a long line of tourists already
waiting. The entrance fee was (not surprisingly) steep, but I guessed
after all the hype, effort and long queues, no one would turn around
due to a hefty entrance fee. Once inside, the monument was as
remarkable as the brochures indicated. Constructed of white marble
with delicately inlaid semi-precious stone patterns, the monument
was worth the entrance fee. Afterwards, we rushed to the hotel, had
breakfast, and then jumped on a tuk-tuk to the station to catch the
10h30 train to Delhi.
Once in Delhi, there remained quite a bit to do, including picking up
my new reading glasses. I decided to make the most of this
unfortunate situation by visiting South Africa. It wasn’t only my
mother’s 80th birthday but I also wanted to escape the stressful
cycling partnership I found myself in. It was a collaboration I found
emotionally exhausting. It wasn’t doing any of us any good except
the financial support Ernest benefited from.
My plan was to take the train to Mumbai and fly from there to South
Africa as there was a substantial price difference when flying from
Mumbai. However, carrying a bicycle and four panniers wasn’t easy,
considering I was only using one arm. I also wanted to find a hospital
and see if they had any treatment for the shoulder. A friendly man
drove me to a nearby hospital and guided me through the
procedures. Once again, the visit involved being shuffled from office
to office, with papers signed at each stop. Eventually, a staff member
appeared and strapped the shoulder but half-killed me as they tried
pushing the dislocated shoulder to where it belonged. At least the
consultation was free of charge. I was on my way with a prescription
for painkillers and calcium but felt even less mobile than earlier.