Traffic in Agra is less congested than the crazy, busy streets of the larger cities, but it still hosts the variety of vehicles seen throughout India. Horses, donkey, cows shared the streets with motor scooters, trucks, and tour buses. Traffic signs are a suggestion. Surprisingly, there aren’t that many (as a percent of vehicles) traffic accidents.
You’re not allowed to wear shoes inside the Taj Mahal buildings area. You’re given a choice. You could leave your shoes at the front and hope they are there when you return (that is what the locals often do), or you pay the small fee for booties. Our booties were included in the cost of our tour, but even if they weren’t, we would have went for the bootie option. Our tour guide assured us that the shoe thieves, depicted in Slumdog Millionaire, are very, very real, and we wouldn’t relish spending the time barefoot. Plus the floors were hot like fire. My feet would have been well done by the end of our exploration.
The entrance fee for Harrison’s Cave is $60 Barbados dollars or around $30 U.S. This is really only the fee for the caves as you can wander the grounds without showing a ticket but lets be honest, the caves are the main attraction. When you buy your ticket, you get assigned a number for the guided tour. There are both easy walking trails down to the lower level (where the entrance to the cave is, and where the tour starts) and elevators. The walking trails have signs with information about vegetation and gullies. At the bottom of the elevators is the Cave Interpretative Centre where your tour will start. There are also trails to hike and a few vendors as you wait for your tour.
