Delhi to Agra. One Day Getaway. Under 1000 Rupees! IS IT POSSIBLE?

Four friends, sitting in the college canteen on a sunny afternoon, what does it lead to? A road trip? Well, not exactly!

This is the tale of the time when 500 and 1000-rupee notes were still valid in India. We and our two other friends had just about 1000 bucks each and we were desperately in need of a getaway. But a thousand bucks doesn't lead you to a lot of places; or does it? Agra, it was mis amigos! And we pulled this whole trip off in this budget. Seems impossible? or difficult maybe? Let us show you how we bossed it! 

Not a fast ride. But an enjoyable one for sure!

Part I: The Beginning. 

What do you do when you neither have enough money nor a proper reservation but a desire to travel? You cancel the plan? That's a rookie thing to do. Next time, don't cancel the plan instead take the General bogie ticket for a mere 90 bucks from Delhi to Agra from the railway counter and let the journey begin. Coz when you got to go, you got to go! We entered the general bogie and it was like the entire nation in a single coach, yes it was crowded but we meant that there were all sorts of people travelling with us. We met one guy who was a Dubai return, one Sardarji whose smile could've made you forget that life is hard. Finally, after whining and laughing, we made it to Agra in 3.5 hours and yes in 90 bucks!

Part II: All About Agra.

Let's brush up the prerequisites for going on a trip; book the tickets, plan an itinerary, pre-book a hotel, well really? We think we missed the third step. But, there's always a way. So, we got down at Agra early morning around 4 AM and we sat at the first restaurant that came our way to have some tea and a little food. One guy who was already sitting there was having his food and heard us talk. It so happened that, he was a rickshaw-puller. Generosity was, he offered us to have some of his food and told us that he'll take us to some economical hotels i.e. a room under 1000 bucks for the FOUR of us. For the next two hours we looked for hotels which wouldn't burn a hole in our pockets. We finally found one; one room, 800INR, for the four of us. Near the Idgah Bus Stand.

One mirror and three people need to get ready altogether. 

We checked into our room and slept for a couple of hours and at 9'o clock in the morning, we left to experience the magnificent Taj Mahal, in a shared auto!

As one could've imagined, the Taj Mahal was splendid and as astonished we were by the beauty of Taj, we were equally hungry.

Waah Taj!

So, we had some chicken biryani from the local vendor, then some soft drinks as it was hot. Also, when around Taj, don't forget to indulge your taste buds with the local Kulhad Lassi, filled with Roohafza from the nearby shops, it’s a must have!

Now next stop, Fatehpur Sikri. We took a local bus till there and as soon as we arrived, we were approached by many local guides. Despite being on a constrained budget, we decided to hire one as we all were enthusiastic to know about the glorified past of Fatehpur Sikri. We paid him 120 bucks for his services.

The guide explaning us the history of the Sikri.

After spending the evening, exploring the beautiful palaces of Sikri, and listening to the melodious qawwali near the tomb of Salim Chishti, we headed back to Agra. We got late, and we realized that the last local bus to Agra had already left, so we took a shared taxi for 35 bucks each and it dropped us to Agra. Before heading back to our hotel, we went to Sanjay Place for our dinner. We treated ourselves with the evergreen Pizza Mania of Dominos with a can of Pepsi for completely acing this trip. To wind things up with even more delight, we had the famous Fruit Punch shake for 30 bucks from a shop named Fresh Juice Parlour in Sanjay Place. We were full but still we had two glasses of it. Couldn't resist!

Sunset at Fatehpur Sikri.

Finally, on our way back to the hotel, we sang songs about our friendship in the auto-rickshaw with so many memories already stuck in our minds. You don't always need a car and a good sound system to enjoy the music, sometimes an auto-rickshaw, and four friends singing their hearts out is just enough. 

Part III: Conclusion. 

Next day, we bid our farewell to the place that gave us a thousand memories in just a day. We packed our bags, went to the railway station and took the train back to Delhi. Yes, the good old general coach!

Budget Breakdown(per person)

₹200: Hotel
₹180: Train ticket(90 each side)
₹200: Intra-city travel
₹135: Lunch(Biryani and soft drinks)
₹30: Tour guide
₹60: Fruit Punch shake
₹100: Dinner(Dominos pizza)
₹80-100: Misc. expenses 




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by Anirudh Bhasin and Jatin Chugh.