Delhi/Agra--Feb. 18 part 1

Up at 4:45am this morning to the tune I can best describe as a cross between Donkey Kong Country and the star power up music from Mario Kart.
6:15am trains suck, way too early, the sun has the good sense to still be asleep oh why can I not? That was a rhetorical question as I bitter however glad to be awake and heading to Agra.
Note to self, remember to lock bathroom doors. I think I gave a small boy quite a fright when he opened the train bathroom door to find me. I had thought that I had locked it however the lock I used can be undone from both sides--always use padlocks.
As luck would have it Friday the 18th is a holiday and as such the Taj Mahal is closed except for Muslim prayers which unless I find the proper head ware I doubt I can convince the guards I am going to pray; so no going inside and looking around the Taj Mahal. Before i can get to sightseeing I must meet with Mr. Bansal and look through his stock. He gives me a tour of his carpet washing area first as I was explaining my curiosity on that aspect of production.
The place is smaller then I expect and does not take long to go around and see each stage from washing to the finishing of the carpets which takes around 8-10 days. Mr. Bansal is a nice enough man who has been in the business for 32 years and seen the good times and the bad, I do get the impression that he is rather tired of it all though and moving towards other things. I am shown through his stock by his younger brother. once again I end up spending more time then I think necessary which cuts into my exploring time however in the end I do find some hard to find sizes. Mr. Bansal is also kind enough to lend me his driver to tour me around Agra and set aside my selections until Angus comes March 5th. Making for a successful carpet shopping day, albeit exhausting as I do not even leave his warehouse until almost 4. There had been a second supplier that I was going to visit on this trip and originally was going to spend the night however they were not in town so my time in Agra was cut short. Given that by the time I leave Bansal's carpets I am basically running on coffee and tea it is probably for the best my time was quickly coming to an end.
I decided to have my third beer in India while I sat atop a hotel looking upon the Taj Mahal. Such an amazing day outside that I spent far too much of it indoors looking at carpets. Rooftop cafes in the sunshine are always welcome additions to any day: especially today. A long day with an awesomely picturesque late afternoon sun. Sadly my hopes for a rooftop pint are dashed as I do not want to drink alone and the driver with me cannot drink while on the job; or so I thought at the last moment when I was about to leave a quart of kingfisher lager appeared. Ahh. Rooftops, sunshine, conversation, and beer are always a good idea--add in the back drop of the Tah Mahal--amazing. The 650ml beer may have gone to my head a little bit bring on the Agra Fort.