Agra, India

Whit and I partially escaped the Delhi pollution by catching an early morning train to Agra. The Taj Mahal is Agra's main tourist attraction. We woke up at dawn to beat the crowds and watch the sunrise. However, a pollution/early-morning-mist combo forced us change our plans and we instead had breakfast at a bustling and dirty street market. We were the only westerners in sight and our cheap and tasty breakfast included the best chai teas we've ever had.

We checked out the Taj Mahal at mid-morning and were stunned by its size and beauty. We had to fight crowds of people for prime photo spots but it was all worth it for the snaps we got. As we are westerners, our tickets cost far more than indian tourists' tickets ($20 vs 80cents) and we were considered  'high value ticket holders'. Being highrollers, we were entitled to skip huge lines extending around the Taj's perimeter and head directly inside. The Taj's exterior is currently being cleaned and in one of the pictures below you can clearly see the difference the cleaning makes. With one World Wonder ticked off our list, we head to Varanasi next to the Ganges to the mecca of culture shocks.Read more