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AGRA
Friends had warned me that Agra was a nasty, dirty old city. They'd told me the only thing I'd want to see was the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi Hotel. They were pretty much right. Agra is a medieval city that sits on the banks of the Yamuna River with a population of about 1.7 million. It's in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is one of India's 28 states and seven union territories. Delhi, by the way, is in the National Capital Region (NCR), a union territory.

STATION TO TAJ
When the train pulled into Agra Cantt (the main railway station) I made a bee-line for the exit trying to shake off all the beggars and street hawkers. Of course, I went to the closest exit, which was the wrong one. I should have exited through the center doors. I eventually made my way there, where the driver and tour operator were waiting for me with a placard with my name. We picked up the guide and dropped the tour operator off on our way to the Taj.

AGRA GUIDE
Our guide's name was Warren and he looked like Ponch from the '80s TV show CHiPs. Maybe it was the '70s sunglasses and the slightly feathered hair. He was cool like Ponch too, but much more mellow. He was soft spoken, well educated and didn't have much patience for my A.D.D; I rattled off five questions before he could completely answer one.

ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
From the train station to the Taj is only 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles). Fossil-fuel vehicles aren't allowed to pull right up to the entrance to the Taj, so visitors need to be dropped off at a parking lot about 500 meters (546 yards) away. That's because the Taj has been suffering from the effects of atmospheric pollution. The white marble is getting discolored and the fine carvings and inlays are eroding.

GETTING TO THE ENTRANCE
Visitors can either walk or pay for a ride on a horse-drawn cart or in a battery-driven tuk tuk. Natalie and I did the latter and I'm not sure what it cost but I read that they overcharge tourists so it was good to have a guide with us. I bet Warren didn't pay more than $1 for the loud, exciting four-minute ride. The Taj has three points of entry and we went through the east gate, which is known for being the least crowded.

TAJ FEE
The fee to get in is 750INR ($15USD) per person. Children 15 and under get in for free (in all the city's attractions). Indians, by the way, pay a fraction of what tourists pay. Because I pre-arranged the trip with India Safaris, I didn't have to deal with purchasing tickets or haggling – our guide did it all. He also kept us away from most of the street hawkers so it was almost like having a bodyguard. FYI: The guide, for the whole day, cost 1,000INR ($20USD), and it was another 3,500INR ($72USD) for all the entrance fees, which included the surrounding area's major attractions: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Itmad-ud-daula.

NO FOOD, NO BOOKS ...
A ticket to the Taj Mahal is good for only one entry so if you want to see the sunrise (it's foggy in the morning this time of year) and the sunset in the same day, you'll have to buy two tickets. I doubt you'd be able to hang out there all day because there are very strict rules about what's allowed in and what's not: no food, books, makeup, tripods ... In fact, I couldn't even bring the four-inch stuffed animal that I take pictures of around the world, for a middle school class in California, inside the gates.

SECURITY CHECKPOINT
Admission price comes with a regular size bottle of water and a disposable pair of shoe covers (you'll see why later). If you don't have a driver and car to leave your banned belongings with, there's a checkroom. Everyone must go through a security checkpoint (one for women and one for men) and then it's a long stroll down a wide sidewalk around the fortress-like wall.

GETTING CLOSE
The Taj is still off in the distance but as you start to see the ornate minarets against the blue sky coming into view, it's bound to get your blood pumping and you'll feel a wide smile creep onto your face. Once we reached the main entrance, Warren showed us a line in the sidewalk, which actually lines up both the entrance of the main gate and the entrance of the Taj Mahal perfectly, even though they are a good hundred meters apart.

MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE
Obviously, I knew the Mughal architecture was incredible but I had no idea it was so detailed. I couldn't wait any longer so I flipped the switch on my video camera and began slowly walking away from Warren's history lesson. As you will see from the video below, the entrance, somewhat shrouded by the morning fog, made for a spectacular first sight of this magnificent structure. Seriously, it was surreal. And if there hadn't been anyone around to distract me, I probably would have cried like a baby.



FIRST SIGHT OF THE TAJ MAHAL
Sometimes, things that get too much hype can be a let down when you finally see them because they can't possibly live up to expectation. But the Taj Mahal most definitely did not disappoint. This place is truly a masterpiece. The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build by an army of 20,000 men and 1,000 elephants. You might have heard that the workers were later mutilated to prevent them from duplicating their work elsewhere but Warren said that's just a tall tale.

MAUSOLEUM
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum and Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as a memorial for his beloved second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. In 1631, she died giving birth to their 14th child. Supposedly, shortly after the Taj was finished, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son and imprisoned in Agra Fort for the rest of his life (nice son, eh?). But when he died in 1666, Shah Jahan was buried alongside his adored wife.

MINARETS
What's amazing about this incredible structure is that all four sides of the Taj Mahal are completely symmetrical. If it weren't for the landscape, you wouldn't be able to tell which side is the front. In my opinion, the 40-meter high white minarets on each corner of the platform, are what make the Taj look so spectacular. They were built just for decorative purposes and lean slightly outwards so that in the event of an earthquake, they would fall away.

THE TAJ PROPERTY
In the front of the Taj are the gardens and ornamental fountains, which is where most people drop to one knee for an awesome photo op. On both sides are red sandstone buildings. One is a mosque to the west and an identical building to the east, built only for symmetry and probably used as a hotel for travelers. Behind the Taj is the Yamuna River. That might have been my only disappointment because in some advertisements, the water is airbrushed so it looks crystal blue and there are camels and colorful masters walking nearby. But in truth, the water was brown and murky and there were no signs of any camels, just a ton of India's sacred cows.

NO PHOTOS OR SHOES INSIDE
To get to the main structure, it's a long walk ... so is the bathroom! Photos aren't allowed inside the enormous marble arches and neither are shoes. You can either leave them in a designated area or put on the slipcovers, which are included with your entrance fee. I think the latter is a wiser choice so no one steals your shoes, leaving you to walk home barefoot.

INSIDE THE TOMB
The Taj Mahal was designated a World Heritage site in 1983 and it supposedly looks as incredible today as when it was first constructed, though it underwent a huge restoration project in 1908. Below the main dome is an elaborate fake tomb of Mumtaz Mahal (the real tombs are below in a locked basement and cannot be viewed). The most impressive feature inside is the exquisite pietre dure (marble inlay work), which is made with thousands of semiprecious stones from 43 different types. Your jaw will drop when the guide puts a mini flashlight over the stones and illuminates them. The effect is brilliant.

FULL MOON VIEWINGS
We walked around the Taj twice, once on the upper platform and once on the lower. The whole time, I was shaking my head in disbelief. I would have loved to go back at sunset or for an exclusive full moon viewing. They take place for five nights on either side of each full moon (except on a Friday) and they only allow a maximum of 400 visitors -- 50 people at a time for 30 minutes between 8:30pm and 12:30am. Tickets (Indian/Foreigner Rs 510/750) must be bought at least 24 hours in advance only from the Archaeological Survey of India Office (2227263). Visiting hours of the Taj Mahal are from 6am to 7pm and it's closed on Fridays. Tour groups don't generally begin arriving until 9am. For current information and full moon dates, log on to the Uttar Pradesh tourism website.



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