The day was off to a rough start – we got a few hours of sleep on the plane. But then we hit a delay and arrived about 30 minutes late. As luck would have it, our airport shuttle also wasn’t there to greet us. I had emailed the hotel a few days before confirming that the hotel shuttle would be there to pick us up – and gave them our flight number.

We followed their directions and looked around the pick up area – no one was there! We were practically zombies hiking up and down the pick up area they mentioned – but there was no one there from the Radisson. (So if you’re heading to Delhi – I can tell you that the Holiday Inn driver was there and was super helpful!)

After asking around we finally had to call – which meant we had to use our international calling (which was even more annoying!). They said they were two minutes away – and that they would come in to greet us.

Seven minutes had gone by and no one was there. I finally poked my head outside into the smoky air (Delhi has some of the worst air quality in the world) and there they were! Of course they had forgotten to come in to get us… Thankfully, I had sent the tour operator a message and they confirmed they were able to come a little bit late to pick us up – which bought us more time.

You can see the smoke in the air. Some of the worst air quality in the world.

I was frustrated because this was the only leg of the trip where we didn’t have flexibility with our timetable.

It all ended up working out – and I slept for a little bit in the car. From our hotel – to Agra it is a little over 3 hours to get there. Our guide is a local guide from Agra – this was his community and you could sense his pride when discussing the Taj Mahal.

(One of the gates to get into the Taj Mahal).

(First full view of it! The flowers on the walls are not painted – they are actual precious/semi precious stones in the marble).

(Wow – there it is!)

The Taj Mahal is so much more beautiful in person then you can ever imagine. The white marble changes in the sunlight and with the cloud cover. It took 20,000 workers over 20 years to build this mausoleum.

It is our fourth Wonder of the Modern World – and it might be our favorite (so far!).

You can read more about the history here if you aren’t familiar. Air pollution from nearby factories and automobiles pose a continual threat to the mausoleum’s gleaming white marble façade – our guide told us that many factories had since moved out of the area. These efforts were made to protect the Taj Mahal for others to enjoy.

We weren’t able to take pictures inside of it – so all of our shots were outdoors. However, we could walk in and see more of the beautiful craftsmanship.

The tour also included a visit to the Baby Taj Mahal (which was actually built two years before the Taj Mahal!) and Agra Fort. It made for a very long day – three hours driving to there – and then spending a good chunk of the day. Due to some protests in Delhi – traffic was really bad getting back in to town. I think it actually took us 4.5 hours to get back to our hotel.

(Baby Taj Mahal – and some of its detailing).

We were completely wiped – but we had an amazing day visit another Wonder of the World!

Have you been to any Wonders of the World? Which one has been your favorite? Or which one are you dying to visit?