It’s not every day that you have an opportunity to visit one of the seven wonders of the world…so please pardon the overly “touristy” nature of this post.

Our journey began at four o’clock in the morning. We started out on a four hour drive to Agra, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and home to the beautiful mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.

Along the way, we discovered a McDonald’s. I don’t think any of us wanted to truly eat there, but how could you pass up an Indian McDonald’s? Perhaps there would be a curry veggie burger…we weren’t really sure. The menu was actually rather American. I got the veggie burger. It was better than any veggie burger I’ve had here, because it was legitimately filled with vegetables and some yellow sauce.

I have never been a fan of long drives, much less ones that involve rough brake-filled halts and jolting use of the gas pedal. And even though motion sickness was creeping up on us, myself especially, the drive was enjoyable due to the plenty of sight seeing we experienced. You didn’t have to go far before coming across some large historical monument: mausoleums, forts, palaces. I believe this was the tomb of Akbar the Great.

The Agra Fort, or Red Fort as it is sometimes known.

We began to notice a trend of people dressed in vibrant orange colors as we neared the Taj. It’s beautiful how the saturated warmth of the fabric contrasts with the wonderfully dark skin of this guy.

The entrance to the Taj is approximately five kilometers from the actual building. In an attempt to prevent the rapid decay caused by excess pollution, the Indian Government restricted motor vehicles to from a five kilometer radius. To get to the monument, you could walk, or take a bike taxi, a camel-drawn carriage, or a horse-drawn buggy. We chose the camel for the ride into the area.

I began an annoying habit of calling out to anyone who looked super America…like these guys. They might have been European, but in the end it was just funny to play super tourist. Plus, the eye roll I got every time was priceless.

Behind the camel. In front of the camel.

Poor camel.

No, really. That sucks.

I never got the name of the religious occasion that brought out these people dressed in bright orange, but it was amazing. It was probably the closest thing we got to an Indian festival while we were there. (My real goal is to be there during Holi.) I was snapping pictures like a mad women and then this kid caught my attention.

And then his mother insisted I do a group shot with the family.

Lines were handled like this everywhere in India. The men, Indian and Western, were lumped together. There was always a separate line for women, if not two, as seen here.

And this guys mustache was legit!