At least half of the tourists go to India because they want to see Taj Mahal in person. Though it was not my top priority of this trip, and though I was kind of used to seeing those cathedrals or famous landmarks partially under reconstruction, yet when I saw the same thing happened to Taj Mahal, with 3 minarets under renovation, I was very upset. Not only that, there was no water, not to mention fountain, in the Reflection Pool. There was hardly any water even in Yamuna River. There was a severe drought in India at that time. Taj Mahal was not as appealing as I expected. However, almost during the last few minutes of our free time, before I had to hurry back to join the whole group, I found a spot to capture the side view of this majestic mausoleum without the minarets in the frame (photo #9 and 10), I told myself that I was lucky after all. At least I could go home with two photos of the unharmed Taj Mahal. I shouldn't complain.

The Agra Fort (or Agra Red Fort) compensated my tour group's disappointment in Taj Mahal. This fort is another piece of gem. There's a spot inside this fort which provides a good angle for viewing Taj Mahal from afar, but it was back lit. The long distance can also blur out the repair work a little bit - some self deceiving consolation for the tourists who flew thousands of miles to see this architectural marvel that was completed in 1648.

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