  Taj Mahal in the morning
The photos on this page were taken on the morning part of the day, by the banks of the Yamuna river behind the Taj Mahal. While the rest of the team members of the AsiaExplorers group decided to stay on their comfortable beds, five of us rose before daybreak, took a taxi to the Taj Mahal, and then walked along the outer wall to the banks of the Yamuna. It was an experience to remember.
As the sun peeks over the distant towers of the Taj, a camel appeared with his owner. I got the owner to walk his camel by the bank and quickly took this shot.
| Early morning by the Yamuna River. | 
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 | Turning around, we caught our first view of the Taj Mahal.
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| Here's a view of the Taj Mahal you don't see on tourist brochures: trash, trash everywhere. We saw a devotee lighting an offering and setting it afloat on the Yamuna. | 
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The lit offering sailed off into the fog. On the opposite bank of the Yamuna is the incomplete tower of the Black Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan's dream of building two Taj Mahals was never realised.
 | Laundry work by the Yamuna River.
What strikes us is that the common people of Agra goes about their daily routine, seemingly oblivious to the Wonder before them.
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| Here's the boatman who ferried us across the Yamuna. You can see the mist rolling over the river like ghostly tentacles. It was the most wonderful sight to stand there and be mersmerized. | 
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 | A feathery member of the wildlife contingent. In fact, the river is teeming with birds. A birdwatcher would be delighted to follow this trip.
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Tim in front of the camera, for a change.
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