Agra, India

Our entire stay in India was less than 24 hours. We flew into a military base and immediately embarked on our tour of the Taj Mahal. The beauty of the Taj is in stark contrast to the poverty of the surrounding area. Despite their relative poverty, the people of India dress in their finest clothes to visit the Taj. The air pollution is severe. My lungs were irritated at times. When it was time to leave, our plane (with us in it) had to sit on the tarmac for over 3 hours awaiting clearance for take-off due to the poor visibility.

Detail on the Taj Mahal.