Taj Mahal in Agra India

We awoke very early in the morning in order to visit the famous Islamic tomb built by Shah Jahan as a tribute to his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died after giving birth to their 14th child. The design is called Mughal which is a combination of Indian, Islamic, and Persian architecture. The Taj is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but I don't know that I totally appreciate what all the fuss is about.  It is a beautiful structure, but we saw some other amazing sites in Southeast Asia that were equally as amazing.  Our guide picked us up at sunrise and we were first in line for the excursion.  I was very unhappy because the officials "confiscated" my Flat Falcon from going along for the tour.  They considered our mascot "unworthy" of being photographed by the Taj - whatever!  Took some nice photos.  It was extremely hot, even at 6:00 am. Before leaving the Taj, I needed to take a bathroom break and was extremely worried about the facilities onsite.  I had to make a "donation" in order to use the bathroom (100 Rupees), and the attendant even offered me a few squares of toilet paper! Upon entering the ladies room I was immediately panicked when all I saw were three holes in the floor with buckets beside them.  Are you kidding me?  I kept searching...to much relief, I discovered in the back of the room one actual TOILET!  I was feeling like a really lucky girl. Sorry, no photos of the potty, but some gorgeous photos of the Taj.  Here's a link for details:  http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/taj-mahal-facts.html