The road to the Taj Mahal is anything but peaceful.

It's filled with bumper to bumper traffic, children praying alongside the dirt road and families living in make shift tents inches away from the street. Cattle stop traffic often and pedestrians weave through busy traffic - the roads leading to the Taj Mahal in Agra, India are mentally and physically exhausting for a newcomer. It's a feast for the eyes once the eyes adjust to sensory overload.

I am glad my mother, sister and I had the chance to travel these roads together.