Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. [May 2013]

Ask a tour guide in Agra “what is the color of the Taj Mahal?” and expect a spectrum of colors for an answer. The Taj’s marble white in guide books depreciates its polychrome radiance in person: different times during the day in different seasons from different angles leave differing impressions in different beholders. The only universal constant is its undeniable beauty.

Minutes away, Agra Fort finds its own splash of colors beneath marble arches.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain