We had seen a million photos of the Taj Mahal, so our plan was to give it a morning and rush on. Our guide laughed politely and insisted we arrive before the gates opened.
Sunrise turned the marble from grey to gold to a soft pearl, and the crowds hadn't arrived yet. We sat on the bench facing the monument while our guide, Ramesh, told us the story behind the inlay work—each petal cut from a single stone across an ocean.
The marble inlay workshop that afternoon is where Nadia spent the most money of the trip. Every time we look at the small box she brought home, we remember that sunrise.
