It's on the map. I'll Go.

I was prepared to have my senses overwhelmed, but not vanquished. The raw touch of India hit me in the face the instant we walked outside. On the street, there was a constant honking of horns, ringing bells and shrill whistles as vehicles jockeyed for rights of way.

Every inch of turf was covered by some sort of human, animal or machine. People moved fast, wiggling between cars, bikes, cycles, trucks and buses.

Driving to Agra, the chaos moved to high speed. Now we were joined by cows, dogs, monkeys, camels and an occasional elephant.

Intersections were like the start of a marathon. Three “lanes” made it possible for seven or eight cars to crowd to the front before motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians filled in spaces. Traffic circles were free-for-alls. Our driver laid on the horn and blasted through.

The tuk-tuks were countless. Built for two or three passengers, they stubbornly wobbled down the road with ten or fifteen people mashed inside and three or four men hanging on the roof. Overloaded, underpowered and poorly braked; their maneuverability (an essential aspect of the sport) was extremely poor. Approaching one broadside, our horn would blast, and you could see a puff of exhaust as the driver begged the little engine to chug toward safety. At the same moment we threatened one, it would aim for some lesser, more vulnerable target, who in turn made its own evasive move.

It took four hours to run the gauntlet. We met our guide and walked a few blocks as pedestrians. The lowest member of the road's food chain.

The Taj Mahal was indeed a splendid sight and magnificent building, the most recognized structure in the world. You won't catch me trying to describe it..

I wanted to get back to Delhi but dreaded the drive. Nightfall lessened the traffic not a bit, and now we had to dodge everything in the dark. Most buses had no tail lights and few bothered with headlights. The menagerie of animals was no smaller. The big trucks came out, dwarfing our car as we poked in and out of their wakes.

And so it went. Four hours there and six hours back. Our driver said it only takes three things to drive in India, “a good horn, good brakes and good luck.” No kidding.

My system was completely drained of adrenalin. If a wild bear had jumped in the car, my only reaction would have been to move over and give up my seat.

Seeing and touring the Taj Mahal was worth the drive. But if I go back, I'll choose to be parachuted onto the grounds and risk the rifle fire.