Backroads of Rajasthan

Okay, so it's been ages since I've had enough time on the internet to do everything I've wanted to, so I'm way behind on keeping everyone up on the tour I'm on. I'll try and get something up to this effect now. Maybe we'll just stick to the highlights though...

On the 10th, the day on which the tour started, I met my room mate for the tour. She's pretty cool, so we went to the red fort in Delhi on their metro, which is always fun because the cleanliness inside dramatically contrasts with the dirt outside. Red fort was cool too, I think, though all of the forts have kindas melded into one now... Soomaanyfooorts... I've still taken pics of them all though :p

Day two we went to Agra and saw the red fort there (most of the forts are red, too!). We also saw the Taj Mahal, which is pretty cool. I have the requisite million photos, which I will make anyone foolish enough to ask sit through ^.^

Day three I saw some birds and stuff, day four we got trapped in our hotel in the middle of nowhere by a protests which got a bit nasty. Turns out Rajasthan (the state we were in) had some really bad, highly unseasonal hail and it wrote off all their crops. Our guide, an Indian from this state called (of all things) Paddy, said that they were demonstrating because they were worried they wouldn't get compensation for their lost earnings and be destitute. The farmers have it pretty bad here.

Anyway, the next day we went to Jaipur, which was the place I was in the next day for my birthday. That was fort number... well, I dunno. Soomaanyfoooorts...

The next day was, of course, Camel Day! It was fun, and much more comfortable than a horse. They have more padding, I think, though I may have got lucky - a number of the other girls say they are missing some skin... ouch! I was just strting to find it really uncomfortable at the end of the five hours. We stopped for lunch under a tree, had vegetarian curries cooked for us and then had a siesta in the sand. It was pretty sweet. We then finished our 5hrs after the nap, and got in to our desert camp - all set up for us, with tents and a table with tablecloth and lamps! - in time for the sunset. It was so cool.

A short 1-hr ride out in the morning ended the camel safari, and we went to transfer to our new hotel. We were all very excited about the prospect of a hot shower and some form of toilet apart from a patch of sand, so you can imagine how excited we were when Paddy (the guide) said we'd been upgraded! We stayed in a Palace! It was so cool - from one type of traditiional Indian life to quite another. It was called the Lallgarh Palace if anyone wants to google it.

Last night we caught an 8 hour bus to Jaisalmer (no toilet stops so no drinking anything that whole day in preparation!) and I am now in an internet cafe in "the golden city" which is a gold-yellow sandstone walled city in which people still live! It is the first inhabited fort we've been to, so it's pretty sweet. It's my favourite place so far.

Well, you are more or less up to date, and I am tired of writing so I'll leave it there. Eight more days until I can eat steak!