Mama's Guest House Jaisalmer

... grotty doesnt explain this place, i had rats, spiders and cockroaches vying for my attention, no fan or a/c or even a window for that matter and i shared 1 toilet and 1 shower with 8 other rooms. But all that is minor it had a bed and that's all i needed so off for the exploring i went.<br><br>The first thing to blow me away took only 5 minutes to find, the Gateway to India. It's a huge dominating archway at the entrance to the harbour, set at the top of a huge square. Next to it is ...

... them. Ali followed up the first dune, then stopped and watched the kids lead us higher and further into the dunes. Once we were at the top most high dunes, the kids began entertaining us with jumps off the dune sand cliffs into the soft sand below. Our French friend Eric was watching Ali below. I was still huffing and puffing up behind them. Ali then turned and started to descend to the animials (Now hidden from our view), Eric began to descend as well. At ...

... relatively small and is centred around a sandstone fort rising from the desert - very Indiana Jones!! Every street is a golden photo opp and at night looks like a fairytale city. The hassle factor is also refreshingly minimal compared to the bigger cities! Weve also met fellow travellers - Emma from Brighton and Pkl (??) from Shanghai who we shared dinner with last night - really nice guy and we may meet him in Nepal for our trek? Yesterday was ...

... as Kazuma from Japan, and despite extreme language difficulties we managed to have a quick chat before the lights went off at 11.30 and the train began moving.<br>Six hours later we pulled into Jaisalmer Railway station and as I stepped outside, bleary-eyed, I could see Kazuma in the back of a jeep, waving to me. We had a lift into town and checked into a local guesthouse. As there are practically no tourists here now, the rooms rates are dirt-cheap ...

... in a cigarette ad as well as Coca-Cola commercial with a famous Bollywood star. Then his business just boomed. People starting coming to him and through word of mouth his business just kept growing. He's been doing the camel safaris for just about 20 years now and he plans to keep doing so until he can't work anymore. It was very pleasant chat and we went through about 3 cups of delicious chai. I would've kept him talking for the chai alone...but we had to ...

... scuttled around us to try to find a warm place to settle for the night. We were made breakfast of toast, jam &amp; porridge before setting of on another two hour journey back to the main road. On the way we passed some of the tents you can rent, they are like hotels in the desert for two hundred pounds a night, but instead of being in the dunes they are on what looks like a dusty parking lot with telegraph pylons and a mobile phone tower. We met up with the Jeep at 9.30 ...

... We asked for non-veg recommendations. Trio was suggested. It's at Mandir palace about 10min walk through the local markets. We were tore between tandoori chicken or bryiani. We ordered one portion of bryani lamb and chicken (115rs each) and another mixed vegatables. All very tasty! Probably the difference between a proper restaurant and a hotel "kitchen". 2 hours after a very satisfying non-veg dinner at Trio Restaurant (it ...

... chai. Even when you consider that the blanket reeks of camel, it's unseemly cold out, that you have sand in your ears and nose and mouth, and you can barely walk from sitting on a camel the whole day before, you still feel like somehow you are in heaven, or at least on another planet. And to those who are wondering how a camel ride is different from a horse, I would say the biggest difference is ...

... kept hitting Melissa on the knee when she was excited or happy. After about 40 minutes it was time to move on. What a crazy eye opening experience. That we in the west all won the lottery with the life we were born into is a radical understatement. Back out into the sandy dunes, i was done with riding. Actually, my hip was done. So, we walked. I'm sure the guys were thinking we must be out of our minds, 2 women walking through the desert when there were 2 perfectly good camels ...

... third sex. They work for money as uninvited entertainers at weddings, as prostitutes and at parties celebrating the birth of male children. As soon as word is out of a newborn boy's arrival, they will turn up at the house and demand money or else they threaten to put the curse of the hijras on the babies. This trio were very flamboyant and laughing at the men in the street who were laughing back at them. Oh, the Rajasthani thali and cheese pakora was good too. Now, to Udaipur