Hotel Imperial Jaisalmer

... ready for the night bus. <br> <br>For the first time in my trip so far I had a dodgy tummy (of course this was like 2 hours before I had to get on the bus with no toilet and minimal stops) so drugged myself up and waited for the bus. This one actually had other tourists so was a step up from the previous night. It also only left 1 1/2 hours late so still beating the previous night. Arrived in jaisalmer and got the jeep to somewhere around the fort, then ...

... feature was the monstrous mass of catfish surfacing for food. We then imply that we might possibly want to go see the sand dunes 40 km from Jaisalmer. Next thing I know, he is on the phone with our hotel for some reason and eventually he hands me the phone. I tell the woman on the other line that I have no clue why he called her and I hand up. On the way to the dunes, we stop in some camp and visit the whole place for whatever reason. At ...

... and when I got there I talked for a bit with Dev, the owner. We arranged for me to do a Jeep/Camel safari for sunset in the desert. I had a quick meal of Butter Chicken with naan, prob one of my favorite meals here. Then I went with Asu in the Jeep and we were off. Jaisalmer has a fair amount of wind turbines outside the town that generates energy for them and some other areas. Our first stop was Bada Bagh the royal cenotaphs. They are elaboratly ...

... slightly chewy but it was good to have some meat in India and especially to know where it came from and that it was fresh! HA! We arrived home around 6.00pm and it was fantastic to wash in the shower and to sleep in a bed! This afternoon I get on a bus to Udiapor for 14 hours which should be interesting....! As you can guess I'm really not looking forward this but has to be done. I just hope its more comfortable then a camel!

... a camel safari out to the pristine sand dunes of the Thar Desert where we spend a night camping out under the stars in tents. Hey that is me riding a camel, pretty cool Hugh. It was a shame though because I had managed for the hole of the holiday not to get bitten and then proceeded to get bitten 8 times by the pesky camel flies. We set off in a convoy which took us deeper into the Thar desert, over undulating sand dunes, whose patterns shifted ...

... around the fort enjoying the quaint vibe and trying to ignore the ubiquitous toutage. It is all sandstone and there is some beautiful achitecture including a palace which once housed the Rajput Maharaja. We also enjoy a surprisingly authentic Italian meal at a place called Little Italy. The following day we check out the Jain temples realising we have timed it perfectly, arriving as the hoards of day trippers alight their chariots to invade the ...

... Somebody told us in Peru that the bigger the shrine, the safer the bus but this was a little ridiculous. The 4am arrival of the bus to Jaisalmer was greeted by about 30 touts all trying for their share of the 'camel safari' dollar. We had set up an autorickshaw pick up with the Himalaya Guesthouse that Mooki from Moon Dance had told us about. Many hotels offer cheap rooms in the hope that you'll take their camel safari tour and some have been known to ...

... This is my time to seek refuge in my exotic boudoir, complete with sandstone carved alcoves and pillars, and luxurious richly brocaded cushions and covers (and all for 3 euro!). <br><br><br><br><br> But as evening light approaches, I sit on a rooftop terrace in the outer city with a pot of 'special tea' and marvel at the colours as the fort walls begin to glow an orange shade while the sun ...