Hotel Killa Bhawan Jaisalmer

... rickshaw to fort gate, then walked the gauntlet to the guest house. When I arrived it was so easy, just picked a room, had a shower then up to the roof for breakfast where ran into the intrepid group I would be doing the camel safari with the next night. Joined them for brekkie, then wandered around the old town with a girl from that group. <br> <br>We went to the Jain temples with their amazing carvings, the old palace which was beautiful but no where ...

... point, I want to backhand Jay because he is starting to annoy me. When we get to the dunes, he blabs on about a camel ride, which we don't want to do because it looks uncomfortable and dumb. He implies that there is no other way to access the dunes, so we get on some beast of burden. The pace of the beast is that of a 90 year old woman with no legs, but we decide to make the best of it. Dad was on the back of the camel and was ...

... out of sandstone and out a bit from the town so they are lonely which is nice. Asu waited for me at the jeep and I was free to wander around. Some boy started talking to me and wanted to be my guide. He was ok for company but I must say a bit forward. After I took a bunch of pictures I got tired of him so I went back to the jeep. Then we drove through through a village where we made a stop becasue Asu needed to deliver something to a friends house ...

Jaisalmer, deemed the Golden City of India due to everything being built of the local gold-colored sandstone, is the last bastion of 'civilization' in northeastern India as the Thar Desert engulfs ever other plac ein the region. It is highlighted by a massive fort, golden of course, which towers above the town. Inside the walled structure is a vibrant city housing 25% of Jaisalmer's population. There are houses, hotels, market ...

... in the playful breeze. The leaning backwards and forwards of the body to counterbalance the movement of the camel did take some getting used to. The camels were all on heat (we had male camels, just as well really) and mine Lolo, seemed to be more so than the others as he continually issued the guttural sound and protruding of swollen tongues which lolled out the side of his mouth, (it looked like his innards) after a deep breath he would ...

... of army bases, army trucks, planes and mobile missile launchers.Don't forget we are only 100km away from the boarder of Pakistan. We stopped in Bada Bagh, where there are the graves of former rulers. On the day of the funerals, the wives and concubines would dress in their fanciest clothes to commit sati. They would jump into the fire to reunite with their late husband. They like the drama over there. No wonder why Bollywood is so popular (btw, for the Irish ...

... The Jains are a sect of Hinduism who are like the hardcore vegans of the Hindu faith. They hold animals in high regard and avoid certain vegetables lest their cultivation injure certain insects. I like their steadfastness. The temples are full of identical statues of the same "tirthankar" a god who looks kinda like buddha. There are sandstone and marble images of all different sizes all being lovingly polished by resident holy men. It really is an ...

... you out if you don't take a tour. Our hotel was not cheap for this reason, it was cheap because it was, to put in nicely, an utter shithole. Thanks alot Mooki. I made it clear on the phone that we were not to be harassed by the words 'camel safari' having already have met alot of camels on this journey. The room cost 65 rupees a night (about AU$2 total for both of us) which included a free chai (normally 10rupees) and now goes down as the cheapest room ever ...

... lower on the dusty desert horizon. And at early morning, tourists still sleeping, both parts of the city are alive with locals: men congregating outside the temples, chatting and laughing; some sitting cross legged deep in concentration in their local chess-like game; women with their marriage bangles jangling and faces veiled as they scrub steps, sweep balconies and wash down the streets (it all ...