Hotel Malwa Ajmer

... Truly though, my heart never left Pushkar, the place haunted me, maybe what I had left behind. It's strange for a place to do that to you.

The other day Bhai took me on his bike to visit one of the Babas -one of the holy men- who lives in the mountains. His name is Prahim Baba, the Baba of love. We left at dusk, Pushkar is beautiful in the dusk, the harsh burning sun softens to a silky golden warmth. The havelis bask in its light, the cows amble idly down the ...

... entail? Then the whole framework can come tumbling down and it can never be the same again...

Today's the first day I've refused two chilums in a row. I guess after about ten days my body has had its fill. This lifestyle isn't mine and I know it. That's one thing that slightly tweaks at my happiness. I know that there is no future to me and Kit, not even a shadow or a faint hope of one. It makes me feel slightly sad because here we are, years later, and I guess ...

Jaisalmer

There was no need for an alarm clock when the bus turned into Jaisalmer, as touts came on the bus, offering free transport and no commitment, if we looked at their accommodation. Of course, nothing comes for free, so we were all a little apprehensive, but free transfers are always welcome!

Jaisalmer is described as one 'giant sandcastle with a town attached' and it's certainly that! It's a stunning, architectural marvel, with superb bastions (99 in ...

... and I’d see more in the nearby old town. So in addition to seeing this fantastic fort complex, I also enjoyed the old backstreets and alleyways of Amber.

I returned to see the City Palace in Jaipur, first seeing the impressive Hawa Mahal. It’s also an imposing high, salmon-pink sandstone building (1799), built by M’a Sawaj Pratap Singh so that his royal ladies could discreetly watch daily life and festivals from behind discreet shutters ...

... our arrival yesterday we hung out at our cheap hotel for a bit, it was 42degrees yesterday so you can see why. In the evening we decided to check out the city, its basically a 1km stretch of bazaars on either side of the road, from falafel to hand bags, incense to snacks...its all here. Today we have been out most of the day in the markets, going to and through trying to ...

... for twigs, brush or anything else I could find that would burn. Not only that, but when I woke the snoring heap under the blanket next to a dog a man appeared that was not part of group that we arrived with the night before. I think he was as confused as us as he didn't speak any English and we didn't speak any Hindi. Thank God for our cell phone as I called our 'camel guys' who had gone home for the night because it was too cold to sleep out ...

... arms, even after we emphasised that we were not going anywhere, and the salespeople could speak any language that you wanted. Little Italy in the middle of Jaipur. Money motivates, even the brain perhaps. The supposedly charming old city consisted of small shop after small shop, selling everything under the sun. The pink was more of an orange hue, but we continued heading towards the royal palace. As we approached it, we experienced a revelation - we were traveling for ...

... Princess Jahan Ara Begam, the favorite daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan. The walls and the beautiful marble pillars of the Begami Daalaan were done in colorful gold in 1888 AD. Later on, the ceiling of this Daalaan was also embellished in gold with the money donated by a Muslim merchant of Bombay. This beautiful portico was used by the Begams or ladies of the Moghul harem during their ...

... of course translated all this for me, and then someone had a radio and turned it on for the news and he translated the detail- not much- just the time and the fact that it had been on the train going the other way. 5 killed, don't know how many injured. Second bombing since I've been here. This one felt pretty close; it could have just as easily been the northbound train, which I hesitate actually to write... Don't want to freak anyone ...

I don't want you to be alarmed, dear reader, but I felt it appropriate that our third pair of eyes, the one and only Emily Newton, write a guest entry. Let's be easy on her, maybe even give her an encouraging comment or two. And don't worry, we'll be back after Pushkar and Ajmer. Our day trip to Ajmer happened sort of by accident and without much in the way of expectation. It was Travis' day to rest his gastrointestinal tract and enjoy the comforts ...