Hotel Moonlight Jaisalmer

... feel my ****! Great experience though when we finally made it to the sand dunes where were going to be camped. We had cots under the stars and full moon that night, along with a fire. After a yum dinner of rice and vege curry (jaisamler is strictly vegetarian) we went off to sleep. I was exhausted after 2 nights on buses but woke up at 3am as it was so bright!! The full moon meant I didn’t need a torch to go to the toilet (in the next dune over) and ...

... run off in every which direction and there is no clear winner. We later find Jay and I am ready to drop kick him. We tell him the place sucked and was full of tourists, but he just smiles and grabs my hand. Ughhh. He then goes on and on about how this place is wonderful, it's so clean and natural. Dad and I egg him on, telling him we saw big snakes and that it was wonderful. I guess the valuable lesson to take away from this experience is ...

... border was only 60 km away and that there weren't really any border patrol and we could just drive over. I kind of wanted to just so I could say I stuck my foot in Pakistan. I'm not sure if this is true as there are tensions between India and Pakistan and I find it hard their border would be unprotected. Also there is a large military prescence in Jaisalmer and I'm sure there is a reason for that. Asu told me we would be chased out of a village ...

... singing and dance performances, as well as the opportunity to spend the night in the desert. Set up through Kamal at Thar Safari, we enjoyed a night in the desert, choosing to stay in Swiss tents and experience a bit of desert life. The following day we explored more of th fort and took a bus for Bikaner. Travel Advice: Though we won't be doing a desert safari, word is that the ones run out of Bikaner are much more authentic.

... of terrorism. I was busting to go at about 2.30, switched on my torch, and was about to undo the zip only to be accosted by a low growl ululating from the throat of what, in the darkness, could only be a huge mega beastie, I ran back to my bed and held it for another 2 hours before venturing out. I learned later that the beastie was a large dog which had decided to join Martin and George in their tent, as in complete madness they had left the tent ...

... me against a few but just for a ride to see the sunset in the dunes. We leave with two kids and they show us around the village on the way to the dunes. They only have two wells in the village. We arrive in the dunes and we feel like Lawrence of Arabia until a young man comes from nowhere with snacks and beers to sell. Only when we thought we were at peace. He was pretty annoyed when we told him to f%$# off and leave us in peace. Later on a few more Indian ...

... are some great photos of the clan at various times - all have an out of place looking British viceroy at the centre. Apparently the British left the Rajput Maharaja's to run their own areas during their time as colonials, which meant a long period of relative peace for the Rajput's. Our friendly Nepali hotel desk worker is watching TV when we get back - it's becoming apparent he's an addict. He is exited to show me an english language movie is on ...

... Touts tried to act as our guide and became quite annoying as we wandered around. The lines kept coming like "Hey Ricky Ponting!", "Hey Aussie far out brussel sprout hahaha". Yes, very funny lads. We visited the Maharaja's palace and the beautiful Jain temples of Chandraprabhu, Rikhabdev, Parasnath, Shitalnath and Sambhavanth which are carved from yellow sandstone and date from the 12th to 16th centuries. The rules for visiting were plentiful and included ...

... to slip around observing without being accosted by touts every few steps.<br><br><br><br> A couple of days later my desert fantasy ends abruptly. I leave for the hill station of Mount Abu, looking forward to some fresh air in this wooded hill top destination, 12 hours away. I step off a bus at 6 a.m. ...into a Sligo summer day: a cold, damp mist envelops me and I'm tempted to get straight back ...