Hotel Suraj Jaisalmer

... so spectacular and so romantic (we were in fact the only customers) that Tony and I were wishing that we had been there with anyone besides each other and for the only time in my life I regretted being heterosexual. Oh, well - maybe we'll make it here again someday with a couple of ladies. <br><br>09 November - Jaisalmer<br><br>Tony went to the fort museum while I walked around exploring the back alleys of the town. We had a tolerable lunch amid pleasant surroundings at ...

... is an ideal shooting spot for movies and television shows, as we found a lot of such activities in and around the place. The places worth visiting is the royal museum, the various hindu and jain temples revered for their architectures and the city view from the top of the fort.<br><br>There are good restuarants outside the fort which serves special rajasthani thali- tasty vegetarian food with lots of ghee at ...

... adorned with shopfronts and people, it really makes the fort feel alive. Where so many forts have been sterile museums, the one at Jaisalmer is quite vibrant, and for lack of a better word, charming.<br><br>To "enlighten" the wandering experience at this pretty amazing place is something kinda special. At the base of the fort is a government licensed Bhang shop (one that Anthony Bordian has featured on his "No Reservations ...

... of the flushes and no bar. they did make it up by providing excellent freshly prepared food. though the choice was limited it was prepared after we placed the order, chicken curry had authentic taste. food was clean , well cooked and hygienic. my experience as a traveller in India helped me as i had my own liquids. it is always advisable to have authentic stuff from delhi rather than searching in local vends or paying through the nose in ...

... a competition amongst the children as to who could purloin the most interesting gift. If we stopped for chai we were quickly surrounded by people who came to see us and was bombarded with questions about where we were from and wanted to see photos of them wearing our sunglasses etc. I have no doubt that despite us being here for the experience, we were the ones providing the entertainment. We stopped for lunch beneath a huge tree and ...

... trek came and amazingly, after breakfast, it started to rain, in the desert, it was raining. But it stopped within half an hour and by the end of the day the clouds had gone too. We were really excited about the camel ride, meeting my camel "Babu" (old man) for the first time was great, although I dont think he felt the same way. The first time I sat on the camel as he stood up was incredible, these animals are huge, much larger than horses ...

... the clear blue of the sky vs the yellow ground, the green scrubs and piles of drying red chillies. These contrasts insurged my uncle, an artist, with oodles of inspiration on his visit to this land of magic. Bikaner - oft overlooked fort and palace and infamous rat temple Our first stop after yet another comfortable overnight train ride was the city of Bikaner at the fringe of the great Thar desert. The Maharaja put a lot of effort into the ...

... there via blue plastic, swan shaped pedal bikes, very romantic indeed. Once we got a closer look in we agreed that the couple were about 15 years of age and way too young to get married, it appeared to be an arranged partnership between the families. We did a good walk through the bazaar where people were working away in little workshops making wood carvings or sewing. I watched a lady have her old, chunky silver bangles removed from her wrists using plyers ...