After the memorable camel safari tour, we had to deal with a few itinerary issues. Our driver advised us against continuing on to Udaipur because it would mean that when we eventually returned to Jodhpur, we would be travelling during Holi celebrations. He was concerned that drunken Indians would end up throwing stones at the car as we attempted to make our way down the highway or through small towns and villages. As you do. So, keen not to be attacked by inebr...

On the way to Jaisalmer, our driver told us that unless we went on a camel safari there was not much point in us being there. So,taking heed of his advice, we asked him to arrange an overnight safari in the desert for us the following day. With the heat of the day delaying our departure until the late afternoon, we still had time to visit yet another fort. On the wide spectrum of North Indian forts and palaces I would say that Jaisalmer’s offering was somewher...

Jodhpur When we arrived at our new hotel in Jodhpur, we were shown to a grotty, windowless square shaped bolt hole, which sported a mattress as hard as the mountain rock that overlooked the city. A total come down after the paradise offered in Pushkar. However, only a few minutes later, a manager insisted we moved to a deluxe room, free of charge. The one star Trip Advisor review is a formidable foe few dare to f**k with. After having switched rooms, we decide...

If Jaipur was the stinking hub of male baseity and vice, Pushkar was the prelapsarian garden of Eden, Hindu style. Our hotel was the most serene place I have ever been. And everything there had been organised to create such an effect. From the array of brightly coloured flowers that grew next to or on the simple but ornate archways,to the tightly cut grass inhabited by a few haphazardly situated benches, to the airy open plan of the hotel's internal structure. I...

It may have been 35 degrees but we felt no warmth in Jaipur. For throughout the duration of our short, unenjoyable stay there, we were stared at and drooled over by the large groups of men who blighted our path at every turn. The stares were not as they had been in Mumbai. There, each look harboured a meaning different from the next and most, though intimidating to the uniniated, were, on reflection, meant harmlessly enough. In Jaipur however it felt as if ever...