Jodhpur (2 nights)

I got up nice and early to check out of my hotel in Pushkar and to get to the bus stand. After discovering that I had to pay more than I thought for my room I was already in a bad mood. When the hotel owner, through which I had ordered my bus, gave my a hand written note and not a proper bus ticket, I nearly lost it. However, the makeshift ticket worked and I was soon sat on the bus with the bag nicely stowed in the boot.

The bus was a standard public bus with three seater benches on one side and two seats on the other. Once we got going the roads were so bad and the bus was shaking so much I thought it might fall apart. My window kept shaking itself open letting in cold air, but once the sun rose, I was glad of the breeze. Gradually we filled up, picking up young students and school children along the way until we were full. I had a conversation with a man who worked in public services, and with 2 11yr old girls who were very excited to meet a white man on the bus to school!

Five hours later I arrived, grabbed a rickshaw, and wandered the backstreets until I found a good guesthouse. I had a large and comfortable, though cave-like, room and there was a relaxing sheltered roof-top area with cushions on the floor. The whole place cowered underderneath the awe-inspiring hill top fort. That afternoon I chilled out on the roof before exploring the town a little. The area near the guesthouse was nice, with a market square and attractive clocktower.

The next day, after a fabulous lie-in, I walked up to the Jawar Thada, a mausoleum overlooking the town and with great views over to the fort. I met an older chap who I asked to take a photo of me in front of the fort. I ended up having lunch with him back at my place, though I never got his name! I waited a little while for the day to cool and then made my way up the zig-zag path to the fort.

The entry fee included an audio tour, and it was fantastic. A rather well spoken Indian man narrated stories about the various parts of the palace along with providing information about the various rooms and gates. The palace itself was stunning, with ornate rooms bathed in gorgeous light from stained glass windows. Everything was wondefully preserved. After finishing the tour I headed out and up onto the battlements to view the 'blue city'. It really is blue!

The whole experience was one of my highlights of India so far.