After the chaos of Jodphur it was nice to spend a few days in sleepy Sitrawa. After a three hour bus ride to Bawkan, I was taken the final 3km by a jeep that dropped me off at the Sambhali school itself. What a cute wee school! The rooms are brightly painted and open onto a central courtyard. The lower level is for the peacock class, which is the more advanced kids, although Florian (the volunteer in Sitrawa) explained that there had also been a family living i...

Sambhali Trust was started 5 years ago with the intention of helping women and girls from poor families or lower castes learn to read and write. Often in Indian families, if there is not enough money to send all the children to school, then only the boys will be sent, while the girls will stay at home to help their mother with the housework. At Sambhali, as well as learning to read and write in Hindi, the girls learn basic English and Maths. In the afternoons th...

Located in the centre of the state of Rajasthan, Jodphur lies in the middle of the Thar desert. The blue wash on many of the buildings has earnt the city its nick name of the 'Blue City'. With a population of about 2 million people it is quite big by New Zealand standards, but it feels friendly and intimate in comparison to Delhi. The town's activities are focused around the clocktower where there is a busy market. Above the market, the Mehrangarh Fort provides ...