Jaisamere

I arrived very early to Jaisalmere about 5am. The train had been completely empty, only 2 people in the whole of my carriage, which although allowing me to sleep better as it was quieter it did make me feel a little less safe. I made it in the end and found a Rickshaw to take me to the hostel I had booked the previous night. The roads were deserted, at this time of day normally the shops are beginning to open and people are on the move but today was a national holiday- Holi!!

One of the main reasons to come back to India had been to celebrate Holi as it's gaining more recognition throughout the world. London, Paris and New York all have organised events called the colour run- but I prefer to do the real thing like Oktoberfest in Munich or Tomatina in Valencia.

I slept for only a few hours when I made it to the hostel. I woke up around 8.30 to the sound of drums and music filling the streets around me.

The hostel owner was a young guy who clearly wanted to be something he wasn't. He would try and speak with a London accent and had clearly done his research on UK music, he also kept offering everyone beers and opium and asking is all if he could stay with us at our homes!
I sat on the roof drinking chai and watching the chaos in the streets below when I was met by a large group of Germans who were travelling together!
They all seemed like a really good laugh so we all went out to the street to join in!

The street outside the hostel was fairly small and there was mainly 1 large group of men who were sat together eating opium and drinking tea and another group of kids who were playing holi together. The atmosphere was amazing! People were playing drums and water and colours going everywhere! It really felt like it was an authentic experience. Other placer would be much more touristy and I was also warned by many people that the city's are "no go" areas in the afternoon as everyone is high on drugs and drunk on whiskey.

We had a great morning! After all the fun of holi we retreated back to the rooftop bar for more chai and to cool off! We went off 1 by 1 to get washed and after about 30 minutes of scrubbing and 1 bar of soap later... Most of the paint was gone!

Holi really was one of the best festivals I have done! Up there with Oktoberfest. The rest of the day we spent drinking and playing cards.