Well with a week left in India and the prospect of having to spend that week in Delhi, I decided to head out west to Jaisalmer and instead spend that time on a camel in the desert. What can I say, this city makes you do crazy things. So I jumped on the fastest train (should I say only train out of here) and headed west.

I arrived in Jaisalmer last Tuesday and the first thing I noticed was that it was hot! This is a change from the cold and rain of the past two weeks. I prepared myself for the inevitable touts that would be at the station and managed to find a guy who would take me into town for 10 rupees, a bargain and no stops on the way. He told me as we left the station that it was a "special taxi". It turned out to be a moped with just enough space for one person let alone me and my massive backpack. I was hesitant but his reassurance of "no problem my friend" made me yield. It was an ok ride though, even if we looked a little odd speeding through town.

Jaisalmer is a nice place with a traditional Rajastan fort at the centre of the town. The place is apparently falling down day by day so I was glad to see it now rather than see a pile of rubble. However my main reason for coming here was to go on camel safari for 3 days and camp in the desert. After looking around the various agencies organising trips, I stumbled on a place called "Trotters Independent Travels" I decided at that point that i'd book with them based on the name. The owner was an interesting chap who tried to be just like Del Boy but with the Indian accent it didn't really work. After lots of "Lovely Jubbly my friend" I booked the trip and left the town the next day.

It turned out to be proper Del Boy style trip though. When I booked he told me that 4 ozzies were booked to go and a Kiwi. When I arrived the next morning though it was just me and Amanda (Kiwi). Apparently one of the Ozzies was ill. "Womens troubles" he said. "not good for the camel". After that insightful and slightly un-needed bit of information we set off wondering what we were letting ourselves in for. We stopped at some desert villages on the way which involved the usual "Ah Gora Gora Gori" (White Man & White woman) and then persistent requests for pens! odd. Still the Kids were nice enough. We finally made it onto the camels at round 11:00. It's quite easy getting on the camel, but when it raises form the ground, that's the real shock. You suddenly get thrown forward and then back in the space of 3 seconds. It was bloody funny though. We trotted off into the desert but managed to get a lunch break of 3 hours, 40 mins after setting off! Bloody Delboy. The guides were awesome though and throughout the trip they prepared fresh curry and chapatti for lunch and dinner. For most of the trek, you are too far behind each other to talk so you have to make do with the surrounding desert and emissions from the camels for amusement. I've never seen an animal that belches and farts so much but it never ceased to amuse our immature minds.

The second day of the trek took us right into the desert and onto some sights. Chenna (our guide) was keen to take us to a museum in the desert which displayed Rajastani culture (supposedly). He showed us the exhibits which weren't particularly inspiring but he made us laugh by picking up a spoon and saying "this is a spoon". I repiled "I always wondered what they were". Thanks for the insight. We stopped at a village along the way to pick up some essentilas for that evening. This consisted of 8 bottles of beer and a newly deceased goat for dinner. (more on that later) By the second afternoon of sitting spread eagle over a camel he leg strain began to take its toll and by the time we got off, we both spectacularly went arse over head as we dismounted the camels, much to the amusement of the guides.

Our camp on the second night was in the middle of the dunes and Amanda and I trekked to the top to watch the sunset while dinner was prepared. It was really beautiful to see and the photos I took do it justice. After the sunset we headed back to camp and cracked open the beers. After an hour of merry discourse we were joined by some gypsy dancers who obviously prowl the dunes in search of tourists. They wanted to do dances for us but we couldn't be arsed. Instead they sang which can only be compared to drowning cats or chalk being dragged down a blackboard. They got the hint and b*****ed off. After that interlude, our dinner arrived and the starters of meat looked really succulent and ready to eat. Only after I jumped in and devoured a load did I realise it was the Goats Liver!!! I hid my grimace for Chenna who evidently wanted us to love it. "mmm nice" we both said. The meat curry he made though made up for it despite being a bit tough and the beers rounded off a good evening. Word of caution, don't wonder off into the dunes to go to the loo after a few beers. I managed to fall head first down a sand dune and the climb back up was bloody hard after 3 Kingfishers.

That night as before, we camped in the open air under the stars and the milky way and it rounded off what was a brilliant trek. The next day was a solid trek back to our pick up point. At this stage the novelty of riding a camel had well and truly worn off and Amanda, classy bird that she is, "cracked the s***s" (got annoyed) and walked the last stage before lunch uttering obscenities left right and centre! It was all good though as we had a chapatti lesson from Chenna and helped to make our lunch. I'll make some when I get home to prove it. When we reached the pick up point, an elderly character driving the jeep resembled Uncle Albert and it just rounded off the whole trip.

Getting back to Jaisalmer, we decided to stay in Del Boys gaff in the fort. Thankfully it was no Nelson Mandela House and actually quite a nice hotel for 100 rupees a night (about 1 pound 25p). I soon realised why it was so cheap though as we had no leccy for most of the stay and then no water after our first shower. Bloody Delboy. We spent the next couple of days just hanging around. I also got intimately acquainted with the toilet during my stay as our desert food obviously didn't agree with me. I reckon it was Delboys Chapatis.

However the inevitable moment came for me to return to Delhi and I wasn't looking forward to it. I got in this morning after a long cold train journey and as usual I didn't get any sleep due to the constant dawn chorus of hocking, coughing, belching, farting and talking loudly at 1-5am from my fellow passengers. I acted like a proper Englishman and Hurumphed about it but didn't actually say anything. Need to be more assertive in future The icing on the cake came this morning when I realised somebody had knicked my hat . I hate this city! Anyway it's all good as I head to Thailand on Wednesday and I plan to do no sightseeing and plenty of eating here so that should be limited hassle

Thanks for your messages guys, i'm glad my misery keeps you all entertained.

So that's the Indian Subcontinent tackled. Nepal was awesome but India......hmmmm. I cant deny that we have a love/hate relationship, but I'm glad Ive visited and that I came back after Nepal. Thanks for the persuasion Sarah. I recommend everywhere except Delhi. Who knows I may be back one day to tackle the south.

Adieu mon amis

Will