Final Route

We pretty much stuck to our plan so this is our final route. We did 468 km (290 miles) by car and 2573 km (1600 miles) by train for a total of 3041 km or 1890 miles.

The 17 hour train ride

After spending a few more days in Jaisalmer we turned towards New Delhi. The last leg of our journey was a 17 hour train ride through familiar landscapes. This time we had book AC2 tickets, this class was probably my favourite. A good mix of tourists and locals and the open landscape makes it much easier to talk to different people. The worst class would be sleeper, with no air condition and up to 6 people crammed in a compartment designed for 4. After a long train ride and all the strange things that happen on the night train to New Delhi we arrived at our destination. We met up with Sushi for one last coffe before we left India. India really is a nation of contrast, and it really becomes apparent when you are sipping your ice cold frappe while watching a bull pull a wooden wagon full of supplies outside your window.

Higher resolution images can be found here.

Rajasthan Desert

We headed out from Jaisalmer in the middle of the day when the sun was high. Our driver took us to a secluded temple and then on to the desert. As we reached the sand dunes our Jeep was changed for a camel and we rode off to watch the sun set. We ate a good meal at the camp and watched a show before we went to sleep. Sleep was hard to come by as the humidity made it impossible to sleep and if you were lucky enough to ignore it the mosquitoes were sure to wake you up. But the beautiful starry night and a great view of the Milky Way made the night spent in the camp totally worth it.

Higher resolution images are available here.

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is a small town in the middle of the desert. The city center is dominated by a large fort and the arcitecture has a more arabic feel to it. We arrived here after a 5 hours by car. While roaming the markets of Jaisalmer we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a demonstration. 100s of people poured into the streets led by a rickshaw with loud speakers tied to the roof. The demonstration was loud and pretty furius. I asked a local what was going on and he told me that they were demonstrating against the large windmills that have been put up around the city. It turns out that none of the power produced by those windmills is used to power Jaisalmer. And the locals feel they are left with nothing more than large steel constructions that clutter their desert. After the demonstration was over we headed to get something to eat and then back to the hotel to relax on the roof terrace. We are now getting ready for our excursion. We will spend tomorrow night under the stars in the middle of the Rajasthan desert.

Higer resolution images are available here.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur is called the blue city, and it is easy to understand why. Blue buildigs are everywhere, I was told that this is because painting your house blue is considered lucky and a sign of prosperity. The main part of down town is dominated by a clock tower and surrounding the tower is a market. You can buy everything from spices to clothes here. Jodhpur is known for its spices and this shows in the market. Each spice vendor tries to outdo the next by displaying their impressive selection of spices. It is everything you would expect from a market from the middle ages only interrupted by the sound of motor cycles and rickshaws.

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Road Trip

So we decided to rent a driver to get us from Pushkar to Jodhpur. Its was a 4 hour drive filled with endless flat landscapes and small villages. We stopped over to get something to eat at a road side diner. I got a lesson in how the indian driving norms work and I will tell you that the horn is as important as the stearing wheel. Try to pass a bus without hoking to say "here I am" and you will quickly end up in a ditch.

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The Pushkar Temple

We hiked up to a mountain temple about an hours walk from Pushkar Lake. It was a steep climb to get to the top but the view made up for that. Once up on the top we found that the temple grounds contained a temple, a general goods store and a cd shop. The cd shop owner was proud of his sound system and wanted to play some music for us. He picked out some classical indian tunes and blasted them on his sound system. We rested at the temple for a bit and bought a cd before we turned back and walked all the way back home.

Higher resolution images can be found here.