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Hi there! I'm still having a great time in India, and having a good laugh with Geeta... which is lucky since we spend 24 hours a day with each other - sight seeing together, eating together, sleeping next to each other - I can't escape, even if I wanted to!! (ha ha)
We spent 2 days in Delhi planning our whole trip and researching where we want to visit, and decided to book a couple of tours… partly because I've hurt my back and I'm now avoiding local buses, and partly because we've become lazy!! Ah well, it's much easier having a driver - and more comfortable in a car then on a bus for 8 hours! We also went to Pahar Ganj (the backpacker's district) to check out a hostel, and whilst there we got talking to this really interesting Canadian guy whose ended up traveling for the last 5 years! He laughed at us and our tour package. Me and Geeta have come to the conclusion that we're not cut out for the hardcore backpacking scene in India!
So, we have spent the last 8 days on a tour of Rajasthan - in a nice little car (with seatbelts!) - just me, Geeta, and our driver, Anil. Here is a summary of our route: Delhi - Pushkar - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Udaipur - Jaipur - Delhi. If you look at how huge Rajasthan is, you will understand why I am so tired today - we have covered thousands of kilometres in just 8 days!
The sights of each city mainly revolved around forts, temples and lake palaces. There is too much to tell you about each city, so I will let my photos speak for themselves! The long drives in between each city were often just as interesting as the places; we both particularly enjoyed the drive to Jaisalmer as the landscape changed into desert. For some reason we decided that we really wanted a photo of wild camels in the desert, and stopped when we saw some… however, this involved tackling a barbed wire fence and then quietly walking over to where they were eating to get a good shot.. but it was worth it! Since there also aren't many places to stop for a "convenience break", we soon didn't care about finding a suitable tree to hide behind in the desert or care about any camels that might be watching us!
Rajasthan is known for being a colourful state, which was evident from the women's bright clothes (again, see the photos!). The emphasis on colour is seen even in the cities where all the buildings are painted one colour - for example, Jaisalmer (gold city), Jodhpur (blue city) and Jaipur (pink city)- which made for some fantastic city views from the forts.
Our tour was made really by Anil - he was excellent, and always smiling! He would come out with some classic comments, which kept us highly amused; we decided that when he spoke English, he sounded like Borat, so this also amused us! One of my favourite lines was about driving in India; Anil says you need 3 things - good brakes, a good horn, and most importantly, good luck! In the car, we listened to the same 2 tapes of Rajasthani music over and over again, so it was lucky that we both liked it (although the same can't be said for Anil's singing!). We have both bought the CDs now - so beware, I will subject you to them at some point!
Other funny moments for me where when we were stuck in a huge traffic jam on a highway with no sign of it clearing. So, Anil turned the car around, weaved in and out of the traffic, drove through a gap in the central reservation, and then drove us down the wrong side of the highway to avoid the queue! (This is not unusual here!). In Jodhpur we got it into our heads that we really wanted ice cream sodas - not a normal request when in the middle of India! So we drove around to pick up coke and disposable cups, and then had to hunt down an ice cream store. All this effort, and I'm not even that keen on ice cream! (I don't think Anil was convinced about the combination of coke and ice cream either). In Udaipur I spent all day in bed because I was ill, but made the effort to get up in the evening to see the "light and sound show" Anil wanted to take us to. I was a bit suspicious about how good it would be when we arrived and only paid 5 rupees (a few pence) to get in… and my suspicions were confirmed when we sat down to watch a musical fountain which would randomly shoot up water to music left to play from a CD! Needless to say, we didn't stay long before I headed back to bed!
Overall I enjoyed our fleeting tour of Rajasthan, it was just unfortunate that I have been ill for most of it with a cold, and then with stomach cramps from eating something with too much chilli in it - I think I've finally learnt my lesson (ask first if it has lots of chilli in it!). I suppose it was inevitable really that I would get ill within my first couple of weeks; I'm just grateful that I have so far managed to avoid the dreaded "Delhi belly"! I do think it's ironic though, that I have been in the middle of the hot desert and suffering with a heavier cold than I had during the winter whilst at home in the UK!
So I have just been resting today back in Delhi so that I can get better before we go off on our next jaunt. The only time I have left the house was to go next door to have a facial and a back massage for under six quid - bonus! I am hoping to spend the next couple of days exploring Delhi because I haven't spent much time here so far... so that's all for now until my next postcard.… Love, Rach x
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