After a lazy two days in Pushkar I'm back in Jaipur and have met up with Jon and David before we head for some camel trekking in the Thar desert!

Pushkar was definitely an experience, a tiny town centred on a huge lake surrounded by ghats - tiny bathing pools - and temples. Walking round the whole place took only about half an hour. And getting there was an adventure in itself, fighting to get on the local public bus while everyone argued who had reserved which seat using whose handkerchief, being crammed in for the half-hour, 9 rupee journey (about 13p!) and breathing a sigh of relief when it was finally time to get off! I stayed in a beautiful place in the grounds of an old temple, painted in bright blues and purple and yellow with a lush garden of orange and yellow irises and vived pink bougainvillea. The place made a thankful relief from the chaos of the city. Although it's impossible to escape the endless calls to visit people's shops and buy this, that and the other, calls of "namaste" - good day - definitely outweighed the usual hassle! And despite being chased down the road on one occasion by an angry dog (!) the whole experience was definitely relaxing.

Just off for my last rooftop breakfast in Jaipur before on to Jaisalmer on the night train tonight!