Jaisalmer > Bharatpur

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Let see...
Where did I leave off...

Jaisalmer!
After our camel safari we enjoyed about 2 and a half days where we did some shopping... and more excitingly got to better know our host, Ashraf who had been away when we first arrived. Such a lovely soul who spent much of his 20s visiting different ashrams and temples of different faiths in India where he did a lot of meditating. I enjoyed a couple afternoons of sharing stories about our spiritual journeys: such a joy to find kindred souls along the way. If anyone is ever in Jaisalmer you must stay at Apollo hotel. When Ashraf is there, he offers 4 different types of free meditation (including kundalini and other both active and still meditations). He was also setting up for Bangra dancing for the guests the night we were leaving. Such a great soul.

We took the (you may perhaps remember) cushier AC train out of Jaisalmer. What a treat! For the most part, the layout of the train was the same as in regular sleeper class. The big difference was in the cleanliness of the train. The toilets were cleaner and even had hand soap! And...we got 2 sheets, a pillow and a blanket! Wow. Luxury! No dust and no draft. it was a WAY better ride than into the desert.

We landed in Bharatpur in the morning: home of a bird sanctuary... and more mosquitos than you can possibly imagine. Oddly, though you could count a 30 or more mosquitos on the ceiling of our room, I don't think I got a single bite. I guess that would make Bharatpur home to not only the most mosquitos... but also the world's most considerate ones :-)

Only having one day and night there, we quickly took some breakfast, had the hotel pack us some sandwiches and headed to walk to the park about one kilometer away. 100 meters out the door, we met our soon-to-be tour guide, Mann Singh. We hesitated to employ him, at first only agreeing to the Rs20 ride to the park... but soon found that we wanted not only the first hour of his expertise but also a second. Mann Singh knew where the spotted owls hid and the names of so many birds, and other animals in the park. He took such great care of us rounding us up and telling us when to jump on and off of his cycle rickshaw to get all the best photos and views with our binoculars. We rented bikes for our last 2 hours in the park and though the cycling was fun, we realized how great it was to have had Mann as there was so much we likely cycled past without his expertise. Thanks Mann Singh!

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Photos

Night train
The upper berths - our preferred mode of nocturnal transport

Spotted owl
One of the highlights at the bird sanctuary

Mann Singh & me
Our trusty bird sanctuary guide/cycle rickshaw driver

Comments

[Ashraf]

thanks
Thankyou my friend. please come back have meditation together... sending you so much love and hug. Ashraf