On The Road Through Rajasthan .. in a vauxhall corsa!

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We managed to arrange a driver in Delhi to take us where ever we want to go for the next 2 weeks for an agreed 125 pounds. We pay 60% up front and 40% on completion of the trip with the aim to cover Mandawa, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Poshkar, Jaipor and Agra. We should also be going to Rathambor National Park to try find some wild tigers.

Once we set off, we were very happy to leave Delhi behind us and head into Rajasthan. Our driver (Gino) seems very friendly and keeps getting us into nice accommodation very cheaply (approx 6 pounds a night).

The roads are insane; we have driven down motorways while weaving in and out of tuk tuks, camel carts, elephants, rickshaws, auto rickshaws and other types of transport I can’t even begin to describe.

There seems to be a massive gap in class between the different groups of people. Some seem to be left behind while others seem to be moving forward with the rat race. But whoever they are, they all seem to want to fleece you of your cash!

Since my last blog we have been to Mandawa which is a small laid back town. We walked around the town, we was invited into a few houses and had tea with the locals in the Market.

Everywhere we go, we get chased by kids down the road... shouting hello hello ... followed by Euro coin .. Euro coin.

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On our return we visited Bikaner market. While wondering around the market I decided to try and buy some spices. I went over to a tribal woman and offered to buy some spices. She proceeded to start shouting at me and waving her stick around in the air. lots of people in the market stopped to look and began laughing. As I backed off a bloke come over to me and said - ha ha you went over to the local crazy woman ha ha - Well I guess there is always one in every village hay.

Around Bikaner the street life is amazing. I can’t even begin to describe the insane methods of transport in use, or the way in which our driver weaves in and out of cars, tuk tuks, rickshaws, bicycles, elephants, camel’s cows, dogs, and the occasional accident. There appears to be no traffic order - its complete mayhem. Most of the drivers appear to be high on opium. I have never seen anything like it.

The pollution is really messing me up... Oh well i guess thats the price you have to pay to see streets of mayhem!

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