My throat had showed little improvement from yesterday so today was designated an admin day. The India Railway website was running at a crawl, so I was unable to figure out the best train from Delhi to Amritsar, but I did get the name and the number of the train I want from Jaipur to Delhi. It's another early start - 5AM - but still preferable to an overnighter. At the station, I had to queue at the Foreigners, Handicapped, Freedom Fighters, Senior Citizens, Journalists, and MPs/MLAs counter. There were representatives of at least 3 of those categories in the queue. Lunch was taken at the hotel. Due to there only being one Indian dish on the menu (the veg thali I had last night), for variety's sake I picked out a cheese penne from the ... read more

Up at 4:20AM. As no-one was going to be around to get me hot water, the owner had given me an immersion heater to heat my bucket with. I had to bridge the bucket with a hanger, then the heater slotted over the hanger and dangled in the water - it couldn't be hung on the side of the bucket because of the risk of melting the plastic. The whole contraption looked like a recipe for death by electrocution, but I avoided this fate and also managed to wash my hair. According to the hotel owner, there was a rickshaw drivers' strike planned for today, in protest against government plans to force them to wear uniforms. Though it wasn't due to start until 8AM, I didn't want to run the risk of having to leg it ... read more

I appear incapable of leaving the hotel without getting lost, and this morning was no exception. I'd noticed yesterday that the dogs here were extremely territorial, and in the dawn quiet I managed to wander into the domain of one of the most aggressive of them. As soon as it saw me, it started barking away like crazy, as well as following me as I quickly retreated, and the commotion attracted a host of other yapping mutts plus several amused locals. Given the manginess of most of the animals, I'd be surprised if any of them had the energy to actually launch an attack, but at times like this you do start to think about your non-existent rabies injections. Undeterred, I continued my aimless searching for the Mehrangarh Fort entrance, and was soon rewarded by finding ... read more

I spent the morning trying to take unposed photos of people passing by on the street below. It had been quite difficult getting such shots (unguarded or otherwise) because so many people expect payment. I managed a couple but they do lose something from being taken at maximum zoom. It's a shame, because the village people here are so striking - the men, some with very light eyes, wearing their orange turbans, sporting earrings and enormous moustaches, the women in their colourful saris, with nose-rings and henna. Fifu gave me a CD of the gypsy music as a parting present, which was both thoughtful and a good memento. This place has definitely been a winning combination of a very good room, and a management keen to keep customers happy. I was given a Jeep ride to ... read more

Finally a hotel with unlimited hot water! Unfortunately the shower is another one that is reluctant to emit water in anything other than a dribble, so I got another chance to practise my bucket bath technique. As I left my room, I bumped into the Canadian guy, who explained conspiratorially that he had already told Jitu that the evening's entertainment had been overpriced. I spoke with Fifu later, and he was very fair about it all. In fact he even asked me to name my price, and I suggested 50% of the cost, which he accepted. This was not the only demonstration of good service that I had during my stay. I went over to Jaisalmer Fort today. It towers over the rest of the town, and appears to be hewn out of the solid sandstone ... read more