Blogs from Barmer, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Some time back I had read about ancient temples at Kiradu in Rajasthan. Ever since, it was in my list of the "must visit places". During our Jaisalmer-Jodhpur trip, we ensured not to miss Kiradu! We drove down to Barmer via Palanpur, Deesa, Sanchor,... and asked for directions to the 'Kiradu temples' near Barmer. It is a pity that being such an amazing archeological wonder of the country, it is not much heard of. However, it is very much accessible by car. When we reached there, the main gate was closed and looked like it had been closed for a very long time! As per the written timings, it should have been open; however, there was no trace of the ticket window either! We found a small gate, just besides the main gate (not so visible), ... read more

Shiv - Work Placements Shiv is a little town in the Barmer district of Rajasthan, not too far from the Pakistan border. There's not too much to tell about the place, so I'll keep it brief. It's a dirty, dusty den of Indian activity, the roadsides lined with market stalls, shops and a multitude of goats and cattle, and the road packed with buses, cars and bikes. The people are typically dark-skinned Rajasthani. They are reasonably used to seeing white people due to the proximity of the camp, but they still hustle round every time we step out, a steady stream of stares and "namaste's" bouncing off us. Each morning the bus leaves at 9.45am, and drops us at our individual work placements. I get Child Labour in the morning, and English teaching in the ... read more

Camp 31/12/07-20/01/08 Lok Rang camp in the town of Shiv is a walled compound, filled with small huts which we live in, and larger ones, housing the kitchen/dinning room and the rec room. We arrive in the afternoon of new years eve. There are six other volunteers in camp, all girls, making us eleven in total. I share a hut with Laurence. Our hut has two single beds either side of the room made of wood and straw, and a bunk in the middle. We take a bed each, first checking for any signs of mouse infestation, a problem we were warned about by the others. Laurence, it has to be said, has a special aversion for all things creepy-crawly, especially mice and rats. At various points during the first couple of weeks, he freaks ... read more