Rajasthan

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Another early start for us! 5.30am the alarm went off! Sad to leave Mcleod Ganj, but ready for Rajasthan.. Just another 19 hour train ride to make it to Jodhpur. Unfortunatly we couldn't get a 2AC train and we had to take a 3AC. Meaning we shared our area with 6 indian dudes.. Not all to happy about that! We had to get used to the staring again.. Not just for 5 min.. but hours and hours... It doens't help if you ask them to look somewhere else! Grrrrrr....

Jodhpur

Arriving at 6am in the morning the city was still a sleep... Getting in our rickshaw we got welcomed by the fumes of piss and poo. Jodhpur the "Blue City" really is blue!
After waiting for our room for 4 hours we finally had a shower and got introduced to the McDonalds of India... A better name would be KFC. Walking around the Clocktower area we really got introduced being back in India... It's a hectic place with to many people! After that we decided just to chill out on the rooftop of our hostel.
A good night sleep can do wonders and we where ready to rock and roll agian! We went back to the Clocktower to get the famous omellete from the Omellete shop. This is a little shop on the street and the dude is making the best omelletes we've ever tasted. He goes through more than a thousand eggs a day and he's been doing this for more then 30 years!! Crazy that's what we call it! But hey it's making a good living!
After that experience we walked up to the Fort (Mehrangarh) and got ourselves an audiotour! Handy cause you can pretend not to hear all the indians asking you questions! 😊
Mighty Mehrangarh, the muscular fort that towers over the blue city of Jodhpur. The amazing walls appear to be growing naturally from the rocks below. The museum has many displays from elephant saddles to baby cribs to all weapons you can think of!
The one thing we couldn't believe is the story of the Maharaja's wifes.. Apparently when their husband dies they leave there handprints on the wall of the Fort and follow him to his funeral and sit in the fire without any emotions and burn together with their beloved husband.

The next day it was time to keep moving.. Instead of a train we went for the bus. Of course crazy overcrowed. More then 6 people in the sleeper compartment (normally 2 people by night) and the aisle full of women and children and not to forget all their goodies!

Jaisalmer

After arriving in Jaisalmer and kicking the touts away from us!! (politely telling them to f*ck off) The only thing we really wanted was a nice cold beer and seeing the sun setting of the fort of Jaisalmer.

Another city another fort. But this time it's more like a giant sandcastle. 99 Colassal bastions encircle the still "lived in" narrow streets. The fort and palace are all carved from the same golden honey sandstone.
Early in the morning we decided to have a look in the fort! It's different cause it's just a little city within. The famous words "look my shop, look my shop" where ringing in our ears! Trying to escape it we jumped into another audiotour. This time of the Maharaja Palace.
Only one full day in Jaisalmer we had to keep going... Jaisalmer is famous for it's camel trekking. But knowing me (ariska+animals=bad) and the prices we decided just to do an afternoon 4WD tour. Trying to get the feeling of the desert without needing to ride a camel.
RIP OFF!!! Our tour was more like bringing a camel man back to his village. And show us some random villages feeling awkward. Josh had to drink tea (opium tea) out of a dudes hand (think not clean!!). I was asked to give my silver ring, neckless and what more!
And to top it off our driver gave the camel man driving lessons with an 8 year old kid doing the gear work! This ending with us crashing into the bush and not making the turns we should!
The next day we where happy to leave again and back to Jodhpur just for the night. We had enough "overnighters" and wanted a good night sleep!

To Udaipur another bus. But nothing we've experienced before!! How can they call it a bus if they use it like a 4WD off road jeep safari. Sometimes there was a road, sometimes half/half and you can guess it sometimes nothing at all! After 4 hours bouncing around the roads got better and we where heading into the mountains. Our luck got even better. We hear a big BANG and see the bus roll backwards! There we are standing on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere!
WHERE ARE THE RICKSHAWS WHEN YOU NEED THEM!!!!!!!
Luckily half an hour later we where in another bus sitting in the middle of the aisle on our luggage direction Udaipur.

Udaipur

Udaipur being India's most romantic city we decided to take the honey moon suite!! Yes luxury and that for 16euros a night!!
Of course there was a lot to see.. Palaces, temples and all the common tourist atractions! Not really feeling the vibe anymore we still decided to go to the City Palace... Bummer! Weekend time is like 1 million Indians at one spot! We had to queue up for every painting, room, courtyard, etc... Not funny.. Trying to ask to guards "where is the exit" we just had to follow the crowd.
Maybe it's a romantic city but in Bollywood movies we guess!

Enough is enough.. Time to go to Pushkar.. Recommended by friends as a chillout place.

Pushkar

After a easy train ride we arrived at noon in Pushkar.. Where we met up with Heather and Nik (friends from Mcleod Ganj).
Brahma dropped a lotus flower on the earth and Pushkar appeared. This compact Hindu pilgrimage town, with one of the worlds few Brahma temples, curls around a sacred lake. Rows of ghats march down to the mystically placid lake.
This little town has a maze of streets around the lake with bazaar to bazaar! That means a lot of shopping to do! We had 5 full days in Pushkar and somehow the time flew!
Josh went one day with the crew on a motorbike adventure in the surrounding areas! Where he met "aloo baba". This is a holy man who only lives of potatos.
The rest of the days excited out of eating amazing falafel, sandwiches, fruit juices and real coffee!

Shanti shanti is all we can say!

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