Blogs from Nagaur, Rajasthan, India, Asia

March 9 we leave Khimsar and head off for the short drive to Nagaur. A largely uneventful drive through the usual arid countryside. The occasional toll booth is manned here by Border Security Force. We are about 160 miles from Pakistan so security is noticeable especially as there is intelligence that ten terrorists crossed into Indai from Pakistan a few days ago.. From time to time policemen can be seen lolling around under umbrellas, guns propped against their chairs, alongside the road. We reach Nagaur and are amused to be at the front of the queue at a level crossing. The barrier is a red pole lowered by a long rope. However clearly it is considered merely advisory rather than mandatory to stay behind the barrier when it is down. Families, old women and all sorts ... read more

Camels are not cute. They're not even pretty. In fact, some might say they're downright ugly. They're cantankerous. They regurgitate their food and chew it with protruding teeth, sideways. And they don't smell good either. Nevertheless, we thought Nagaur, home at this time of year to the second-largest livestock fair in India, would be a good place to break our journey north from Jodhpur. So, our itinerary included a brief stop to see the camels, cows and horses and to find lunch before driving another few hours to our pre-booked night-stop at Roopangarh. What we didn't know until we met Devendra at the Maharani Bagh in Ranakpur (see: ) was that her father, Karan Singh Bhati, was in charge of the Royal Tents - a fabulous tented hotel currently pitched, especially to cater for visitors to ... read more