From Japuir to Ranthambhore

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After partying it up in the booze free, drug free, meat free paradise that was Pushcar, we decided to head down to Jaipur to calm things down a touch. After a night of rooftop rummy and a few well earned Kingfishers (the bev of choice amongst most Indians), we went to Jaipur Fort, which looked like a smaller and far less impressive Great Wall of China. It was a bit of a walk to the top, so we decided to take the elephants - not the most comfortable mode of transport, but an experience all the same. There wasn't a great deal else to do in Jaipur, so after a night in our hotel room watching a ridiculously exciting game of cricket (England vs. India) and trying unsuccessfully to recreate it with a coke bottle, it was a relief to be on the move again.

We drove down to Ranthambhore, an area associated with its famous safari. However, with two nights booked and not a great deal going on, things were again looking a little bleak. It picked up a little though, when we discovered a nice little playing field and a group of enthusiastic (if slightly uncoordinated) Indian lads. After giving them a convincing 5-0 thumping on the football pitch, one waiter insisted on cycling two KM to the nearest market to pick up a couple of cricket balls. With an inexperienced side, we expected the Indians to put us firmly in our place. However, with Eakins in top all round form, Coombsy solid with the bat, Tobi 'The Geezer' Griffiths (I'll explain later...) making some spectacular catches, Joe 'Matt Prior' Wilkes wicketkeeping like it was going out of fashion and Yours Truly taking more than his fair share of Indian wickets, we managed to beat the Indians at their own game, winning convincingly over two innings . Needless to say the celebrations were raucous.

Maybe a little too much so. We suffered our first casualty of the trip as Eakins dived into the swimming pool, cracking his chin on his knee and knocking out a tooth in the process. Fair play to him though, he took it all on the chin.

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