At Harasar Haveli,Bikaner

So I have survived my penultimate day of touring Rajastahn ,we have about 350k to travel back to Jaipur tomorrow.Perhaps and if I survive,the greatest favour I could bestow on India and the world would be to shoot my driver dead,the man is too dangerous for description.About 100,000 people lose their lives on the roads of India per year,conservatively if even only 4 people are injured per death we are looking ay maybe 500,000 or half a million tragedies per annum that do not need to happen.

Each time we drive between cities I see the detritus of this road toll,the smashed,crushed heaps of scrap metal on the roadside,that signify survival was not possible.

OK have just had a chicken masala dinner with a Kingfisher so will climb down from the soapbox now and dwell on the problem facing me,on the morrow I will be expected to reward the guy with a significant tip,which I will do but no way am I going to endorse his driving which he will also expect .I am sure arrival at final destination alive and well =accomplished driving,in his estimation.

One sort of hazard

Another

And another

Jaisalmer

About to travel on to Bikaner via Gajnor.Have enjoyed Jaisalmer it is the epitome of an Oasis town,with the fort perched on the only high rocky hill with 360 degree views of the flat surrounding desert.no surprise that this fort too was never taken in battle.It is rather incongruous though to be steeped in old Moghul history and look out on mile and miles of modern windmill farms in every direction that provide electricity to this town.

Jodhpur to Jaisailmer

The major attraction of Jodhpur is the magnificent 1459 Mehrangarh fort which dominates the city from the sheer sides of a rocky hiltop .It is a palace within a fort within another fort and has proved to be unassailable in all it's battles against the neighbouring kingdoms.

The journey to Jaisalmer began with an unfortunate accident with a collision between a Tuk Tuk and a car which threw the TukTuk driver on to the road,the vehicle and it's passenger then careered out of control into our car denting the driver side panels and wiping out the mirror.My driver Anil stopped got out pulled off the wreckage of the mirror and then continued the drive leaving behind the chaos and at least two injured people, without a backward glance,this is the reality of India.

Most of the road across the Thar desert was in great condition and we motored on at high speed to Jaisalmer.There was a strong military presence everywhere due to the proximity of the border with Pakistan and the reason for the good road is for rapid response and deployment.This probably explains why the jet fighters had been swooping over Jodhpur from first light too.

Immediately after checking in at my hotel we were off again for another hours drive deeper into the desert.We stopped at a caravanserai where I was out of the car and onto a camel before I could even think about the wisdom of such a venture,the cameleer then led us off into the sand dunes at a fast walk.I unfortunately missed many great photo opportunities of the wild peacocks and deer  because I had to hang onto the pommel of the saddle with a death grip to remain seated,no stirrups you see.

After another hour of this we arrived atop a sand dune just in time to witness  the desert sunset which had been the object of all this frantic activity.

After sunset I re boarded the camel this time with my ancient cameleer riding pillion and we trotted back to the village in darkness,this where I discovered it is much more comfortable to ride a camel at the trot than the walk.Back at the village there was an evening of cultural music,song and dance from the local tribes people that was unforgettable.

Arrived back at the hotel about10.30 pm totally buggered.

Mehrangarh fort

The blue city of Jodhpur

Battlement 

the palace within

Coffee break 

My view

Sunset

This dancer was fantastic

Udaipur to Jodhpur

Have left the rains of Udaipur behind as I hoped we would after clearing the surrounding hills.The journey to Ranakpur was very scenic especially the looping horseshoe bends down to the plain.The temple stands alone in an idyllic setting of woodland,there is no town of Ranakpur just a 600 year old marble temple of domes and pillars.The Jain religion is a peaceful one dating back to 500 BC.It seems to me to be a sort of amalgam of Hinduism and Buddhism,they believe in the Hindu gods but they also have prophets and they worship a Buddha style being but who is human but has not attained Godhood but nirvana.

There are custodians who are mostly young men who dress like monks and act as guides,they are descendants of the 15 th century Jains that built the temple,and once again as happened at the Brahma temple in  Pushkar I was blessed and prayed for and pretty much absolved . Arrived late afternoon at Jodhpur,visited the current Maharajah's palace called the Umaid Palace and after checking in at my 1826 Havelli,I went for a walk to the market square where I just people watched for an hour or so .Jodhpur sits on the edge of the Thar desert and tonight sitting on the rooftop over a couple of beers and a Mutton Masala the sounds of the haunting chant and musical wail from the nearby Mosque,the gentle cool breeze blowing off the desert and the smell uniquely India reminded me why I am here,you wouldn't be dead for quids.

Tomorrow after first visiting the magnificent fort that stands like a sentinel over the old town where I am,we will drive 300 ks through the desert to the town of Jaisalmer.

Dropping down to Ranakpur .

Mother and child

Ranakpur  Temple

One of the 80 domes

Ask not for whom the bell tolls...

Some of the 1444 columns are not straight to remind that only God  is perfect.

The circle of life

Udaipur Palace

This palace has been occupied for 20 generations of the same family making it the oldest Royal family in the world.There is a large spa sized marble bath that used to be full of silver coins of which the Maharaja would distribute 25% to his people by throwing them out of the window.He has a solid silver coach and elephant howdah.The current Maharajas father once replied to an invitation of George V to meet him in Delhi,that the King could come to Udaipur but wear his sword and be prepared to die for the insult,or he the King could apologize .Apparently King George the fifth both apogized and visited 

The bath used for silver coins

O

The royal bedchamber,of gold,silver and mirrored glass

The lady liked blue

The city

Detail

Before marriage

After marriage

Udaipur

The 425 k ride was something of a trial,I was pretty much a nervous wreck after facing oncoming sudden death multiple times during the road trip from Jaipur to Udaipur.I had a short stop at Pushkar,a very holy town and the site of the only Brahma temple in the world,at a ghat on the holy lake I made my offering of spice,salt,sugar,rice,saffron lotus petals and marigolds.I repeated after the priest prayers to Brahma,Vishnu,and Shiva and had my entire previous karma ended and left with brand new spanking karma.My confessed atheism just attracted a benign smile and a shake of the head.

Anyway here I am in the wonderfully romantic town of Udaipur,surrounded by mountains and a lake at the center I am rather sorry to have to leave.

Just kidding

Pushkar lake

Even the cows are Yogis

Watching me watching him

Road block ahead

Oncoming traffic

Haveli Window view,Udaipur