Jaisalmer

We have spent a couple of days in Jaipur and are now in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan near the Pakistan border.

Our journey from Agra to Jaipur was interesting. We decided to take a local bus as it was (in theory) faster and more reliable than the train service. The bus was an interesting design - perhaps best described as a rolling coffin. Ancient of course. The seats were surprisingly comfortable but you had to be a contortionist to get in and out because the access was completely blocked by a steel ladder that led to a sleeping compartment above the seats. This compartment formed a steel plate above our heads and made our ceiling very low. Complete lack of storage left us no choice than to put our luggage under our feet. Bodies without seats filled the floor of the central passageway ready to be ejected en masse throught the front windscreen should the bus come to a sudden stop. To ensure no possibility of escape in the event of an accident, our windows were protected by steel bars.

In the rush to get to the bus I forgot to go to the bathroom and settled in for the 6 hour journey knowing that I was in trouble. Indians are always very helpful (though rarely accurate) and one kindly informed me that the bus did not stop before it reached Jaipur. After an hour I was wishing we had taken a train with it's filthy but accessable toilets (did I ever mention that train passageways were usually moist and muddy as a result of people visiting the toilets and then returning to their seats with wet shoes?). By two hours I was squirming and finally with 3 hours of journey left, I gave up and under cover of my jacket used one of our water bottles to end the agony. Within 3 minutes of doing this the bus pulled in for it's routine half way rest break.

If anyone would like a cheap water bottle, please let me know.

Jaisalmer features a large and spectacular fort on a hill. Inside it is a fully functional small city with many people living there. Tourism seems to be it's most important industry.

We've just come back from a two day camel safari into the Thar Desert. Can't say I enjoyed it much - I prefer to walk! - but the desert was lovely at night.

We were in a fairly new four wheel drive going out to the village where we were to meet our camels. Miracle - it had functional seat belts! When we went to put them on we were assured that it was not necessary as Rajasthan laws made wearing of seat belts optional. Useful information to have!

One of our camel drivers turned out to be albino. His face was bright red from sunburn and eyes nearly closed from the constant glare he is exposed to. We told him about the dangers of skin cancer and the importance of covering up. This seemed to be news to him but sadly not something he was going to do anything about.

I've received word from home that my Diploma of Renewable Energies has come through. I'm finally qualified to install solar panels (among other things). That's a relief! I now have to wait until January 11 to see if this has gained me entry to Engineering at QUT.

An overnight train back to Jaipur ahead of us and then a flight to Mumbai and finally home.

Looking forward to some real Aussie food!