Friday, December 31, 2004
walk like an egyptian
post christmas the great adventure moved onto jaisalmair, just about as close to pakistan as you can get without actually crossing the border.
the tourist - for that is what we are - agenda there revolves firmly around disappearing into the surrounding desert on a 'camel trek'.
some overeager souls chose 16 days of this. rather more conservatively (and as it turned out - wisely) we chose the 2 day, 1 night option. off we went into the desert with my prediction, resurrecting an old favourite, that it would be absolute bobbins.
i wasn't far wrong. riding a camel is about as uncomfortable as you'd imagine. thankfully - from a comfort perspective - we went very slowly though clearly this meant we didn't exactly cover much ground. our guides were very fond of 'village visits' which meant dismounting and running the gauntlet of local children all convinced that we must have come with hundreds of pens for them.
anyway, uncomfortable camels aside, the 2 days were actually great fun. our 2 guides were the perfect hosts, cooking some of the best food we've had in india on just one camp fire. sleeping under the stars in the middle of sand dunes was a great experience despite the cow that marched through our campsite during the night.
finally, get well soon to grandma croft from both of us.
the tourist - for that is what we are - agenda there revolves firmly around disappearing into the surrounding desert on a 'camel trek'.
some overeager souls chose 16 days of this. rather more conservatively (and as it turned out - wisely) we chose the 2 day, 1 night option. off we went into the desert with my prediction, resurrecting an old favourite, that it would be absolute bobbins.
i wasn't far wrong. riding a camel is about as uncomfortable as you'd imagine. thankfully - from a comfort perspective - we went very slowly though clearly this meant we didn't exactly cover much ground. our guides were very fond of 'village visits' which meant dismounting and running the gauntlet of local children all convinced that we must have come with hundreds of pens for them.
anyway, uncomfortable camels aside, the 2 days were actually great fun. our 2 guides were the perfect hosts, cooking some of the best food we've had in india on just one camp fire. sleeping under the stars in the middle of sand dunes was a great experience despite the cow that marched through our campsite during the night.
finally, get well soon to grandma croft from both of us.
the blue city
..only a couple of photos of jodphur, the blue city (including none of the blue buildings!).
christmas time..
mistletoe and wine. a few photos of christmas in udaipur.
once there was a lake, now there is a field and a puddle 
it's just another manic monday, i wish it were sunday...
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
so this is christmas
Well, before I start, it must be said that pete and I have been watching the news like everyone else. although affecting quite a few of the places we intended to visit in a few weeks time, we felt no aftershocks where we are now. of course our plans may now have to change - but we won't decide that for a little while. obviously in the light of the events our usual irreverent commentary seems a bit inappropriate but i guess life goes on...
so here it is, christmas in udaipur, 'the most romantic water front city in india'.
First pete and I schlepped all the way out to udaipur 10 hrs further on a train than we really wanted to go - all to make sure that we had a nice place to spend christmas.
on arrival we found that the lovely lake was now a field due to drought for the last 5 years (you would have thought the book might have mentioned that!) and our hotel had downgraded our room (and was under construction in many places). not the nightmare it could otherwise have been - the town was still pretty and we saved LOTS on the room (money redirected to christmas shopping for me!).
The 'delightful' christmas eve dinner with live entertainment (as sold to us by our hotel) turned out to be a curry buffet with a keyboard player. it was so bad it was good!
christmas day did not disappoint. we had the parcel from my mum and 4 christmas cards - including the one from our hotel ('pray to end world terror, merry christmas'). Then we trundled off for our christmas lunch sponsored by pete's nan at the poshest hotel we could find (we weren't paying afterall!) located in the middle of the so-called lake. we enjoyed looking out the windows at cows and motorcyclists making their way across the 'lake bottom'. lunch was another buffet - this time significantly better with unlimited dessert and turkey and a bottle of wine (our first since russia). and all wrapped up in the evening with 2 very welcome phone calls from home.
if only i hadn't woken up the next day with food poisoning. from the fish at dinner (not the 8 desserts I had at nan's lunch) I am sure.
on the 26th we set out for jodphur and onwards to jaisalmer (where we are now) - both seem like lovely towns. we are setting out on a camel trek in the thar desert between india and pakistan tomorrow so will be out of contact for a day or 2. pete is adamant we will have a look for osama bin laden while we're out there (he's aiming for the 25 million dollars reward)... more updates will, of course follow.
special thanks to tina and aidan, jim and helen, mum and dad wylie for our christmas cards, nan carol for our lunch and mum and dad blain for the package.
so here it is, christmas in udaipur, 'the most romantic water front city in india'.
First pete and I schlepped all the way out to udaipur 10 hrs further on a train than we really wanted to go - all to make sure that we had a nice place to spend christmas.
on arrival we found that the lovely lake was now a field due to drought for the last 5 years (you would have thought the book might have mentioned that!) and our hotel had downgraded our room (and was under construction in many places). not the nightmare it could otherwise have been - the town was still pretty and we saved LOTS on the room (money redirected to christmas shopping for me!).
The 'delightful' christmas eve dinner with live entertainment (as sold to us by our hotel) turned out to be a curry buffet with a keyboard player. it was so bad it was good!
christmas day did not disappoint. we had the parcel from my mum and 4 christmas cards - including the one from our hotel ('pray to end world terror, merry christmas'). Then we trundled off for our christmas lunch sponsored by pete's nan at the poshest hotel we could find (we weren't paying afterall!) located in the middle of the so-called lake. we enjoyed looking out the windows at cows and motorcyclists making their way across the 'lake bottom'. lunch was another buffet - this time significantly better with unlimited dessert and turkey and a bottle of wine (our first since russia). and all wrapped up in the evening with 2 very welcome phone calls from home.
if only i hadn't woken up the next day with food poisoning. from the fish at dinner (not the 8 desserts I had at nan's lunch) I am sure.
on the 26th we set out for jodphur and onwards to jaisalmer (where we are now) - both seem like lovely towns. we are setting out on a camel trek in the thar desert between india and pakistan tomorrow so will be out of contact for a day or 2. pete is adamant we will have a look for osama bin laden while we're out there (he's aiming for the 25 million dollars reward)... more updates will, of course follow.
special thanks to tina and aidan, jim and helen, mum and dad wylie for our christmas cards, nan carol for our lunch and mum and dad blain for the package.
