jalismer/udaipur.

much to our delight the train wasn't bad. we boarded feeling worried and intimidated.. mike caught a hand in his back pocket within the first 2 minutes (he's got good reflexes).. and on 5 benches in our immediate vacinity i could count 21 people without even turning my head, not including the 4 of us [and all very blatantly staring at the foreigners].. not what one would call 'spacious' or 'comfortable'.. however, we all loosened up a bit (while still remaining very cautious with our belongings..) and by 10pm the train had cleared out and we each had our own bed [hard bench], which was 100x better than our 24 hour stint in the upright seats.. the constant draft through the windows was terribly cold but we wore as many layers and we could find and have now acquired blankets for the overnight rides..

i could not believe the scenery on the ride.. they leave the train car doors open (i'm not sure they even had doors) and you could just hang out there and take it all in.. desert.. camels.. a few shrubs and huts along the way.. amazing. we arrived in jalismer at 1pm and were ushered straight to the henna hotel by a man we met on the train [he was legit]. settled in and got straight to exploring the city.. we walked around the old fort which is raised up on a hill and has tons of buildings surrounded by massive walls, all built with sand stone.. witnessed a beautiful sunset from up there..

the next morning we set out bright and early for an overnight camel trek! we rode for 4 hours the first day, stopping for lunch in the heat of the afternoon to duck under a tree and catch a nap.. i rode the 'rocket'.. melissa was on 'raza'.. stacy clopped along on 'partner'.. mike's didn't have a name but we referred to it as 'fonty'.. while steen picked up the rear with 'michael jackson'.. good 'ol mj.. doesn't matter what country, everyone knows who he is.. nobody thought they'd walk again by the time we dismounted to set up camp.. you don't realise how many muscles go unused until you ride a camel..

the scenery and basically the entire experience of being there [and india in general] is indescribable.. words don't give justice to the rippled dunes and the sunset and the beetles scuttling all over the place.. the curry and chipati's cooked on open flame.. the coolness quickly taking over the sand and air as soon as the sun had set.. the conversations had at the bonfire.. we had tent malfunctions and ended up camping out under the stars.. never have i seen a sky like that in my life.

the next morning we woke to a hot cup of chai and watched the sunrise. another few hours on the camels, and we were back in the city.. (by this point we could hardly move, nevermind walk..) but i want to do this again.

we bused to udaipur that afternoon and arrived at 5am, finding refuge at the palace view hostel which is owned by an adorable couple. they have been very good to us. i decided to get my nose pierced and found a place.. possibly sketchy, forever unforgettable.. we all got henna on our feet and legs.. walked down to the lake and hiked about 30 minutes up a mountain for an amazing panoramic view of the city where we again watched the sunset..

back at our hostel, we arranged for a 'cooking class' [we had chosen our dishes that morning..] however a random power outage didn't allow it.. they just made it for us when it came back on and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner over candles on the rooftop where we had a full view of the palace and city.. fireworks were going off everywhere as many people were celebrating weddings, and we just reaped the benefits..

today we checked out the palace, and are now heading to a restaurant before jumping on another overnight bus.. agra in the morning.