Blog pause.

At the moment I'm in jodhpur, and leaving to Varanasi tomorrow. Wifi is hard to find so as a result I won't be posting as much. The plan is to spend the rest of my time in varanasi and then head to Nepal. Lucas is staying in jodhpur, and going to hampi next. He'll meet me in varanasi in a week

Desert trekking. Day 1-4

Day 1.

We started off by driving 20 kilometers or so outside of jaisalmer into the desert to meet up with our camels and guides. We met 2 people from Mylasia and trekked with them for the first day. Walking and walking, lunch, then more walking until dinner. The whole day was desert but there were small trees and bushes until we hit the dunes. The dunes were much nicer, and better to camp in, but they didn't go on for long. The entire thar desert is always changing from hard rocky desert, to small trees desert, to desert ocean dunes. Ones things for certain, it's hot. The night time consisted of camp fires, Chai tea, and a desert meal that the guides would make from hand. For breakfast it was always hard boiled eggs, toast and jam, and crackers. For lunch it was spices and vegetables with chapati, and for dinner it was rice, vegetables and chapati again. It was easy to get used to the desert at night. The stars are blistering out of the sky in every direction. We slept on blankets in the sand, and quickly had to get used to the desert night life. Beetles, scorpions, and snakes would be out at night. The scorpions and snakes were deadly poisonous, but the Beetles didn't bite. We spent the first night having Beetles snug under our blankets and walk over top of us. We awoke our morning to Beetle tracks all around and through our blankets.

Day 2

We split up from our friends since they were only doing a 1 day trek. Me, Lucas, and our guide, Piru went further on. We never really knew where we were going or where we were. We would come across wells, and after lunch was had, we came across a desert village where we had another guide join, Mango. Mango was quiet, but was always trying his best to make everyone happy. When we started the trek, Piru would have the camels and walk them to where we need to go, but by the second day we were in full control of the camels, which was good, except I had no idea where we were going. We eventually came across more dunes where we set up camp and spent the night.

Day 3

We spent day three making distance.
We came across 2 more villages where we got greeted by young children. They were so full of energy and we were completely exhausted, but they still made the day better. When we arrived at our 3rd village we met another guide and foreigner doing a 1 day trek so we decided to carry on together. We eventually made it out to more dunes, and started setting up camp again. We found a small hut in the dunes which had beds, or tables that gave us something to sleep on. Piru explained to me that we're in snake sands. Lots of snakes come out at night where we are. Don't go to the bathroom at night unless you have to. We survived the night, but unfortunately against our luck we got rained on. Not much you can do when you get rained on in the desert. The days were hot and the nights were cold, but it was great.

Day 4

We awoke with the daily routines, made Chai tea, hard boiled eggs, toast and jam, and crackers. We talked for as long as you can before it gets too hot and made our way. We walked until we found a road where we got picked up. 4 days was a good amount of time in the desert. Our guide Piru has been there for 20 years

Jaisalmer.

We took a night bus to jaisalmer from pushkar. all crazy bumps and madness for the whole night but we made it. Found Abu's safari, a hotel and camel trek guide who we arranged a 4 dey trek towards the Pakistan border. All about could tell us about the trek was "deep deep desert, very good". Tomorrow morning at 8 we will have the thar desert (the great Indian desert) to explore. It will be me, Lucas, our guide and our 3 camels.

We met up with our friend from Phong Nha, Tes, and spent some time seeing jaisalmer. The fort in jaisalmer is outstanding! Still with hundreds of people living in it. Jaisalmer is beautiful, but I'm interested in what lays beyond the city.

I won't be posting for 4 days. I'll be back with a story or two.

Rajasthan, pushkar.

We've spent the last couple days in pushkar, relaxing, and getting more involved in the Indian ways. Cows, monkeys, and dogs live here the same as any one else would, and they are treated the same. It's very common to be walking and have to make your way around bulls in the street, or to step in their poo. We've already become accustomed to this, bulls and monkeys are just part of a normal day.

We rented a motorcycle the other day and took it outside the city. There's not a lot out there but one thing I can say for certain is Indian drivers are the worst drivers I have ever witnessed.

We've witnessed a lot more of the culture here in pushkar, and also we've been apart of it. Today we bathed in the ghats. Tomorrow we will be leaving to jaisalmer. There we will take camels into the desert towards the Pakistan border. 4 days and 3 nights.

Pushkar

A long Tran ride. Local this time. Extremely crowded. After a 7 hour train to Ajmer we got off and hopped on a local bus to pushkar. We're in Rajasthan now and it's noticeably different. There's a strong middle eastern influence here, desert and mountains. After a bus journey through the mountains we arrived at pushkar. Extremely beautiful, and not big. A lot of tourists here. We're planning on renting bikes to explore our new playground tomorrow.

The festival of Holi

Undoubted insane.

We took a taxi to vrindivan, arriving around 7 am. We made our way to the bikari temple, the temple devoted to Krishna. We were in the belly of the beast. We found the place to be. Immediately we were being showered in colours. In the mouth, eyes, ears, nose. You name it, everything got coloured. By the time we made it though a small corridor to the temple, with thousands of people, we pushed and shoved our way inside. No photography aloud they said. Yea right did I travel across the world for a once in a lifetime festival to not get photos. It was difficult but I made it happen. After a hour or so inside the temple with cheering and praying, and all other sorts of mayhem we made our way out into the city again.

We stayed in vrindivan until noon where we decided to head back. It was absolutely more than we could handle. It was unlike anything I could ever describe or show with pictures. You need to be there to experience the feelings it brings.

Fatehpur Sikri

We got on a local bus to take us 50km outside of Agra to check out Fatehpur Sikri, a massive temple and Mosque. Endless roads and temples with goats, dogs, birds, and bulls everywhere. Just below the temple in the town people were getting ready for the Holi celebrations.  Colours were flying, but not like they will be tomorrow. We got back and found two guys from Brazil, found a taxi for tomorrow and are heading to Vrindivan to experience the full on festivities. Mathura, which is extremely close to Vrindivan, is Krishnas birthplace, but Krishna was raised in Vrindivan, so both Mathura and Vrindivan will be full on loud and colourful. 5am pick up tomorrow. We plan on buying some traditional white Garb to get the full experience.

The Taj Mhahal

We awoke, and had breakfast at our home stay
The family at the home stay is incredibly nice and friendly. While eating breakfast we hear a small commotion as if somethings gone wrong. The baboons, which run across the rooftops had broke a pipe and the water was leaking. After a rant about how the plumbers always happy this happens because monkeys are seen as God's in India, and he sees this as  blessing, one of the brothers, Usif, turns to us and says "Come now, we go shoot monkeys" before we know it we're standing on the rooftop of our hotel with an airgun shooting at baboons. It was an interesting morning.

After our war with monkeys we made our way to the Taj Mhahal. Pure marble, shipped from Rajasthan. Architects from the middle east. the Taj Mhahal is unlike anything iv seen in my life. Pictures don't serve it justice. It's a monument you need to see with your own eyes.

After the Taj we went to a carpet factory where they make carpets by hand, stitch by stitch. A good day in Agra. Lots to do.

Agra!

Woke up and walked towards the Taj Mhahal. Unfortunately it's Friday, and now open to Muslims, so we went get to go inside until tomorrow. Went through the nature gardens, and got some good views of the Taj. With over a billion people living in India, I'm amazed at how much wildlife there is here. Hawks, parrots, donkeys, horses, cows, buffalo, pigs, camels, baboons. It's wonderful. We got a rickshaw to take us to Agra Fort next, which was the most amazing architecture iv ever seen. The palace, which is massive, dates back to the 1400s,and is made of marble. Afterward we explored baby Taj, the gardens, and the local markets.