Next stop Jaisalmer, the bus being luxurious compared to the previous. We were met at the bus station by the hotel, recommended by a couple we had met in Varanasi, and the rooftop yet again provided the most amazing view of the old city and ancient fort towering over the rooftops below and all glowing gold as the sun sunk below the horiz
on shortly after our arrival. Having booked the required camel safari the following day was free top explore the old town and fort, unique in that it is still home to around 25% of the old cities inhabitants, other forts are all empty. Despite all the hawkers and touts, the narrow streets adorned with
the magnificent stonework of old havelis along with the fort itself still appear to have leapt straight from the pages of a medieval fairytale. We had a great time meandering through the lanes of the fort, exploring the magnificent Jain temple complex housed within, and then the old town, somehow managing to find Patwa-ki-Haveli. This huge former home bridges a narrow lane and the stonework detail is unsurpassable. Inside the treat continues with room after room of opulent decoration and furniture giving a real glimpse into the lives of the then rich. The following morning, bright and early we were picked up by 4x4 and whisked to our waiting camels and four guides. Pepsi
was to provide my transport for the next 3 days with big Ali, who looked like an India Chuckle Brother, providing the steadying hand on this reluctant, complaining 3 year old. Little Ali was the provider of endless enthusiasm and at 20 had learnt English from his 10 years already spent in
the job. Bobby was quiet, smoking endlessly, but very attentive. Ramjan was the final member, the old man at
49, an excellent chef and only member to wear a turban! The first couple of hours were spent wondering how I was going to put up with another 2 and half days on the back of such an uncomfortable beast with its jerking gait but thankfully my legs soon stretched and eased with the final day actually proving the most comfortable. Most of the time
was spent crossing flat, baked, rubble strewn plain only interrupted by straggly bushes and a few trees which provided the shade for the much needed lunch stops. To say the landscape was beautiful would be overstating the case but it did have a certain attra
ction which just about lasted the length of the trip. It was only when we stopped for the two nights that we encountered small strips of sand dunes which were special although tiny in comparison to the dunes of Morocco we have had the privilege of visiting and hardly untouched with footprints snaking over every face. Cooking over an open fire and then sleeping under such a blanket of stars was not bad at all. It is also only during the night that you can appreciate the desert climate as the baking days gave way to the bitter nights of the
approaching winter. In all I did enjoy the trip though found it somewhat a contrived tourist experience (though not sure what I expected), always being led and hardly out in the sticks with villagers greeting us every evening with cold coke and beer. Our guides however could not have been better though I think that's me done with camel trekking for the foreseeable future.
Next stop Jaisalmer, the bus being luxurious compared to the previous. We were met at the bus station by the hotel, recommended by a couple we had met in Varanasi, and the rooftop yet again provided the most amazing view of the old city and ancient fort towering over the rooftops below and all glowing gold as the sun sunk below the horiz
on shortly after our arrival. Having booked the required camel safari the following day was free top explore the old town and fort, unique in that it is still home to around 25% of the old cities inhabitants, other forts are all empty. Despite all the hawkers and touts, the narrow streets adorned with 
the magnificent stonework of old havelis along with the fort itself still appear to have leapt straight from the pages of a medieval fairytale. We had a great time meandering through the lanes of the fort, exploring the magnificent Jain temple complex housed within, and then the old town, somehow managing to find Patwa-ki-Haveli. This huge former home bridges a narrow lane and the stonework detail is unsurpassable. Inside the treat continues with room after room of opulent decoration and furniture giving a real glimpse into the lives of the then rich. The following morning, bright and early we were picked up by 4x4 and whisked to our waiting camels and four guides. Pepsi 
was to provide my transport for the next 3 days with big Ali, who looked like an India Chuckle Brother, providing the steadying hand on this reluctant, complaining 3 year old. Little Ali was the provider of endless enthusiasm and at 20 had learnt English from his 10 years already spent in 
the job. Bobby was quiet, smoking endlessly, but very attentive. Ramjan was the final member, the old man at 
49, an excellent chef and only member to wear a turban! The first couple of hours were spent wondering how I was going to put up with another 2 and half days on the back of such an uncomfortable beast with its jerking gait but thankfully my legs soon stretched and eased with the final day actually proving the most comfortable. Most of the time 
was spent crossing flat, baked, rubble strewn plain only interrupted by straggly bushes and a few trees which provided the shade for the much needed lunch stops. To say the landscape was beautiful would be overstating the case but it did have a certain attra
ction which just about lasted the length of the trip. It was only when we stopped for the two nights that we encountered small strips of sand dunes which were special although tiny in comparison to the dunes of Morocco we have had the privilege of visiting and hardly untouched with footprints snaking over every face. Cooking over an open fire and then sleeping under such a blanket of stars was not bad at all. It is also only during the night that you can appreciate the desert climate as the baking days gave way to the bitter nights of the 
approaching winter. In all I did enjoy the trip though found it somewhat a contrived tourist experience (though not sure what I expected), always being led and hardly out in the sticks with villagers greeting us every evening with cold coke and beer. Our guides however could not have been better though I think that's me done with camel trekking for the foreseeable future.
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