Princess of India

(Sorry for the delay...been a hectic couple of days...)

Jaisalmer: The Ocean Desert!

So arriving in Jaisalmer, completely submerged in the Desert, I felt like I was living Aladins life. (Although it has come to my attention that the movie does not take place here, I will pretend it does!) I had a magical view of the golden Jaisalmer fort from my room and every house was a golden sand colour with open rooftops where colourful saries hang to dry! Really a beautiful sight. My main reason for coming to this magical (and extremely hot) desert was for the Camel Safari! Eager to get on a camel I booked the tour for the next day!

Riding a camel is not THAT difficult. It's very similar to riding a strangely humped, long necked horse!  (Probably the consequence of a horse and a giraffe getting confused in this heat!) Strange... but beautiful animals! My camel was Mr. Magoo...a sneaky little youngster, the trouble maker of the group! We got along really well :) haha. By the end of day 1 I could barely sit! Riding a camel isn't the most comfortable thing! But nothing a good nights rest under the stars and some delicious fire brewed chai can't fix. (By fix I mean form temporary amnesia) By the next morning that sore bum was hard to forget! Especially after hours of GALLOPING through the desert. (Yes, that's right...I am such a professional that I had Mr. Magoo running!) But that sore bum was completely worth it! This safari completely exceeded my expectations! (Not that I really had expectations since I've learnt that's how you get disappointed!)

My departure of Jaisalmer was quite the memorable one! 5 minutes to the trains departure I was running after the already moving train with all my bags, trying to pay my host for my stay!

18 hours later I arrived in Delhi...here is where the craziness begins...

Agra: the Taj Mahal

So since my last two destinations happen to be the most popular tourist spots train tickets are all booked! So eventually I found (yet another) sketchy rickety broken down bus to get me to Agra! Struggling to keep my eyes open (since it's next to impossible to get ANY sleep on the overnight trains/buses), I arrived in Agra in the middle of the night. Threw my bags down and slept...for 4 hours! Then it was time to get up, shower...which conveniently my room ran out of water mid shower, so I had to sneak into another room to rinse the shampoo out of my hair...and get to the TAJ MAHAL for sunrise!

My whole trip I had been debating whether or not to see the Taj Mahal.  So I definitely didn't expect the Taj Mahal to be that spectacular AND it gave me goose bumps! It was breath taking! Such a beautiful love story and a remarkable building! Definitely worth the lack of sleep and craziness it took for me to get to! (Not sure it was exactly worth the 750 Rupee price! -indians only pay 20 Rupees, but still very glad I went)

Now, still suffering from lack of sleep, I booked a train ticket to Varanassi (my last stop) for that night. Only to realize later that I am wait listed (#128!). I knew it was too good to be true! Getting a ticket so easily!? Well, I couldn't wait! I have only a few days left in India and I MUST get to Varanassi! So I packed up my bags and jumped on the train without a seat and crossed my fingers that a smile and batt of the eyes would get me to Varanassi...even if it meant sleeping on the floor! (AND it worked...even was given a bed!)

Varanassi: the Holy City

I didn't think it was possible but it just keeps getting hotter and hotter...and after a 13 hour trip to Varanassi, now incredibly sleep deprived, I was starting to feel a little crazy! Watching body after body being burned, seeing mistreated, suffering animals everywhere, walking down tiny mazes of streets, crowded with thousands of people my first unfortunate experience with being sick! HEAT STROKE! In Varanassi of all places! With temperature reaching record highs here, NO a/c, the shower water hot, the drinking water is warm, unless you're lucky enough to find a cold one- which only lasts a few minutes- the fans are temperamental, and NOW to add to this a fever! I thought I was going to DIE! There's no escape!
Thankfully after 12 hours of sleep, 4 liters of warm water forced in me and cooling myself with wet clothes constantly I have managed to recover...as best I can...

Only 4 days left in India! Crazy! Couple more days in Varanassi and then back to Delhi! Oh how I dread Delhi...I've been avoiding it as long as possible! But after this place...I think I could handle anywhere! Varanassi is quite something!