Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer was actually a pretty interesting city even though it was in the middle of the Thar desert. After much heated debate with the owner of the guest house and a few 'lonely planet' threats we managed to secure a room in an alternative hotel while we waited for the 500yr old Haveli to become available. Arriving 2 weeks early hadn't actually helped the situation either but on the second night we were shown into the amazing old Haveli in the Jaisalmer Fort.

We spent the next day exploring the Gadisagar Lake, a dodgy jewellery 'home', (much like a scene from a maffia movie minus the guns), the Patwon ki Haveli and the palace inside the fort with views of the Jain Temples.

At night the fort comes alive with a whole manner of little shops opening their doors to display their wares, and with cows and children roaming and playing in the street. After sampling an Italian that over used Rosemary we decided to get henna tattoos, which were beautiful but washed off after a few days. On the final night after a lovely meal on our private terrace followed by a rather lengthy lecture on the 'importance of girls over boys' by the crazed but interesting part owner of the Haveli, we made our way to bed. Next for us was Khuri, making our way further into the desert for the camel safari.