Jaisalmer/Udaipur

Jaisalmer fort

Christmas supper with Lisa and Kevin


Greetings travel fans,
So, I have a bit of catching up to do here. Jaisalmer was certainly an interesting spot to spend christmas. Unfortunately, many thousands of other tourists, both foreign and domestic, thought exactly the same thing. The place was packed. The hotel owners had a field day gouging prosepective guests for all they were worth. I arrived from Jodhpur on the evening of the 23rd to find that the hotel I had booked myself into had given my room away. Long story... but after quite a bit of haggling, many accusations, and numerous threats of ugly letters being written to guidebooks, I ended up paying very little for a very nice room... which I promptly checked out of first thing the next morning. Lisa and Kevin showed up on afternoon of the 24th, shortly after I had sorted out our accommodation. We had a lovely meal at an excellent indian restaurant. Despite the fact that I was with family, and the fact that we did christmas things, it just didn't feel like christmas. It was pretty much the same as any other day in a touristy spot in India. The fort was neat. Staying in a guesthouse on the inside of it made it that much cooler. The intricately detailed carving of the havelis and the Jain temples is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Overall however, my experience of Jaisalmer was slightly soured by the crowds and the hard sell attitude of many hotel and shop owners there.
Carvings in Jaisalmer Jain Temples



I took a night "sleeper" bus from Jaisalmer back to Jodhpur (never again, at least not with out someone I trust to share my berth with - another long story) and from there travelled to Udaipur, another firmly established spot on the tourist trail. I must confess that I am beginning to feel a bit jaded by the constant pressure to buy things that is present in the main tourist centers. I am seriously considering throwing my guidebook in the trash, or going to the places that it recommends that people don't go. I'm getting a little sick of seeing the same fat, pasty white, zoom lens, AC tour bus crowd. Yes, it's high season. Yes, Rajasthan is extremely popular and well established on tourist itineraries... But I don't have to like it.

Udaipur


WOW.
This post has turned into a bit of a bitch session... didn't mean for that. I am having a good time, but this is accompanied by numerous frustrations.