Though I really should have left this post to Thane, I will give it my best to be positive. His attempt at desribing the last week failed when the computers were shut off and he lost the blog. Sososo - the long awaited camel safari did not exactly live up to all I had hoped for, actually it fell far below most of the worst experiences of my life. I type this with a smiling face, as I survived, and can now appretiate the humor in how miserably awful it was. About two hours into the two day trip, I quickly had to find a bush and about 10 minutes after that threw up. I desperatly wanted to just turn around and call the trip off but because of our italian friend's presence and excitement for the trip as well as Thane's enthusiasm I decided to stick in there and get back on the camel. The next two days are a bit blury but basically I endured the lurking, jolting ride while my body rebeled and my mind focused on when it would be over. Yikes, not the romantic sand dune experience I was looking for.

So as for Rajastan in general, I am quite enjoying it. Johdpur, the blue city, was the first place on our route and we were both immediatly charmed by the hotel we stayed in, the narrow historic streets, and the architecture. A huge fort dominates the eastern skyline. Exploring the inside of the expansive building was even more impressive with the intracicies of the sandstone carvings and turbaned men inside. It was full of artifacts icluding swords and ornate golden camel carriages which India's royalty would travel in. Jaisalmer - the second stop where we safaried - was great. We ducked into the Sikh temples - again, extrememly fine peices of art, with the added attraction of being the home to many bats. They hung from the ceiling, threatening to wake and their waste adding a special scent to the air. Their presence was noted in the infamous havelies we checked out as well. The guesthouse we stayed in was very personable and we met many foreigners relaxing and chatting with them in the restaurant. I'm exhausted from the bus ride here - to Udaipur - and dont think my explanations are doing our experiences justice so I will stop and leave the rest to Thane - who I hope will not be discouraged with his previously failed attempt to capture the essence of Rajastan and shareitwill ya'll!
I will leave you with the image of us eating dinner watching the James Bond classic Octopussy with the floating palace and the rickshaw races only a flicker of the eyes away.

love
Kendall