This will be my first significant solo trip for nearly 40 years!

Busy but splendid Jodhpur

Tuesday 18 January

I hadn't liked the sound of the guesthouse I had planned to go to and so went to a cheap one, not in the books, recommended by a young French couple I met in Jaisalmer. It was deep in the old town below the fort, a splendid but very run-down haveli, which had been occupied by the British and after independence reverted to the Mahrajah, who gave it to one of this servants as a gift for accounting work. The present owners bought it from him some years ago, but only turned it into a guesthouse three months ago.

As usual, a 6.30 start is not the right moment to be too choosy, so I accepted the room (300 rupees a night) though commenting that it needed a cle3an. After a couple of hours sleep, I emerged to set off on my sightseeing, but stressed again that I wanted the room cleaned and the sheets changed. When I came back, I was astonished to find that this had been done! Not only that, but it was actually a room with much charm, although the usual eccentric plumbing (but a sit-down loo). The bedroom was large and had a raised platformed alcove with coloured glass windows looking out onto the street and the fort beyond.

I was given directions on how to get to the fort, but of course got lost and walked miles - well at least 6 km - before I finally reached the track leading up to the fort. I felt I was passing through deepest India, with a labrynth of paths and steps and narrow street after narrow street of little shops. It's quite a climb,m as this fort is set on top of a steep outcrop with an incredibly dominating position.

The 15th century fort is magnificent, and still owned by the Maharajah of Jodhpur. The marks from canon balls show that it was indeed a fort right up to the 19th century. Inside a lot of it is museum. I could do without the usual impressive armoury, but the maharajah's coaches were pretty impressive. Again there was lots of splendid red sandstone, marble and detailed decoration with mirrors.

As one climbed up and up, the views out over Jodhpur got even more impressive. The overall impression of the houses from above is blue, although when down in the old town you realise that only a percentage are painted the famous blue (which apparently was originally the inadvertent result of the interaction between metals and dies). Anyhow, the view did not disappoint.

In the afternoon I took a rickshaw to the other end of town, to a tr4avel agents recommended by the Guide Routard, to book a car to Udaipur (train not really possible). He turned out to be a delightful man, of about our age, who somehow combines being a travel agent with beiong responsible for managing some sort of community develo9pment project, bringing young gap year volunteers from England. He showed me photos of them and gave me the website and a brochure, which I will investigate one day.

Anyhow, we negotiated a car for the next day, for the very reasonable price, I thought, of 2400 rupees,about 40 pounds (thanks, Steve and Kate, who are paying for this luxury). We had less luck over booking a hotel, as all the one's on my shortlist were either full or too expensive and in a couple of cases offhand. Later in the evening I popped into one of the streetside STD points (he seemed to sell an extraordinary selection of sweets, drinks and packets of biscuits as well as managing two phones) and after several false attempts, found a hotel. Initially the price was too high, but then the elderly owner came on the phone and this delightful voice said of course the price must be made accessible so that I could enjoy my stay in his country. Deal struck on 880 rupees a night, with much relief.

While I was phoning there was a sound of drumming and people outside - a demo I asked myself. But then I saw a body trussed up on a stretcher, and realised it was a funeral. As I type this, a wedding procession has just passed, with music sounding like trombone and drums and a brilliantly coloured gilt coach. Pity I didnt have my camera with me.

Supper was in Cosy Guest House, near my place, as recommended in Lonely Planet. It was good food, and clearly enjoyed by other young travellers also on the terrace, but my stomach was in no fit state to really enjoy it. This was one of the reasons for not staying too long in Jodhpur, which is a huge, tiring place, albeit very impressive.

Back at my guesthouse I found there was an English girl staying there. She has not been well and has been going for malaria tests, and is skint - 200 pounds left, which she reckons will last her another three months! We chatted with the cousins running the place, and I rather regretted my decision to move on as they were really very nice and showed me with great pride the photos of the the british couple who were their first guests and therefore emnjoyed a celebration banquet meal.

Magical Ranakpur

Wednesday 19 January

My driver, Om, is pleasant enough and doesn't chatter all the time, although he is anxious that I don't miss things like oxen turning a water wheel, women washing by the river, and he soon susses out that I like taking photos of views. This was also the journey when I began to appreciate how often I am seeing litle games of cricket - usually half a dozen boys with a home made bat and tennis ball, and they tend to throw rather than bowl. Om is a good enough driver, but has one disconcerting habit: every time we pass a roadside Hindu shrine - which is often - he takes both hands off the driving wheel and does the Hindu hands together greeting, bowing his head at the same time.

We stopped after an hour or two for a roadside cup of chai, served in little pottery mugs which you throw away afterwards. The driver took some powder from a little sachet. I've seen this before and asked him what it contained. He said it was something which kept you awake when driving. Ah well, I hope he continues to take this, as the first stage of the journey must have been pretty soperific. The road is a main highway (I think to Bombay) and is VERY busy, mainly with lorries and clapped out buses, and it is very flat and straigvht. We continued to pass through semi desert most of the morning, and then we approached the hills.

At midday we reached my scheduled half-way stop, the complex of white marble Jain temples at Ranakpur. Set in fairly lush gardens with the backcloth of hills, these were truly stunning.

The main temple Chanmukha Tempole, built in 1439, is one of those memorable sights of my trip. It has 1444 pillars inside, no two alike. And sculpture everywhere.

I tried asking someone earlier why Jain temples seem to have so many scenes of carnal pleasure on their outside walls (including the second largest temple here). I THINK this is the explanation. Jains believe you need to achieve complete purity of the soul and leave carnal pleasures in the outside world. Well this does not completely explain to me why the inside of Jain temples are also a riot of sculpture, far more so than Hindu temples. Well, I suppose that can be explained by the fact that Jains have tended to be wealthy,m with lots of merchants, and spend their money on their temples. Jains also hold precious all living things (even flies) and so when you enter a temple you have not only to shed your shoes, but all leather articles, as well as drinks and cigarettes. I've also seen European men in shorts being supplied with more modest cotton trousers, to cover their bare flesh. Anyhow it was a wonderful experience, shared partly with a (Japanese?) New Zealander living in Japan - we kept bumping into each other, and later discovered we were in the same hotel in Udaipur.

We continued on the route. I was quite resigned to not eating lunch, when Om suddenly pulled in at a roadside restaurant, faintly colonial in its style and asked if I wanted to eat. So I had a good meal, though could only eat half, as my tummy is still not my own.

The road was very picturesque, its arid hills often reminding me of the south of France. Finally, mid-afternoon we reached Udaipur. Luckily the guide books warn you that the approach is the usual unprepossessing mass of urban sprawl oand chaotic traffic. Then suddenly we were at my hotel, on the edge of the old town.

At first sight Rang Niwas Palace Hotel looked faintly run down and noisy, as it is at a busy road junction. Once inside the gates, however, I was greeted by an army of hotel employees - during my stay I was really impressed by their courtesy and willingness to help, they were always asking if there was anything I needed. My initial impression of my room was a bit disappointing - no balcony or swing seat. Those were in the more expensive rooms on the first floor. But it was SPOTLESSLY clean, with a good bathroom. Just what I need to recover, I reckon.

I decided to sample my first sunset in Udaipur from the terrace of the famous Lake Palace Hotel. Since as usual I missed the entrance way, I got there rather late for a really good sunset, but the view was still worth the 25rupees entrance plus light snack I took on the very upmarket terrace.

The view should have been stunning. The City Palace is the Maharana of Udaipur’s main residence (as well as now a museum) and looks directly towards Lake Palace Hotel, in the middle of the lake - except that the lake is now dried up! People had warned me of this, but the sight of mud flats where there should be water reflecting the shimmering images of the two palaces floating in the middle was very sad. Udaipur is famed for its lakes and water views, but they have not had any rain to speak of for over five years, so there is a serious problem. Even so, the sunset was lovely and I vowed to return - with a tripod for my camera.

Udaipur is essentially about views and being more relaxed than elsewhere in Rajasthan. So since the views are sadly blemished, I decided that the relaxing bit had to be important. I was going to take the next few days easy and try to get over my stomach bug.