Feb 7

I am still in Jaisalmer, and I am enjoying myself. I have decided to stay here an extra day, and catch my breath.
I lucked out with my hotel. This is the tenth hotel I have stayed at, and it is the nicest, by far. The owners are a couple, he is Indian, she is a Kiwi. They have been very helpful and it's been peaceful.
Yesterday afternoon I watched a camel tatoo, like a RCMP musical ride, only with camels. It was spectacular. The camels were decorated with very colourful pomoms, bells, even the tails were braided. The riders were as colorful as the camels. It was a great display of precision riding.
The only problem was the crowd. I have discovered Indians are quite pushy. When I am in line to buy a bus ticket, I have had people push right in front of me, push their money through, and order a ticket. The amazing thing is that no-one complains. This aggressiveness is how they drive, just plain nuts.
I have been stopped at several railcrossings. Rather than waiting in their lane, everyone drives up to the front. On a two lane road there will be four vehicles lined up. The same is on the other side. When the barriers go up there is a mad dash across, trying to get into the correct lane. It is hard to describe the experience.
Speaking of traffic I have not seen a set of traffic lights since Jaipur. And there it was only one. Everything depends on how aggressive you drive.
A couple of other observations. This part of India is flatter than the prairies; no rolling hills. It is desert country, miles and miles of brown earth, only scrub brush. Very, very few hills. The last time it rained was months ago. This explains why the further west you go the more camels you encounter. The camel is the beast of burden here.
Another thing that has struck me is the absence of what we would call a grocery store. Hundreds of stores line the streets, but they are all tiny; maybe 15 across and 20 feet deep. Some do sell the basics, like rice, out if big bags, and they all sell large cans, 15 kilos, of cooking oil. Trying to buy anything besides the basics is impossible. I did discover a "German" bakery that sold real bread. I have yet to see anything like cheese. Meat is also absent, there is a large Muslim minority, so no pork, and Hindus think cows are sacred, so no pork. The only meat is chicken, goat, or mutton. The chickens are pygmies. I have ordered half chicken a couple of times, and there was less meat than on a drum stick at Swiss Chalet. The sauces are good though.
I have spent a lovely afternoon on a roof top restaurant, sipping chai, which has nutmeg and cinnamon, looking out over the city and desert.
This is as relaxed as I have been on the entire trip.
Just lovely!!!