This all started on Monday but it’s now Thursday and the first time that I’ve had access to WiFi that actually works, which is surprising as we’re in a hotel up a dirt track in western Rajasthan; anyway I’m deliriously happy to have it.

We left home on Monday afternoon and flew direct into New Delhi from London, an easy overnight flight with no hanging about in Dubai nor anywhere else. It was an interesting route taking us across Europe, the Black Sea, Georgia, the Caspian Sea, a whole host of …stans including Afghanistan and finally Pakistan. We were soon at a modern hotel just by the airport – the sort that lives from travellers and business people but without workable WiFi!!! Here we just slept and chilled out catching up with sleep and preparing for onward travel.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we were up at the crack of doom and back to the airport for our onward flight but first the joy of Indian security. When we finally got through the following conversation took place…

Mrs Sixwheeler: “Bloody men! Couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery.”

Me: “At least they’d have built the brewery.” 

Mrs Sixwheeler: “Bollocks.”

I don’t think she was too impressed, and there had been issues with queue jumping as well. Anyway we had a nice flight in an aeroplane that had propellers and we’re soon enough in Jodhpur where there was a driver to take us to Jaisalmer. I would love to have taken a photo of the airport terminal there but it’s forbidden which is a pity as it’s a beautiful old building that looks like the residence of some colonial administrator. Oh and the plane was guided to its stand by a man with the table tennis bats. Sadly there are no civil flights to Jaisalmer as it is only about 100 kms from the Pakistan border. The road goes up through scrubby desert and is never boring but the problem at the moment is road repairs that probably added an hour to the journey. 

On the other hand we found a simply wonderful place for lunch. The Manvar Desert Resort and Camp is a sea of calm and tranquility about halfway (in terms of driving time) between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, it has just about the coolest postal address I’ve seen; the first line of which reads ’10 Kms before Dechu on Jodhpur -Jaisalmer Highway’ and it’s worth a visit. Spotlessly clean, charming staff, peace and, above all, delicious food. I spoke to another visitor who uses the Highway regularly and has been eating there for eighteen years. Here’s a few views:

After our meal we set out again and bumped our way to Jaisalmer through tiny settlements and two more towns. As you approach Jaisalmer everything is military as outside the city is the Indian Amy’s largest firing range.

At last week turned onto a rough road that became a dirt track

until we turned in to the Hotel Gulaal which is to be our base until Saturday and where we have been made most welcome. And where they have super fast and free WiFi; Novotel please note!

23 February 2017