Mirror, mirror on the wall

India is huge ... and traveling between cities takes a bit of planning, at the very least if you don't want to spend your life on a bus or train. Irene and I are heading to Jodhpur for a couple of days and then onto Jaisalmer, and it's a ways away.

With traveling in mind, Banta (our guest house host) arranges a driver, and after breakfast bids us adieu with marigold necklaces and yellow dots.

What incredibly varied terrain as we cross the country ... at one point hilly, another with broad expanses of sugar cane fields, yet another with desert plains. All this within maybe 8 hours.

Along the way, we ask the driver to stop at Kumbalgarh, an amazing fort perched at 1,100 m, with views as far as the eye can see.

A relaxing curry lunch at a little rest stop and then it's off to Ranakpur, one of India's largest and most important Jain temples. The carving is spectacular ... 1,444 pillars in all and no two are alike (except they all sure look kinda the same to me).

A couple more hours in the car and we arrive in the bustling, surprisingly metropolitan (mind you, I'm speaking Indian standards) city of Jodhpur. We make our way to the Blue House guest house ... I'm in awe! Gorgeous, spacious rooms, sparkling bathroom, real working shower with hot water, toilet paper, towels ... but wait there is no mirror. Who knew the things you have to ask for! Probably just as well that I can't see my same old clothes and windswept hair turning to straw.

And with that I do laundry and call it a night!