The road to Jodhpur

Well the 4:00am wake up call, the ice cold shower and even colder bus ride through the dark Indian desert was mostly uneventful (accept for the discovery that peeing outside in the freezing cold produces a large amount of steam).

After 6hrs and about as many pit-stops a random fruit stalls and villages we arrived in Jodhpur. Once know as the kingdom or Marwar, translation the Land of Death. The bus was cramped and filthy, but I was exhausted and managed a couple of moments of shut-eye.

The hotel, and I use the term loosely is located a little out of town, so auto-rickshores are the go. First stop was Umaid Bhawan Palace. The palace has to be one of the most unique in the world because I don't know of any other Art Deco/Mogul style palaces in existence. Although only a few rooms are open to the public I managed to sweet talk some of the numerous security guards and take a couple of exterior photos from barred locations. However the visit was not without incident, as I strolled the balcony I noticed that the security guards were getting a little edgier than normal and within a couple of seconds the main entry gate (closed off to the public) swung open and a convoy of 20 or so cars, jeeps and vans with and without sirens flooded into the drive. Solders bearing machine guns jumped out of moving vehicles and ran toward the main car from which emerged the VIP. Unfortunately the likes of Aishwarya Rai, Amisha Patel, Amrita Rao (Bollywood bombshells) did not blow kisses to the assembled media, rather a balding minister and his wife we swiftly collected and ushered inside.

Today we embarked on what was dubbed as a 'Jeep Safari', hitting the dirt roads past shepherds and scrub until we arrived at the home of some Bishnoi (followers of the 29 principles), a group of people who worship nature.

Witnessing a ritual act of opium usage by the head of the household I can definitely see the appeal. The sect has been given special consent from the Indian government to use opium for religious purposes.

This afternoon I decided it was time for some more backroad discovering. Heading straight for the clock tower in the center of the market area I felt like I was in a scene straight out of Indiana Jones. The market was a chaotic mix of colour and sound with the dramatic backdrop of the hilltop fort. From there I followed instinct and soon found myself lost, deep in a maze of tiny passages and alleys.

Every street was filled with children who were all shouting out ha-lo as I walked though, some running out from doorways to wave, others asking my name and were I was from, the conversation invariably leading to cricket, and man of the moment here in India, Ricky Ponting.