A NIGHT AT THE ROOFTOP PROVES WORTHY IN THE MORNING WHEN I GET TO ENJOY THE SUNRISE from the comforts of my bed (not very comfortable actually). Sun rays on the sand dunes feel different in the morning, the golden flickers play games with your eyes, perhaps a mirage-like experience. The homestays' family rose early for their…Read more Day 22 [Osian] Rural Excursion

MY CAMEL, TEN-YEAR-OLD MOTI, IS A SMART ONE, HE REMEMBERS HIS WAY HOME, but is constantly distracted by delicious green plants. With the monsoon bringing a lot of rain this year, the desert now blossoms with millet fields and tall grass, yum yum for Moti. The two-day camel safari started on a jeep where the…Read more Day 21 [Osian] Green Desert

A TRIP TO THE MEHERANGARH FORT IS AN IMPOSING EXPERIENCE. An eye-candy for historical whizzes, the fort's audio guide is well prepared in 11 languages to help turn the most knowledgeable traveler into instant fans. Views onto the blue city is breathtaking, and the guide then tells you that the area is home to the…Read more Day 20 [Jodhpur] It Gets Better

I HAD A FEEING THAT I WILL LIKE JODHPUR ONCE I ARRIVED YESTERDAY EVENING. Kites were flown everywhere due to the national holiday of 'Makki', a celebration of brothers and sisters. Jodhpurians are in their festive mood when brothers visit their sisters and give them presents and money. Sisters give the brothers good luck bracelets…Read more Day 19 [Jodhpur] Home Away From Home

THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN, BEING A DESERT,  is greener than what I would have expected. Trees flourish within the city limits, and fields of wheat fill the countryside. Not the picturesque barren land of sand dunes, and the weather is not that hot during the day, and not chilly at night. Here in Bikaner, camels…Read more Day 18 [Bikaner] Beyond Expectations

THERE IS A LOT OF WAITING IN MY TRAVELS, I waited 2 hours for my delayed train to arrive, I waited an hour with my backpack at the entrance of the train station for my Bikaner host to come, and I waited 30 minutes for an English-speaking guide to take to the fort. Time passes…Read more Day 17 [Bikaner] Well Worth The Wait

MY BIG 'TRANSPORTATION' DAY STARTED YESTERDAY EVENING when I departed Dharamsala on a 5-hour bus ride to Pathankot. From here it is a 13-hour train journey to Bikaner in the deserts of Rajasthan. Transportation in India is unexpected. I remember reading a front cover depicting how a Japanese metro train missed its usual platform by…Read more Day 16 [Pathankot] Don’t Stop The Wheels

IT WAS A BITTERSWEET MOMENT WHEN I FINALLY DECIDED TO LEAVE DHARAMSALA FOR THE MAJESTIC RAJASTHAN STATE. A part of me shivers with excitement because I will soon be surrounded by desert and forts and palaces, but a part of me knows that I will miss the people and places that I have gotten so…Read more Day 15 [Dharamsala] Goodbye Hurts

DHARAMSALA, BEING THE TIBETAN GOVERNMENT-IN-EXILE, is the political hub of experts and activists dedicating their efforts in bringing back Tibetans' their independence. According to my book, the Secretariat and library is just a couple of kilometres away from McLeod Ganj but experience tells me once again that we should never trust the book. In reality,…Read more Day 14 [Dharamsala] More On Tibet

MY FOURTH DAY IN DHARAMSALA, AND FINALLY THE DIARRHEA STOPPED. I think the Amchi medicine is working because I felt so energetic today, I took a 2km walk to nearby Bhagsu and back. How refreshing! The clouds cleared up, leaving fantastic views of the valleys and the villages below me. I am getting really attached…Read more Day 13 [Dharamsala] Free Tibet