Leaving for Rajasthan

Thanks to Avani's help, I am right now holding three train tickets that will allow me to explore Rajasthan, India's western region of deserts and palaces, and also the region that borders Pakistan. The region is famous for its "Three J's: Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer," three cities each with its own unique look and flavor. Jaipur is the pink city, Jodhpur the blue city, and Jaisalmer the gold city, which seems to arise out of the desert like a mirage. I will be gone about exactly one week visiting each of the three cities; here's the itinerary (you can find good maps here: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/india.html):

January 22:
Leave Delhi at 6:10am
Arrive at Jaipur at about 11am
See Jaipur

January 23:
Jaipur

January 24:
Jaipur
Leave Jaipur late night (around midnight)

January 25:
Arrive at Jodhpur early morning (about 6am)
See Jodhpur
Leave Jodhpur at 11:25pm

January 26:
Arrive at Jaisalmer early morning (about 8am)
Go on camel safari in desert
Spend night on dunes

January 27:
Return from camel safari
See Jaisalmer

January 28:
Leave Jaisalmer at 4pm

January 29:
Arrive in Delhi at 10am
Leave for Kampala, Uganda, late that night

I'll send more details of my travels in Rajasthan as soon as I have an internet connection and some free time. For now, I'll leave you with a few of the pictures I've snapped so far...

Images from Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India:





Delhi:



The view in a rickshaw:



My backpack is delivered!



Hamayun's Tomb (like walking into a fairytale):



Me and Avani:



Sunrise on the way to the Taj Mahal:



Aditya rapping to "Intergalactic" on the way to the Taj Mahal:



The trio at the Taj:





Monkeys at the Taj (there are monkeys running all around Delhi, too)!:



Good night!