We left the camp early, and hauled our aching backides onto our camels for the long ride back to the hotel. The journey was a tad uncomfortable, but luckily I had brought my MP3 player, so I plugged it in and listened to the Garden State soundtrack whilst the scenery bounced by - took my mind off the pain!
Back at the hotel we took a last lunch on the rooftop cafe, with the amazing view of Jaisalmer, then trudged downstairs to pick up our bags. We all crammed into rickshaws and rode to the bus station, where we would catch our 6 hr bus to Jodhpur (yet - it is where the trousers come from!).
The bus was aaawful. We had designated seats, but there was people in the aisles, people on the rook of the bus, hundreds of people crammed the sleeper cabines (the little nooks that are where the bags normally go above the seats on buses - they are designed for a person to sleep in for long trips, but often hold 3 generations of one family and about 5 bags of rice - myyy goood). The journey was hot and bumpy and men crammed the aisle. Kay and Karen - sitting in front, shared their double seat with an old lady and three children! Me and Nicole were almost more unlucky, a middle aged, rotund, sweaty Indian man just parked hus backside on the end of the seat and proceeded to interrogate us (you are how old? you are married? can I have your email? - head bobbing, wiping sweat from brow, Nicole almost fainting from wafts of body odour). It got worse when we hit a particularly rough area, and several of the people in the sleeper cabins above us were promptly sick out the window. As our windows where all open it just came right back in! Pleasant.
Oh - and all this was at about 90 miles an hour with the loudest horn ever (playing a delightful Om tune) blasting out every five seconds.
When we finally reached Jodhpur we were all traumatised, and had many showers in our rooms before heading to the roof top cafe above the hotel. The view was amazing, as the lights came on across Jodpur and the fort was lit up. After a good meal we had recovered enough to laugh about our earlier bus experience!
