Arriving at the Mt Abu bus station early in the morning, we were told ticket sales opened at 8am. When it reaches time, we buy two tickets to Jodhpur departing at 8:30. Jakob returns, tickets in hand.
"How much were the tickets?"
"Well yours was 150, cheaper because you're a woman and mine was 200".
These ticket prices work out to be around $2.70 and $3.50 respectively.
"Hmm, not bad for a 6 hour trip".
9 hours later, I'm eating my words as we realise we had boarded a government bus. Although these buses are usually fairly full and non air conditioned, this particularly bus was acting as a local bus also. This meant that it stopped wherever and whenever people needed to get off. It also detoured off the highway into all the villages before getting back onto the highway with trucks going no faster than 40km/h.
When we finally reach Jodhpur it is nearly 5 in the afternoon and we quickly find Shivam Paying Guesthouse with big, clean rooms at very reasonable rates. We spend the night overlooking the fort from our rooftop restaurant illuminated by candlelight.
Our only full day in Jodhpur is spent inside the Meherangarh fort and the Jaswant Thada. Both drip with history, painting vivid images of the wealth and royalty that came before. Our pricey admission permits us free audio tours, and we saunter the fort hitting all 32 points of interest at a leisurely pace.
We hide from the afternoon sun in the shade of the trees at Jaswant Thada - the graceful marble cenotaph of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II.
We meet the omelette men as we head for our Jaisalmer train- two stall owners who sell a variety of omelettes. On opposite sides of the street to one another. Competition proves fierce, as they pull out several guest books with comments from travelers all over the world. We split, take an omelette from each and regroup. Despite my skepticism that 'an omelette is just an omelette', one stands as an obvious winner.
We arrive at Jodhpur railway station at nearly midnight for our next adventure. Our hearts race as we approach "the sheet". Those on wait list tickets endure the stress of finding out if they have made it onto the train by looking at the sheet. We fumble around through a few sheets before a man helps us and points to our names.
"Oh thank god, I don't know what we would have done without tickets!" I breathe a sigh of relief.
"No carriage number, no seat number. You have no ticket" the man wobbles his head in confirmation and walks off, happy he could help.
