Day 1 - After much ordeal, we rented a mini-van and driver (Mukesh) for two weeks. We then promptly head off into the desert. The roads left a LOT to be desired so we only made it halfway before having to find a place to sleep for the night.

Day 2 - In Deshnoke, we visited the temple of Shri Karni Mata where thousands of rats roamed freely. Dishes of water, milk and grain were set out for them to enjoy.

Day 3 - In Bikaner, we took a tour through the spectacular Junagarh fort. We then set out for Jaisalmer (or the golden city).

Day 4 - Jaisalmer Fort is one of the largest desert forts in the world. Nearby was Gadsisar Lake with its abandoned temples. We then left for our overnight camel safari. A jeep brought us out to a tiny village, where we mounted camels and wandered through the desert for a while. We watched the sun set from a large dune.

Day 5 - We did a morning camel ride, then were brought back into town. Once again with Mukesh, we drove to Jodhpur (the blue city). We visited Mandore, filled with temple ruins, cows and monkeys.

Day 6 - We explored the incredible Mehrangarh Fort then set off for Jaipur (the pink city).

Day 7 - Our day began with a visit to the Amber Fort. It too was breathtaking! The rest of the day was filled with the Gaitor Cenotaph ( a collection of tombs to honor past maharajas), the city palace (with museums) and Jantar Mantar (the old observatory).

Day 8 - We left the desert and made our way towards Agra. On the way we stopped at Fatehpur Sikri, the abandoned city. We then explored the fabulous mausoleum of the Taj Mahal.

Day 9 - We visited the massive Agra or Red Fort. We drove east, stopping at the enormous old fort of Gwalior.

Day 10 - There was a huge festival in Khajuraho. We wandered through the erotic temple complex then enjoyed the evening's festivities.

Day 11 - Today was spent in the car driving up to Varanasi.

Day 12 - In the early morning, we hired an oarsman to take us along the Ganges River as the city began to come to life. In the afternoon, we drove out to Sarnath, where the Buddha preached his first sermon in the 6th century BC. Once back at the ghats (docks), we drank some risky sugarcane juice, watched a cremation ceremony and enjoyed the sunset.

Day 13 - We left Mukesh and grabbed a bus up to Nepal.

Day 14 - Eventually we made it to the town of Sauraha, next to Royal Chitwan National Park. In the evening, rhinos entered the village! But eventually they wandered off.

Day 15 - We started the day with an elephant-tour of the national park and got very close to some rhinos. After the ride, we watched some elephants getting bathed in the river. Our afternoon tour was in a very old jeep. During the trip, we were actually charged by a rhino! We briefly stopped at the Gharial Conservation Centre.

Day 16 - Today we explored the park on foot. We encountered crocodiles, monkeys and even a tiger!

Day 17 - We caught a bus to Kathmandu and then a tuktuk to Bhaktapur. The city was filled with spectacular buildings, stores and art!

Day 18 - We spent the morning wandering around the city. In the afternoon, we caught a bus to Dhulikhel, a town in the mountains. We were hoping to do some scenic hiking and get some views of the Himalayas but we simply spent our time being lost.

Day 19 - We made our way back to Kathmandu. We hired an auto tuktuk for the day and saw some sites... Swayambhunath (a huge buddhist stupa or temple on a hill), Pashupatinath (the most sacred Hindu temple in Nepal) where a cremation was taking place, and Boudhanath (the largest buddhist stupa in Nepal).

Day 20 - We hopped on a short flight to Delhi (India). We only had the day here, so we wandered around the Lal Qila (Red Fort) for a while, spent some time in a Sikh temple, then caught a sound & light show back at the fort. We returned to the airport for our late night flight home.

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