Tigers!

Arrived in Sawai Madhopur and got taken to the hotel that was booked. It looked like a Thai prison. Beating a hasty retreat the three of us got taken to another hotel in the Rough Guide where we got completely ripped off. The next day we went on the safari but no tigers. We saw loads of different kinds of deer, wild boar, water buffalo, peacocks, monkeys and a kingfisher. It was good but disappointing. when we got back to the hotel he asked if we saw any tigers. When we said no he said well be out of your rooms in half an hour! He did arrange somewhere else for us and it was brilliant and half the price. They only had four rooms and two en-suite tents, yes tents on the roof. The staff were great and the manager managed at midnight to get seats on a morning safari. We were driving down the road and the guide said 'Tiger". Then another one popped out of a bush then another. They sauntered up the road for about three minutes with us leap frogging to keep them in sight about thirty yards ahead. Then they turned into a space at the side of the road and we drew up - they'd completely vanished. Still at least we got to see tigers and we were one of two safaris out of fifteen that did.
They day got steadily worse from then on. At the station the board said the train was late by an hour. Eventually it turned up four hours late, copuldn't find our seats on a packed train. Every train in India is packed. Couldn't find the ticket inspector to find out which seats we all had etc etc. Eventually we all got our bunks but because there are no windows on upper bunks no one wanted to sleep in case we missed our station. Got there in the end (Ajmer)at 2am five hours late. Eventually got a rickshaw for four people four rucksacks and various day bags. Hanging on to the side of it in the pitch dark wearing next to nothing going fifteen kms over a mountain is an experience I'd rather not have again.
Pushkar is great. It's very, very hot though. At ten this morning it was 36.5 degrees. It's now 1pm and everyone is hiding indoors at least the tourists are the natives are all wandering about. This is a very holy city and this is the holiest time. It's built round a lake and the lake is used for ceremonial bathing etc. It's a nice cool stroll around it and quite something to see.
When you get slightly out of town you come to the edge of the Thar desert which is where the camel fair is held. I knew it would be bust but yeterday i was stood in an area of land with over ten thousand camels around me. This is the biggest livestock market in the world. the farmers who arrive with a camel and a mat to sleep on have nothing. Over the last couple of years they have realised that the tourists now mostly carry digital cameras. So they stand there in their turbans and dhotis asking for picture. When you're done and turn your camera around to show them, there's about twenty of them trying to look then they form an orderly queue and wait therir turn. I've taken hundreds of those photos and deleted them back at the hotel! I'm going back to the camel fair later todayfor sunset when it should be a lot cooler. Talking to people yesterday we kept being told about a restaurant. It was packed, with a cheap good buffet style meal. They had 'gypsy' dancers there and it was a scream with all the tourists trying to do the same dancing. The finale was a kid of about ten doing a fire dance/eating/blowing thing.
Leaving for Udaipur tomorrow on the 6am train. Accom is booked, train is booked, taxi to the station is booked, so fingers crossed.