Mandawa - Our last night with Ajay

Although it wasn't our longest journey it really did feel like it. I slept for about an hour of it, was being thrown out of our seats for about 2 hours and felt starving and thirsty for the remaining. We did ask for filtered water at the hotel but it tasted like chlorine so I didn't want to risk it. We also had a kg of bananas but devoured them within the first hour or so. Now if I'm honest I've been very impressed by the quality of the roads here but I think I spoke too soon. It was like being in Laos again for part of the journey!

Ajay did not disappoint us when taking us to our final accommodation. He dropped us off at Hotel Heritage Mandawa and he warned us "it will be very expensive but let's see what you can do with the price". This was now completely down to our bargaining. The owner showed us 3 different rooms first costing Rs 3,500. It was a beautiful beautiful suite, but 3.5x our price range! Next he showed us another room which was 2.5x our price range and then one that was 1.5x. I politely said they were all beautiful but unfortunately we just can't afford it. He then dropped to the price to Rs 1,000, which was bang on our budget and he asked us to not tell the other guests! I think we were lucky. :) We had a quick attempt to rehydrate and then headed off in search of the much loved famous Havelis of Mandawa, oh and of course food... That vital thing we keep skipping on...

We found a man selling fried potato patties which was then mashed and mixed with chickpea dhaal, onions and covered in yoghurt. It was delicious!! So much so that Will ordered two. We then wandered round the teeny town, saw the outside of the Fort, a few Havelis, sat for a while as I was suffering from dehydration, I ate a somosa, we topped up on snacks and bananas in prep for our long day tomorrow and then headed back to our guesthouse to sit, read watch sunset and have dinner. Aftwe dinner we did a final stretch of our legs and had Peda an india sweet that Will's says is like Indian version of fudge.

As tomorrow we have to get up and out for 5am we had an early night.Read more