I arrived in Jodhpur early this morning, but was unable to get any sleep on the ride. Tiring of the filth of government buses, I opted for a sleeper on a private bus. Unfortunately, my bed was directly behind the driver, and he blared the horn the entire night. This would not have been so bad, but the horn itself was programmed to sound like music. Clever sounding the first time, the "songs" became a nightmare for the rest of the ride. I could not help feeling like Joe Pesci from the movie My Cousin Vinny.

The city of Jodhpur quickly made up for any of the hardships I suffered during the night. Towering over the city, my first impression was shaped by Mehrangarh Fort - the city's formidable stronghold overlooking the entire valley - the royal family of Jodhpur was another powerful Rajasthani clan.

The first sight I visited, after checking into a hotel and showering, was the royal cenotaph Jaswant Thada. As is typical of Rajasthani architecture, the marble lattice work was terrific, and it felt like a small scale introduction to the Taj Mahal.

I next began the arduous climb to the top of Mehrangarh Fort. Standing atop its ramparts with the surrounding city closing in on all sides, and the sounds of the streets being carried upward by the wind, I felt what it is like to look out over a kingdom. If the weather was better (light drizzle all day), the pictures would have been amazing as the city blocks are divided among the various classes, and each class uses a traditional color for painting homes and shops. It gave the city an art-deco look as blocks of indigo blue gaveway to gentler hues of yellow.

The last major site was the palace of the royal family. Part living quarters, part hotel, and part museum, it was an impressive sight on the skyline - India really has a taste for the fantastic. I became somewhat jaded as I wandered its halls, though. There were endless accounts of the achievements and awards of the Maharajas, when in reality they were nothing more than playboys living off inherited wealth. I suppose it is what is to be expected.

There was some last minute drama to my day as I was eating dinner for the evening. A waiter happened to look over my train ticket to Jaisalmer, and he told me the train had been cancelled because of the heavy monsoons to the west. Frantic, I ran to the train station to refund my ticket, and then had to decide what I was going to do for the night. I decided to cut Jaisalmer out of my itinerary (it would not have been comfortable with the rains even if I could go there), and hopped on a last minute government bus to Jaipur. You can imagine my excitement at more bus travel.