Assistance with Itinerary for a pathetic decision maker

Thanks Skell, I'll look into Chittaugarh as well. Glad to hear that Master Guest House is a good way to start as well, I want to take the tour unfortunately I don't arrive till late Saturday and will leave on Tuesday, I will look into when I am going to be back in Delhi and try to arrange it for then instead. It was on a show called Getaway here and they showed the tour saying it well worth doing.

Chittaurgarh fort is just absolutely stunning, but then so many Rajasthani forts are. I just rode around it for the day, it's massive so it pays to hire a bicycle which is easily arranged in the town below. Skell can you tell us how you liked it for staying a couple of days? Word has it the town itself isn't much of a hit but it would be interesting to hear how you got on.

I'm glad they are getting some good advertising. Ushi and Avnish are the best of hosts. When we were there, Avnish was planning a trip to Goa to investigate some property he wanted to buy for a spiritual center/guest house. I hope that project is coming along okay.

Macadinha, I have to admit that any extra time would be better spent either in Bundi or Udaipur. One full day in Chittor is all you really need to see the Fort and that really is the main attraction.

Hi All, well I have decided where I am going first up now I am in the process of booking trains and I'm not sure safety wise which would be the better timed train. I am travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur and I have two options that I like.

Leave Jaisalmer at 3.30pm arrive Jodhpur 9.50pm or
Leave Jaisalmer at 11.15pm arrive Jodhpur 5.15am

Which would be better, I am travelling by myself.

There is one that leaves at 6.45am but I am not so keen on that one.

Thanks

Hi again IMhere

If you're worried about the night train then take the afternoon one. Then again you don't have to be, during your trips you'll probably be on night trains regularly. It saves time as you travel while you sleep & saves a night in a hotel (although I found the latter always relative, you'll probably have paid for 24 hrs in the hotel you left and will do so again in the place where you arrive so it doesn't matter a lot except you bought a train ticket in the meantime. Something-and-a-half-day deals can be arranged in some hotels.)

The Jai-Jodh train used to have ladies compartments with a guard (?) I believe, I don't know if this is still the case. Night trains will often have a guard anyway if I remember correctly, which doesn't mean they won't fall asleep or simply disappear into thin air however. More often than not if they notice there's a whitey let alone a single female on board they'll be sure to take extra care however, though them getting cheeky is also not impossible. Mostly you'll hardly notice them. If you're travelling higher class this would presumably reflect again on your safety. I found nothing wrong with 2SL however nor do my lady friends. This stretch however does have its stories of drugging episodes and petty theft so maybe kindly refrain from accepting cookies and so on and opt for the ladies' compartment if there is one, could be a fun way of having some time alone with a bunch of Rajasthani women too. I read just now that for the aforementioned reasons in high season all foreigners used to be allotted the same train car with a guard, again I don't know if it still works that way.

In short don't worry about it too much and pick the train that seems most convenient to you.

Ah and Skell thanks for the Chittor update I guess a couple of visits to the fort would be alright if you happen to linger.

I would suggest you take the day train (4060), I'll explain more later.

OK, later is here.

How much sleep can you get on a 6 hour journey? (trust me, not a lot) I was over an hour into the journey (in the opposite direction) before the train bloke brought the bedding.

The overnight train is the popular train mainly because people on a low budget or short holiday use it to save money/time, I don't think any of these things are an issue for you.

You will be losing the 2nd half of the afternoon, a sunset and a nice meal opportunity in Jaisalmer, could you really enjoy the evening if you have to catch a train later?

The afternoon spent on the train will be interesting (and who's to say that you wont witness a great sunset from the train), you will be able to walk through (and sit if you feel comfortable) Sleeper Class, then escape back to your 3A carriage later.

When in Jaisalmer you must visit Kanishka restaurant, it's a great restaurant, you can buy a stainless steel tiffin carrier from the market and get them to fill it with food for your train journey, it is a great experience to eat fantastic food whilst travelling through India on a train.

I took the morning passenger train (2nd unreserved only) from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur, got talking to a group of locals and played cards for money, well chai actually, and I was always going to lose, so had to pay for 6 cups of Chai at local prices, I never felt uncomfortable or in any danger.

Arrival time.....(1)-You will arrive in Jaisalmer at 13:30, so a 24-hour hotel will want you out by that time on your departure date (though they are normally happy to look after your luggage), but a 23:15 departure starts to look a bit late when you have 9 or 10 hours withour a place to rest or to be alone. (other hotels may want you out by 10:00 in the morning)

Arrival time.....(2)-The overnight train arrives in Jodhpur at 05:15, you WILL want to find a hotel quickly, so will likely end up in a hotel that allows 24 hour booking, and your time will be up at about 6 in the morning on your day of departure, not a good idea as you want to depart on a train at 20:35.

Thanks, good call, afternoon it will be. Thanks for tip on the restaurant as well.