Rajasthan

Rajasthan is India's most colourful and imaginative state. A land of legends, maharaja's, magical forts and gorgeous cities.
The pace is slower. The landscape arid and beautiful. The people are friendly and come straight out of a Rudyard Kipling novel.
During my last 2 weeks I was accompanied by my friend Toon who joined me on my trip through Rajasthan.


"Happy Holi!"
This is what everyone shouts at each other during the Holi festival of the brahmin class, marking the start of the summer season. For a few days India is transformed into a state of colourful chaos and happy anarchy (well, just a bit more than usual). There is music and dancing on the streets, a lot of drunken men (a bit of female tourist squeezing) and everybody gets drenched in bright coloured water and covered head to toe in yellow, pink and orange powder.



Jaisalmer is one of my favourite places in India. Dubbed the Golden City because of it's glowing sandstone buildings, many dating back many centuries, it's a place where you can let your imagination soar. The town lies in the middle of the desert and is dominated by the awesome Jaisalmer Fort, perched on a hill and one of the few walled forts that are still inhabited. It's a fairy tale world of interesting temples, small alleyways, a gorgeous palace and countless splendid havelis (traditional mansions). The friendly locals come straight out of an Ali Baba story and their clothes are as colourful as their smiles are warm.


Toon and I spent 2 days riding a motorbike through the desert, visiting small villages and even here getting covered in colourful powder.
We slept under the stars in these beautiful sand dunes. The moonlight was so bright we kept waking up all night.
I woke at dawn and took this picture just after sunrise.


True Blue. It's only when looking down on the Blue City from the magnificent Meherangarh Fort that you can truly appreciate Jodhpur's striking blueness.
These children were all too happy to pose in their very blue home.



Jaisalmer is really a golden city, Jodhpur is very much blue and Jaipur is truly pink - but I didn't see why Udaipur is called the White City. It wasn't the whiteness of the buildings that appealed to me, but the quiet winding lanes around the beautitiful lake which is dotted with islands and castles and backed by a postcard perfect vista of mountains.
I found these interesting faces at the jain temple.


Pushkar is a small desert town built around a magical lake that is surrounded by 400 Hindu temples. At any given time of day you will find dozens of pilgrims bathing in the holy waters or making offerings to their gods.
This lady was about to enter the bathing ghats.