It's just been two of us on the extended tour, so thankfully we have a great local guide. Dheerendra has been both knowledgeable and good humoured - the perfect combination!
Jodhpur is sometimes known as the 'Blue City', given that many of the houses are whitewashed blue - or should that be bluewashed? Originally this was to denote the home of members of the Brahmin caste, but in recent times it has become more widespread as the colour is thought to be a mosquito repellant.
The Fort and Palace in Jodphur are well preserved, complete with a terrific audio guide for self-tours. I think that the Maharanas must have bought in some expertise or a consultant - even the museum shop was more V&A than the usual tourist tat.
This Peregrine tour has been fantastic for getting us off the beaten track, and our final night in rural Rajasthan was no exception. Another converted palace in a small village. Not as fancy as some previously, but a good chance to explore a small community which is relatively untouched. Pre-dinner drinks on the rooftop included the obligatory music and dance show, but these have always been enjoyable, and you must admire their enthusiasm when the audience is small!
Our final nights were spent in the gorgeous town of Udaipur. This is famous for its Lake Palace - now converted to a luxury hotel with rates starting at $500. These weren't our digs for the night (booked out for a wedding...) but the alternative was pretty swish - a gorgeous blue-themed room with a balcony overlooking Lake Sarwoop.
Udaipur was an easy town to explore, and dinner on the final night at a lakeside restaurant was superb - complete with twinkling lights across the water, a floodlight palace or two, and a fireworks show courtesy of the newlyweds!
An overnight train back to Delhi, and it all felt more familiar on this second visit. Delhi is huge, but much more efficiently navigated by Metro I've discovered. Clean, quick and cheap - and complete with a women's only carriage on each train. An oasis of calm in the madness that is Delhi!
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