So, I've been back in India for 9ish days. I spent a good part of the first 56 either trying to get money or traveling. There was a 36 hour train journey and 4 hours one day spent on the phone talking with 8 people from my bank. None of them could help me. I was told that my card had been blocked, three times, that I had an expiration date mismatch, twice, and that my pin had been deleted from my account, once. This wonderful day took place in Jaisalmer, a desert town, not far from the Pakistan border. My financial odyssey started in Lucknow at a Citibank, my bank, when I couldn't get cash from their machine. It ended with a Western Union moneygram sent by my girlfriend. Thanks sweetheart! I was down to about 650 rupies or a little under $15. With a hotel bill and a camel "safari" to pay for. I now hate Citibank and plan to look for a credit union upon my return.
Camels. Who would ride one on purpose? I took a short ride on one in Mongolia and it was enough. I tried to find a trip going to the desert by jeep, but I'd have to book a solo one, which would have cost too much. So off on a camel I went, four hours that first day. It was a two hour walk back to the jeep which would take us home the next day, so I just walked. I still have abrasions on my butt. Just say no to camels.
So now I've been to the Gobi desert and the Ragisthani desert, to more under my belt. Other than some really cool ruins, being in the Rajisthani desert was no different from being in CA deserts, well except for the camels, goats, sheep and the occasional nomad.
McDonalds is very strange here. They don't have no burger, and the big mac is a mahrasha mac, a couple of circular pieces of grilled chicken in stead of two whole beef patties (as per the big mac song). Also, both times I've ventured into one, I've been metal detected and searched. The fries were exactly the same.
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