Rajasthan is where all the country's similes and metaphors appear to have come together. Golden sand dunes, wooded hills and amazing lakes, majestic palaces and rugged forts, bustling towns and quiet villages, camels, elephants and tigers– are all there in abundance. But they form only a part of an intricate tapestry. Beneath the surface, expect to find many contradictions. Wherever you travel, you will come across the unexpected...it is a land of surprises.

Rajasthan is, without doubt, a travel writer's delight. The descriptions flow easily (unfortunately, so do the clichés!) and it is difficult not to get carried away by the countless interesting features that meet one's eye as one travels through this vast State. Most people feel that if I have written somuch on Rajasthan then I must have seen all that there is to see but to know and understand all of Rajasthan would take a lifetime. Each trip that I undertake is full of new discoveries and each time a new facet of this wondrous land is revealed. As a travel writer one question that I am asked all the time - and one that continues to fox me to this day, is about my favourite place(s) in Rajasthan. What is my favourite place? Do I like the undulating sand dunes and the golden carved havelies of Jaisalmer or do I like the lakes and hills of Udaipur; or am I overawed by the impressive forts of Jodhpur and Bikaner ? Is it the mighty Chambal or the unexplored archaeological treasures of Hadoti that attract me or the painted havelies of Shekhawati?

I’ve yet to make up my mind !