gross [inter]national happiness

I was childishly excited to arrive in Udaipur . So much so that I briefly considered getting a safari suit tailored so i could run around its narrow streets like a girl Sir Roger. Octopussy was largely filmed here and, while this era of the Bond franchise feels more dated (and comical) than others, it's the Bond of my tentative years and so retains a distinct fondness in my heart. Don't get me wrong though, Connery IS Bond and my fave Bond film is, controversially, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (yes the one with Lazenby), but for these few days Roger the Dodger is King. Duncan Bond, about to storm the Lake Palace On our first night in town we found ourselves sitting on a rooftop, drinking contraband beer out of a teapot and watching Octopussy on an old telly. It was a total tourist cliche, half the restaurants in town had a 7pm showing of the film to encourage you to part with your rupees, and we were only too happy to oblige on this occasion. And fun it was too.

The Okey Cokey! We were lucky enough to find Pabu Ki Dhani (PKD) online , translated as Pabu's Little Village, in a list of attractions near Jaisalmer. Both of us felt the need to get off the beaten Lonely Planet track and this looked like it would deliver. PKD is run by Pabu and Capucine - Pabu is from the Bil tribe, a low-caste desert community, and Capucine from Paris. They met 7 years ago in the desert when Pabu was Capucine's camel guide, fell in love and have started a small charity to support Pabu's community. They've bought a plot of land in the middle of the desert and built some traditional mud huts to provide accommodation for tourists. And adjacent to that is their house. It's incredibly peaceful and feels so remote. There was just us and an older French couple when we were there. PKD at sunset Staying in the house were Pabu and Capucine and 5 children, 2 from Pabu's previous relationship plus one of their own and a couple of cousins. Lovely

The only other desert I'd ever experienced before was Atacama, in Chile. Duncan too. Red, very dry, one oasis town after miles and miles of nada, volcanoes as a backdrop. The Thar Desert, in comparison is yellow, lots of green bushes and the odd tree, very flat, endless wind farms, a fair few villages and we stopped at a small lake en route to our destination. In Atacama, Duncan rode a horse with a snowboard (read: sand-board) strapped to it, using the horse as a kind of sand dune lift - a story he's retold here now about 10 times and counting. I rode a 4x4. Duncan rocking a turban In the Thar Desert we rode camels. Mine was called Ratia and liked to lead. Duncan can't remember what his was called but maybe Shit would be a good name. It attracted a lot of flies. From left: Ratia and Shit When camels walk they move both legs on one side of their body and then the other, swaying from side to side rather exaggeratedly. Known as "ships of the desert" they