Jaisalmer

From Jodhpur we took a local bus to a city called Jaisalmer. This bus was packed beyond capacity and many people had to stand. We arrived 1 hour prior to departure so to claim our seats ahead of time. About 1 hour into our 7 1/2 hour ride the bus broke down. This is bound to happen and so far we have had great luck with transportation despite the good chance something could go wrong. I was sure we would be waiting on the side of the road for ages, but another bus arrived within no time (thank goodness for the global obsession with cell phones). Not knowing how it worked here I quickly moved through the lines to make sure we had our seats again. As we all piled in a few women stopped in line and told Rex that we were in their seats, and we needed to move down a row. I was determined to keep our seats so as to not loose out (thinking my assertiveness was necessary in this situation). Finally Rex moved down a row and we soon discovered that every person assumed the exact placement they had on the first bus... an unwritten rule I guess. How very polite.

One thing about travel here, particularly on buses, is the very consistent use of horns. I liken it to the sound of ocean waves constantly occuring in the background, only in this case it is not so calming.

The horn is used for many reasons and people seem to understand the secret messages hidden behind the honking. I am sure there are hundreds of horn translations, here are the few I am familiar with.
"I am passing."
"Move over, because I am not slowing down."
"I am here."
"I am behind you."
"There is not enough room for all of us on this tiny ledge of the mountain."
"You are crazy!"