October 1, 2009

Another Foray into Travel Guidebook Writing

I recently blogged about having compiled a tourist guide book about my home state of Karnataka. The creation of the Karnataka guide spurred me on to create similar publications for other places I have visited. As a result I created one more guide for one of my favorite places in India.

One is about Rajasthan the royal state of India, which attracted me to its rugged beauty of deserts, forts, and large lakes. Rajasthan has a special place in my heart because this is one state where I can get to see the stark contrasts of nature. We see the city of lakes in Udaipur and then the harsh waterless desert in Jaisalmer. We see the royal splendor of majestic palaces, which have been converted into luxury hotels, museums and schools. Then we see the abject poverty in the villages and urban slums right there.

raj

Rajasthan is also one of my favorite biking destinations. The state's highways and roads are beautifully paved and flanked by vast expanses of rugged landscapes. There are rocky fortified hills, majestic temples, rolling sand dunes as far as the eye can see, and most of all colorful friendly people.

If there is anything that I don't like about this state is the piercing heat and harsh sunshine that beats down onto the earth. The days are extremely hot and the desert cools down drastically in the night making it agonizingly cold in the night. I would rather prefer a stable mid-way temperature but then it wouldn't be a desert state with its rugged beauty would it?

I hope you would be interested in taking a look at the guidebook and possibly use it if you are visiting this part of the world. If you do read the book do let me know your feedback and how I could improve it suit your needs better.

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