The merchant havelis at Jaisalmer have jali screens that turn the noon sun into lacework on the floor. The custodian at Patwon-ki-Haveli told us five brothers built it over fifty years, each trying to outdo the others. He pointed out their initials in the carvings, like a family argument in stone.

The camel research station at Bikaner runs experiments on the four Indian breeds. Bikaneri, Jaisalmeri, Mewari, Kachchhi. We came through at sundown. The camels were just sitting in dust, chewing, watching tourists with the patience camels are famous for. The kulfi at the gate is camel-milk, which is the sell.

Mehrangarh sits 400 feet above the old city and Jodhpur from up there is genuinely blue. The colour comes from copper sulphate, the guide said, to keep termites off the lime wash. We watched the call to prayer go up from the city below, and the kites that live on the fort walls didn't flinch.

The 18th-century stepwell behind the Pal Haveli has been cleaned out and the local kids dive into it from the topmost ledge. We sat on the steps with a kulfi and watched. The water was clear enough to see the bottom and warm enough to make the dive obviously worth it.