The next night we stopped in a forest area and I reverted back to a tent. Being a forest the volume of creatures eager to partake of a portion of my blood increased many-fold and so the tent seemed like a good idea. Once again, however, the heat and humidity combined with the tent raised fluid loss to an astonishing level and put paid to a good nights sleep.

And that pretty much set the scene for camping in India. It is too hot to sleep in a tent, and the weather is too 'changeable' to do anything else. Having had a replacement mosquito net designed to my own specification in Udaipur (which basically involved the addition of a ground-sheet and a zip - providing a completely self enclosed version of the Life-systems one I bought in the UK) I gave the mosquito net one last try on what seemed like a suitable evening, but once again, having just got settled the wind picked up, the lightning started and shortly afterwards and we were gifted with a rather impressive sand-storm (the second on the trip so far). This time, having had the foresight to pitch an emergency tent, I once again abandoned my mosquito net to the elements and dived for cover, but not before having myself and everything I had with me completely plastered in dust and sand. An interesting experience for sure, I reflected whilst laying uncovered on the private beach that was once my thermorest listening as sand was replaced by rain that proceeded to work its way through the side of my tent, but one that I would happily neglect to repeat.