First stop was to be Jaipur, the Pink City. Surrounded by rugged hills, the city is enclosed by walls and crowned with magnificent forts and palaces. The city gets its nickname from the extraordinary decree by Maharaja Man Singh II that the entire city be painted pink for the visit in 1876 of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. Today many of the tall houses, with their latticed windows, retain the rose pink colour, giving the Old City an enchanted feel.

It was probably for this reason that I was first attracted to the Trident Hilton Hotel, with its pink facade. It has become my second home in Jaipur. The setting is superb, overlooking the Mansagar Lake (which, at times, may be dry) and the picturesque Aravalli mountain range. A strange quirk is that tipping is not encouraged during your stay, although you can leave a communal tip in an envelope when you leave. Despite this - or because of it - the service is impeccable.

Although very comfortable, it is not the most luxurious hotel in town - that honour belongs to the magnificent Oberoi Rajvilas. With vast gardens and five-star accommodation in tents and villas, it has been voted one of the best hotels in the world. It is definitely worth a visit for a meal or a drink, even if you cannot afford to stay there.

The reason I wanted to spend time in Jaipur was to show my wife some of the restaurants and buildings I had discovered over the years, as well as visit two of the main tourist attractions. First would be the Amber Fort, which can be reached by elephant, and then the amazing Hawa Mahal. The Amber Fort is 11 kilometres from Jaipur city and located on the top of a hill. From here, you get a panoramic view of the valley and the city below.

If you arrive on the back of an elephant, you enter through the grand Singh Pol gateway and into a courtyard, where you disembark. The Fort dates back to when the ruling Kachhawa clan ruled from here. The buildings are a blend of Hindu and Mughal architecture and it is built in red sandstone and marble. Inside there are paintings with carvings and covered in precious stones and mirrors. Worth a visit is the Shila Devi Temple, with its huge silver doors and silver lions.

Back in the Old City is the Hawa Mahal. This five-storey building of red and pink sandstone is also known as the Palace of Winds. Incredibly, it was built so that the royal ladies could watch the processions and various activities taking place on the streets. Although its size suggests a large building, it mostly consists of a facade with 953 windows in the side facing the street. The breeze (hawa) which flows through these windows gives the palace its name. As you sit at one of the windows looking out, you can almost imagine the ladies tittering and whispering about the goings-on below.

Close to the Hawa Mahal is the Tripolia Bazaar, where my wife bought some cheap fabrics and intricately-carved ornaments. We spent hours in the market, watching the craftsmen at work. We ate lunch at a small stall near the market, where the food was tasty and the passing parade of shoppers fascinating.

We visited a different restaurant every night, but the one that stands out is the Gulab Mahal, which is located in the Taj Jai Mahal. This chandeliered restaurant is one of surprisingly few places where you can taste a wide selection of Rajasthani specialities. Don't miss the murg methi ki bhajia (chicken with fenugreek leaves and yoghurt) or the maas ka soyeta (lamb on the bone).

The second, and final, destination on our holiday was Jaisalmer, known as the "Golden City". Founded by a Rajput King in 1156AD, it has a glorious history and cultural heritage, which is reflected in its ethnic cuisine, textiles and festivals. Visitors come to the city for its forts, temples, sand dunes and camels. I wanted to show my wife the city's amazing fort and take her on a camel safari into the desert.

Our first outing was to the Jaisalmer Fort, which is known as the "Golden Fort" because of its mesmerizing amber hue. This comes from the yellow sandstone used in building the fort and its 99 bastions. Located in the middle of the Thar Desert (which means 'the abode of the dead'), it rises like a mirage, with its huge turrets pointing skywards.

Each day we would set off from our hotel, the Rang Mahal, and venture into the lanes with their carved havelis (painted mansions) and markets. We visited the incredible Parswanath Temple, with its brilliant carvings of animals, and checked out the collection of traditional Rajasthani musical instruments and old coins in the Desert Culture Museum.

However, the highlight of our trip was undoubtedly the camel safari into the desert. Unsure of how my wife would take to it, I had booked a one-night trip. We were transported by jeep to the edge of the desert and there we mounted the camels for the journey to our overnight camp. What an experience!

With competent handlers taking care of the camels and all the arrangements, we could appreciate the magnificence of the Thar Desert. There is a silence in the sea of sand that is strangely comforting. We passed through a small village, where the children ran alongside our camel caravan and their animals roamed freely.

When we arrived at our camp, set in a valley between dunes, the sun was setting. Seated on big cushions on the sand, with an iced drink in hand, we were treated to the marvellous spectacle of night descending on the desert. As the last rays disappeared, we were served our dinner, followed by a display of desert folk music. We crept into our tent exhausted by the day's activities, but thrilled by the experience.

The next day's travels were even more interesting, as we were joined by a guide who explained how people and plants managed to survive in this seeming wasteland. He told us how plants stored water and that 23 species of lizard and 25 species of snakes could be found here. When we saw the parked jeeps waiting to take us back to Jaisalmer, I was sorry that we had not opted for one of the longer expeditions.

The desert had crept into our souls and we will definitely return for a seven or 10-day safari. As we were packing our goods, I remembered the words of the old traveller: "Don't rush it, take it slowly." He had proved himself right again.