Wed 10th Nov
arrived at 2pm (20hrs on board train) to Jaisalmer. First impressions were very good. it was a lovely train station, one could tell it was relatively new but its decor was still in keeping with its surroundings and it was very clean which for the middle of the day is a mean feat in india! We got to the hotel and had dal and roti for lunch- the food of peasants as my tour leader called it- i dont care who it was fit for it was yummy! we sat on thwe lawns of the hotel in the sun and enjoyed rich indian food.
We went on an orientation walk late afternoon and took in the sights of the city. it has been really beautifully preserved and it the yellow stone glinted in the evenning sun making it easy to see why it's called the GOLDEN CITY. I bought a CD of folk rajasthan music- cant wait to play it. we all took rickshaws to see the sunset at the royal cenotaphs (memorials are erected to rememeber others by). THe backdrop of the wind turbines was an interesting juxtaposition of old and new. I admired them as a symbolism of india's progression towards renewable energy use. that night we ate at an outdoor rajasthani restaurant in the desert which was sadly distinctly average in its fare despite the beautiful setting and live music on offer. I paid 90 rupees for 2 poor excuses for gulab jamun (a popular indian desert) and as most of you will know, no desert makes priya a very unhappy bunny. Also it was so cold and with my bare feet i caught a cold- damn! I wasnt expecting such a stark contrast between day and night weather but in such arid country i guess that's expected.
Thurs Nov 12: jaisalmer.
roamed around and explored vity. had excellent guide to show us around. visited 2 jain temples- v v beautiful. it never fails to amaze me how people once (and still do, like at akshardam in delhi) built such stunnningly intricate buildings with their bare hands. in the early evening we jumped in 4x4s and headed out to the desert for a night under the stars. we rode camels out to the sand-dunes and watched the sun go down. there were dung beetles scurrying around in the sand. i took tonnes of pictures. got mobbed by local tribals peoples. raced camles and lost! suffered from a very sore bottom to add it to all!
that night we sat around a stage and watched local musicians play and women (one was a eunuch- yuk!) dance while we ate. It was a good effort with the food but it was cold and i wasnt ready to trust paneer or salad yet so it was didnt appeal. I headed to bed in the luxury tents we were styaying in- ensuites, lovely double beds and rajasthani furniture- gorgoeus atmosphere.
Fri 13th Nov
Awoken in the desert by chaiwallas offering tea. I've become addicted to Indian chai- need my morning fix. I had yet another average meal for breakfast (cold omlette and toast) and headed back to jaisalmer. The desert was an incredible experience- very romantic and i'd recommend it to anyone. We returned to the hotel on a sad note however as many people discovered their bags that they had left in the hotel overnight had been opened and gone through with some things stolen. This cast a cloud over the last night's fun but was a lesson learnt- never ever leave things unlocked or unattended in India. Sad as it is to say, the temptations are too great for many poor service level indians and they are guilty of sticky fingers sometimes. after this, we couldnt wait to leave the hotel but not jaisalmer- it was easily my best place in rajasthan.
Some of us ate dinner at a quaint guesthouse on their rooftop. we saw on big cushioned beds and soaked in the view and atmosphere whilst playing cards. We checked out the rooms on our way out and i was so impressed. they only have a few rooms but the decor and the views from them were top notch- at 100rps (1.50) for a double ensuite per night it was amazing! if anyone's heading that way, go there!
