Trailing Off....: October 2013

sunrise over the fort

On the 20 hour train journey from Delhi to Jaisalmer we shared a first class cabin with a soldier in the Indian army. He told us we were insane to be going to Jaisalmer in June. I was inwardly smug and thought "whatever". I was used to people telling me I wouldn't be able to handle some aspect of their country. But in this case, the soldier spoke the truth. It was hot. Twice as hot as the hottest day I've ever experienced. So hot that you could drink 2 liters of water and sweat it all out in a matter of minutes. The sun so bright that I thought my contact lenses would fuse to my eyeballs. So medieval that I thought I had travelled back in time. But nowhere else in India did I feel I had experienced life as it must have been in the far past.

Jaisalmer is located in the state of Rajastan in the Thar desert in western India. The main claim to fame is the Jaisalmer Fort built in 1156. People live within the fort and our guesthouse was actually inside the fort wall. From the rooftops you can see Pakistan if you squint hard enough.

June is definitely off season in Jaisalmer. This had the pleasant outcome of fewer people in general and a lack of people trying to hustle us for business. The rather unpleasant consequence was that many restaurants could only offer a few things and getting a beer, cold or otherwise, was near impossible. We stayed a week, during which I was ill for over 24 hours, nearly was taken over by desert beetles, and watched as a sandstorm shut down the entire fort's electricity. It was a magical place and despite the heat and lack of meat on a stick, I think it was my favourite stop.

HIGHLIGHTS
Walking in the Fort

The tiny lanes made of stone create a maze within the fort. On any given journey, you are likely to collide with a cow. Cows nearly outnumbered people and roam about like highly revered strays.

Looking at the Fort

I never tired of gazing at the golden beauty of the fort. It is especially breath-taking at night.

Stephen ponders the fort

Havelis

Havelis are the mansions of the rich and famous in Pakistan and India with separate courtyard and quarters for men and women, beautiful balconies and archways, and intricate carvings in the sandstone. We visited several including the most ostentatious and well-preserved called the Patwon Ji Ki to ones that are in disrepair and seem to have squatters.

Jain Temples

The only thing that sticks in my memory about the Jain religion is that they don't eat garlic or onions because of the mere act of pulling them from the earth can kill living insects. They also make some stunning temples. These were right next to our guesthouse.

LOWLIGHTS

Other than the mindnumbing heat, the biggest lowlight was the overnight camel trip. We'd done one in China and thought it was the best part of the trip. The guys who took us were great; they had a never-ending supply of water and made a delicious campfire meal of pakora, curried vegetables, and chapatis. But we were assaulted from all sides by desert beetles that seemed intent of climbing over us. Then one of the guides nonchalantly killed a snake near our blanket and told us there probably wouldn't be any more. Before we arrived, we were given the option of sleeping on a blanket in the sand or on rooftop of a sheep barn. After the snake incident, we moved to the barn. I actually loved being under the stars and hearing the occasional bleating of sheep but I was afraid to move and didn't sleep much the entire night. Oh, and on the way back on the camels, S nearly passed out. However, the views were magnificent. There's a certain feeling of being a finite speck in an infinite canvas that I only feel in the desert.