Jaisalmer, India

Let’s Go Jaisalmer… We’ve survived the train ride and even enjoyed it!  The cabins were cozy but comfortable and provided an interesting way to see the drastic change from Delhi to Rajasthan Province.

Jaisalmer is a stunning place made almost entirely of yellow sandstone with extremely ornate architecture and breathtaking views.

After settling in at our hotel we headed out with a few members of our group to explore a bit of the village and managed to find ourselves a little boy to help guide us through the meandering streets to the top of the hill.  The homes here are much cleaner and better cared for than in Delhi- though still quite basic they have a bit more flare and design.  From the top of the sandstone hill you can see the entire village including the Fort which is the only living Fort in the world.  We continue to be very taken with the kindness and warmth of the people of this country. 

In the late afternoon we re-joined the rest of the group and headed out on tuk-tuk’s to a lake that at one point provided the people of Jaisalmer with drinking water but now is a place of reflection and beauty for the Indian people.  Looking out over the horizon it felt as though we were looking over the Serengeti and at any moment we might see a pride of lions pass by.  This part of Rajasthan is not at all what we expected.

We continued on to a memorial for women who during a war with a Muslim leader from Afghanistan got word that their husbands had lost the war and had all been killed and that the warriors were on their way to Jaisalmer for the women and children.  Rather than be captured, murdered or raped they decided to jump into a mass fire.  Tragically, their warriors had won the war and returned only to find their family’s ashes.  In memoriam, amazing pagoda like structures were erected in their honour. 

Apart from the tragic story and amazing architecture, the sunset was stunning from the hill top.  There are few nicer I could imagine.  And the views only got better- our guide arranged dinner on a roof top restaurant above the market in town.  The building itself appeared to have been a palace at one point with beautiful courtyards and intricate corridors.  Our table faced the glowing fort and a local family band played music as we ate.  It was a truly surreal experience and to-date the most magical setting for a meal.

Camel Safari

We continue to be mesmerized by the people, culture, sights and smells of India- yes smells!  If you’ve ever seen Russell Peters stand-up routine you know what we were expecting in terms of smell and thus far it couldn’t be further from the truth.  Incense and spice fill the air as we stroll through tiny alley ways and streets among the colourful people, dogs, cows and pigs.  For the most part we are left alone and not hassled by shop keepers or beggars.  The children wave and the adults greet us with ‘namaste’ which means much more than hello and honours the light and life in another person- and you almost always know they really mean it. 

We spent the night at a camel safari tent which was much more luxurious than we were expecting- more similar to a yurt only we had our own private bathroom and proper beds and electricity.  The weather has been extremely hot so when we first arrived at camp we had to wait until closer to sunset when it had cooled down.  The camel ride was quite an experience- we rode out to the dunes and watched the sunset over the desert.  Locals from the herding village near the India-Pakistan border entertained us with music and dance before we headed back to camp.

We headed back early the next morning to our hotel in Jaisalmer and spent our afternoon trying to arrange our train tickets for after the tour ends.  It took us a while to sort out the system but we managed and will be heading to Mumbai on the 20^th and then to Goa on the 22^nd.  Two girls from our group will be joining us on the train and exploring a bit of Mumbai with us before we head down south to the beaches.

As I write this we are en route to Jodhpur on a local bus that left at 5:30 this morning and should arrive sometime around 11:00 a.m.   The landscapes are amazing and ever changing- the country is so large and there is so much to see- we are already talking about coming back at some point to see and experience more of what India has to offer.