Tales of the Desert : Jaisalmer

 Everything that glitters is not gold, except Jaisalmer. Famously known as

 the ‘Golden City’, Jaisalmer appears like a golden mirage in the middle of

 the arid landscape of Thar, the second largest desert in the world. A city

 where its fort still breathes, was named after its founder Rawal Jaisal Singh

 and translates to ‘Hill Fort of Jaisal’. The city although very small, has a

 rich history. During medieval times, Jaisalmer had a strategic importance

 as it fell on the way of one of the two trade routes, which connected India

 from Persia, Egypt, Africa and the west. The rulers used this to their

 advantage cleverly as they would charge a tax from the travelers, allowing

 them and the local traders to become rich. Probably this is the reason

 behind city’s sumptuous palaces, temples and havelis. However, the

 disappearance of the overland trade routes in the early 20th century led

 the city into a decline. Its fortunes later changed towards the end of the

 century, after the release of Satyajit Ray’s thriller ‘Sonar Kella’ in 1974. The

 city that had remained neglected for decades suddenly was on everyone’s

 bucket list.

Jaisalmer enchants you with its beauty made up by the golden dunes, artistic havelis, mesmerizing historical treasures and its enthralling fort, carved almost out of the spectacular yellow sandstone as it glitters under the rays of the sun and guards over the rest of the city.

Arrival in Jaisalmer

Having left Jodhpur late, I arrived in Jaisalmer at around 4pm.  My first impression of the city was that it was an amalgamation of modern infrastructure and historic architecture. Unlike Jodhpur, where even the main roads were as wide as the walls in my house, Jaisalmer seemed like someone did put some thought into building it. Also, it’s impossible to ignore just how much yellow the city is, considering most of the old city is made from the spectacular yellow sandstone. The fort itself stands atop a sandstone ridge.

As soon as we checked in the hotel or more likely 'tents' we decided to leave for the dessert.

Jaisalmer has two main options you can choose from: Sam and Khuri sand dunes. Both are located around 40km from Jaisalmer, albeit in different directions. Sam is the more touristy one and has a plethora of resorts to choose from for an overnight stay. Khuri on the other hand is the secluded one and hasn’t seen much commercialization.

Sam was chosen the next destination. Before arriving in Sam, I imagined the camel safari to be a two hour camel ride into the deep desert, watching the sun hide behind the mountain of sand as it paints the sky red and then return as the twinkling stars announce the day’s departure. The truth is, the camel safari could be that, provided you are ready to empty your wallet. The standard camel safari that most tourists experience is a camel ride to the sunset point in the evening, which honestly is within walking distance and is nothing spectacular. For about INR 1000/camel we arrived at the famous sunset. Of course, the photography ritual was an absolute necessary plus the red painted sky couldn't help holding back our cameras. 

If there was one thing I was disappointed and sad about, it was the state of the desert. I had imagined the dunes to be vast and undulating, having seen enough photos on the internet showcasing the typical patterns that are formed in the sand dunes due to wind. However what I saw was a desert littered with plastic bottles, broken pieces of glass (no guessing what that is), wrappers etc. Moreover, the desert had tire marks everywhere from the jeep safaris and locals pulling off motorcycle stunts in the sand. There are some isolated parts of the desert where you can witness its true beauty, but it’s risky to go there alone unless you are on a safari.

Later, we returned to the resort around 8pm. The resort had set up some snacks and I saw people gathered around the ‘Open Air stage’ and I guessed the cultural program was about to begin. We sat through the program Performed by two women. They showed a number of stunts, which I personally consider dangerous, however they pulled through it gracefully. The dinner was all local cuisine and absolutely delicious. Local dishes included 'Ker Sangri' (desert beans and capers), 'Kadi Pakoda' (flour dumplings cooked in yogurt sauce) and 'Churma' (wheat flour cooked with ghee and sugar). The Cultural show ended by the time I had finished dinner and I headed back to my room for a night’s sleep.

The next morning after a refreshing chai we left the resort and our last destination and pulled our drive back to Delhi.

Overall it was an amazing experience and I promised myself I would come back again, as I wanted to experience the Desert festival in its glory as well as camp under the night sky, in the deeper pockets of the desert.