I was up at sunrise yesterday to make the 5 hour drive to Jaisalmer. Although we all know that I wish sunrise happened later in the day, it was amazing to see the palace glowing in pink as we left Jodhpur!
With Abid driving at the speed of light we made it to the "golden city" of Jaisalmer in record time. It was wonderful to enter the Thar Desert and see a city made of sand appear out of nowhere. Jaisalmer Fort looks like a giant sandcastle. In the afternoon the sunlight turns the old city into a golden color. I had a tour guide to walk around with me because the fort is very alive with small alley ways and aggressive shop keepers -- Abid was scared that I would never find my way back out. So little faith!
My guide, a student of "tourism," was great. We wondered around the fort and then into the old city to see some "Havelis," which are intricately-carved sandstone buildings constructed by wealthy merchants in the 1800's. I also learned that Jaisalmer, founded in 1156, was a major stop on the camel trading route with Central Asia. Real infrastructure improvements however were made during the India-Pakistan Wars in 1965 and 71, because its of Jaisalmer's strategic position one hour from the Pakistan border.
In the afternoon Abid took me out into the desert for a camel safari. We arrived in a village in little straw roofed huts and rode a camel out into the desert dunes to watch the sunset. It was magical! I felt like Lawrence of Arabia! That night we lounged in the desert and listening to local music and watching dancers perform. Sleeping the huts was not exactly luxurious, but it was exciting. I was up again before sunrise for another camel ride. We watched the desert come to life and then made our way back to Jodhpur for the evening. The only way I know that the desert wasn't just a dream is that I'm still trying to get the sand out of my hair!
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