The Rajasthan Diaries - III
We got down at the dusty station of Jaisalmer, only to be surrounded by a horde of tour operators, who surrounded us with different offers to show Jaisalmer. After a lot of bargaining, we ultimately settled for one, at a price which was agreeable to both the parties. The package was to show us the sand dunes of the desert, at a place called Sam, 40 Kms from Jaisalmer, alongwith a night spent in the desert. We stuffed into the jeep, and set out for the first part of our desert adventure. The first stop was a pit stop, to fill our empty tummies. The cuisine in Rajasthan, consists of simple, oil free food, which is a bit on the spicy side, however that did not
make a difference to our famished selves.
make a difference to our famished selves.
We set out on the desert road, with only the afternoon sun visible in the horizon. The first detour was to a Jain temple called Anand Sagar. This was our first taste of the architecture which would be come very familiar in the coming days. It was a beautiful temple, with a lake on the side. The entire temple was made in sandstone, with exquisite carvings which we couldn't believe, were handmade. After spending some time at the temple, we set out on the desert road for the sand dunes to watch the setting sun. Along the way, our guide, Sahib Khan, who was a sort of hero worshipped by all the other guides around, mentioned that the desert road was the very same road used for the shooting of the Hindi movie "Road". We reached the camel pickup point well before sundown, and got onto camels for the last part of the journey into the desert.
A ride on a camel is not for one with a weak back. The very nature of the camel's walk makes you feel that you are riding a 
backfiring motorcycle, which is working in fits and starts. Once, inside the desert, we chose a small dune, which provided a good view of the setting sun, and settled down in the sand, waiting for the sun to go down. We were not alone though, this sunset point as it was called, was teeming with visitors, all of whom had come there on camels, and were waiting for the sun to go down. As we were waiting in the sand, a family of four entertainers, came up and started a Rajasthani folk song and dance performance. They had just finished and gone, that another man came up with a strange instrument, a double shehnai, which he played with comfortable ease. At that point we were pretty much fed up with all the song and dance, that another musician came, this time playing the reed. Our only unease was that he would attract any snakes in the vicinity. The instrument is widely used by snake charmers all over the country. However, the trick is not in the music as the snakes cannot hear, but in the movements that the snake charmer makes, slow and mesmerising, which has the reptiles captivated all the time. As all this was happening, the sun was slowly setting at the far horizon. On that day, we couldn't get the complete beauty of the setting sun, as there were some clouds in the way. We made our way back to the main road, on the camels again. 
We reached the vehicles, and were taken to a nearby resort for getting cleaned up, after all we had been on the road all along. We were welcomed at a small resort, where there were rooms to get cleaned up and change our dusty clothes. We get cleaned up, and settled down to a night of Rajasthani folk song and dance with a cup of hot tea. The songs were beautifully sung, one of us even wondered that the rendering of Ghulam Ali's ghazals were as good as the original. As the night meandered on, most of our fellow travellers retired for the night. We were left by the side of the fire, warming ourselves as the night was growing cold. It was a beautiful experience as there was silence all around, punctuated by the occasional sound of a vehicle on the road. After some time, even those sounds died out. For the first time, we experienced complete silence and darkness. There was no light anywhere, except for the moon light. The sky was crystal clear, with the stars seen in their complete glory. We took the courage to venture out into the open, but after a few steps, there was just complete darkness in front, and all around us. Added to the eerie silence, there was this strange noise which felt as if someone was approaching us. The scene was right out of one of the Ramsay Brother's Hindi horror movies, the only anti-climax was that, the fluttering noise was the flags fluttering in the wind. We retreated to the comfort of our huts, for a night of deep sleep. We promised ourselves to get up early, to watch the sunrise. 
The alarms which we had kept could not rouse us from our deep slumber, but we just about managed to watch the morning sun rising above the desert floor. After a frugal breakfast, we lugged our bags to the Sumo, and along with our guide Sahib Khan, set out towards Jaisalmer City.
backfiring motorcycle, which is working in fits and starts. Once, inside the desert, we chose a small dune, which provided a good view of the setting sun, and settled down in the sand, waiting for the sun to go down. We were not alone though, this sunset point as it was called, was teeming with visitors, all of whom had come there on camels, and were waiting for the sun to go down. As we were waiting in the sand, a family of four entertainers, came up and started a Rajasthani folk song and dance performance. They had just finished and gone, that another man came up with a strange instrument, a double shehnai, which he played with comfortable ease. At that point we were pretty much fed up with all the song and dance, that another musician came, this time playing the reed. Our only unease was that he would attract any snakes in the vicinity. The instrument is widely used by snake charmers all over the country. However, the trick is not in the music as the snakes cannot hear, but in the movements that the snake charmer makes, slow and mesmerising, which has the reptiles captivated all the time. As all this was happening, the sun was slowly setting at the far horizon. On that day, we couldn't get the complete beauty of the setting sun, as there were some clouds in the way. We made our way back to the main road, on the camels again. 
We reached the vehicles, and were taken to a nearby resort for getting cleaned up, after all we had been on the road all along. We were welcomed at a small resort, where there were rooms to get cleaned up and change our dusty clothes. We get cleaned up, and settled down to a night of Rajasthani folk song and dance with a cup of hot tea. The songs were beautifully sung, one of us even wondered that the rendering of Ghulam Ali's ghazals were as good as the original. As the night meandered on, most of our fellow travellers retired for the night. We were left by the side of the fire, warming ourselves as the night was growing cold. It was a beautiful experience as there was silence all around, punctuated by the occasional sound of a vehicle on the road. After some time, even those sounds died out. For the first time, we experienced complete silence and darkness. There was no light anywhere, except for the moon light. The sky was crystal clear, with the stars seen in their complete glory. We took the courage to venture out into the open, but after a few steps, there was just complete darkness in front, and all around us. Added to the eerie silence, there was this strange noise which felt as if someone was approaching us. The scene was right out of one of the Ramsay Brother's Hindi horror movies, the only anti-climax was that, the fluttering noise was the flags fluttering in the wind. We retreated to the comfort of our huts, for a night of deep sleep. We promised ourselves to get up early, to watch the sunrise. 
The alarms which we had kept could not rouse us from our deep slumber, but we just about managed to watch the morning sun rising above the desert floor. After a frugal breakfast, we lugged our bags to the Sumo, and along with our guide Sahib Khan, set out towards Jaisalmer City. The first stop in Jaisalmer City, was the Fort of Jaisalmer, or Sonar Qila (The Fort of Gold) as it was called. The fort is situated on the confluence of three hills, and is an imposing sight to anyone entering the city. The walls are completely made of yellow sandstone. On entering the fort, we made our way among the narrow alleys, and found ourselves at the entrance of a Jain temple within the fort. The temple was carved entirely out of yellow sandstone, and the carvings of figurines and dieties were mindboggling. It was amazing to see what a fine sculptor's hand could achieve, even with a piece of hard sandstone. After the temples, we went over to the museum in the fort which housed the memorablia of the King's dynasty. What stuck me at all these places was the complete lack of any maintainence to any of the structures. Added to the neglect, was the fact that the people who lived there, seemed to be least bothered to maintain the area around. The next stop was a set of mansions owned by the traders and merchants who had previously lived in the city of Jaisalmer. The mansion was preserved as a historical monument, a testimony of the living style of the noble men of that age. By this time, we had become slightly bored of seeing the same type of carvings on stone. Our boredom
increased when we noticed that almost every building in the city of Jaisalmer had the same type of carvings in stone, as we had seen in the fort. We were in for another surprise, as we made our way out of the mansions, to find that our driver had absconded with the vehicle. On calling up our friend, Sahib Khan, he promised to come there soon, and we were left exploring the areas around the mansions for some time. By this time, all of us were tired of seeing the same type of carvings all around, and we could not wait to get into the bus to get on with the next part of our journey. Finally, after loafing around aimlessly for some more time, and visiting another of the famous mansions(The Haveli of Salim Singh) around, where our guide told us that the shooting of the film "Sarfarosh" had taken place, with the same type of carvings, which by now we were really bored of looking at, we made our way to the bus stand, where the bus which would take us to Jodhpur was waiting for us. As the sun went down over the desert, we made our way out of the last outpost on the Western border of India, Jaisalmer.
increased when we noticed that almost every building in the city of Jaisalmer had the same type of carvings in stone, as we had seen in the fort. We were in for another surprise, as we made our way out of the mansions, to find that our driver had absconded with the vehicle. On calling up our friend, Sahib Khan, he promised to come there soon, and we were left exploring the areas around the mansions for some time. By this time, all of us were tired of seeing the same type of carvings all around, and we could not wait to get into the bus to get on with the next part of our journey. Finally, after loafing around aimlessly for some more time, and visiting another of the famous mansions(The Haveli of Salim Singh) around, where our guide told us that the shooting of the film "Sarfarosh" had taken place, with the same type of carvings, which by now we were really bored of looking at, we made our way to the bus stand, where the bus which would take us to Jodhpur was waiting for us. As the sun went down over the desert, we made our way out of the last outpost on the Western border of India, Jaisalmer.
posted by The wise one at 10:33 AM
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