Sand, Color and Folklore - Jaisalmer & Jodhpur Diary - I

I had experienced the snow in Dalhousie, the sea in Mumbai/Goa and the hilly mountainous terrain in Dharamshala/ McLeod gang. I wanted to experience the desert, next. Somehow, I had imagined that as soon as I enter Rajasthan, I would be greeted by carpets of sand. That myth was broken while on a bike road-trip to Jaipur. But, Jaisalmer was different. There was a guaranteed promise of experiencing the desert. Why is a desert such a big deal, one may ask. Well, you’ll know the answer when you experience one. 

Since the planning was left to the last minute, I was all prepared to go alone again. But Abhishek, my colleague at work, chimed in at the time I was booking the tickets and luckily we got the last two tickets on tatkal :). We finally booked ourselves on the Delhi Jaisalmer express scheduled to depart Old Delhi at 5.45 pm and aiming to reach at 12.30 pm the next day. It actually reached at 2.45 pm (making it a 21 hour train journey). Towards the end of the journey, there is a single train track heading to Jaisalmer, so if there is train coming from the opposite direction, our train had to back till a point a station arrived where a twin track facility was provided. Considering the number of times we had to go back and forth, it is a miracle that we managed to reach Jaisalmer.   

Also, a warning to those aiming to board the train at Gurgaon - don’t even think about it. Initially we had decided to board the train at Gurgaon, but changed our mind at the last minute and boarded at Old Delhi. The stations leading from Old Delhi up to Gurgaon yielded so many daily commute passengers that soon we were in need of oxygen. Legitimate passengers, who had bought tickets and tried boarding the train at Gurgaon, could only make it till the bogey entrance. I shudder to think that I could have been one of them. Luckily, the passengers alighted as were heading out of Haryana and we literally breathed a sigh of relief. The journey was largely uneventful. Only stations worth mentioning along the way were ‘Pokaran’ (acquired fame during Nuke testing) and ‘Bawal’ (we laughed our hearts out when we saw that signboard announcing Bawal :). No offence here, it’s just funny :). 

I had read horror stories of how we would be surrounded by touts when we get down from the train at the Jaisalmer station. Luckily, we weren’t. Maybe we reached at a time, the touts were having an afternoon nap. Anyways, we hired a tata sumo, to take us to the entrance of the Jaisalmer fort. The fort of Jaisalmer is one of its kind, as it is a ‘living’ fort, meaning there are people staying inside the fort - some 6000 odd people. Plus there are hotels, motels and what not. We chose to alight at the fort entrance, because, we wanted to have a look both inside the fort and outside and settle on a decent accommodation. There is a lot of literature (most based on recommendations from the lonely planet travel-guide) as to why visitors shouldn’t stay inside the fort. I found that whole argument erroneous, as there are already 6000 people staying inside the Jaisalmer fort on a permanent basis. Ya, their postal address is actually - Jaisalmer Fort. I don’t think King Jaisal will be too pleased with so many people sharing the same address:). 

(Inset picture: Jaisalmer City - Known as the Golden City - known for its uniquely hued stones - which glisten a Golden Shine - especially in the monsoon season)

A tout smartly entered the sumo while we were inside and offered to take us to Hotel Deluxe. While on our way, he mentioned that they also offer the ‘Desert Safari’ which would start in about an hour’s time. That thing - the desert safari - starting within an hour, made us think that we didn’t have much time on hand. We had to decide on a hotel quickly. Ultimately, we decided to go with the tout to his Hotel Deluxe. There was nothing ‘Deluxe’ about the rooms. Since we had to leave for the ‘Desert Safari’ straightaway and were planning to spend the night camping in the desert, we decided not to rent a room.  Instead, we requested the tout if he could allow us to use the rooms just for half an hour so that we could freshen up and make our way to the desert. The desert safari cost us a 1000 bucks each - inclusive of 40 km cab ride to Sam (pronounced ‘Summ’) sand dunes, then a 2 km camel ride into the Thar desert, snacks and dinner at a facility in the desert plus an overnight stay in the swiss tents, then the 40 km cab ride back to the city, next morning. Considering these are on-season rates, we found the amount was reasonable (especially since we ended up not paying the room rent altogether). We decided to take the offer. Once in the room, we quickly showered and charged our cell phones and we were on our way to the desert. 

When you read about the desert, especially about the barrenness of the land and the scarcity of water in school science textbooks, it doesn’t hit you. But the starkness of it dawns slowly on you - when you experience one. The vegetation is thin, the animals are rare and human activity is almost non-existent for vast stretches of land. And what is staggering is the monotony of it all. You keep staring out of your car window and almost nothing changes. 

We made a pit-stop at what looked like the beginning of the "Thar Desert". Here, we were greeted by Micheal and Pappu. Michael and Pappu are names of the camel. Yes, camels have names too. Calm down. And no I was not surprised. Anyways, they made us sit on top of Michael. Sitting on a camel is an art in itself. Well not sitting, but staying on top, actually. The camel raises its hindlegs first and then the forelegs and that can have an affect of you being propelled forward. So you need to be careful, and stay lurched in a forward direction while it stands up. And God help you when they start racing with fellow camels or even coming down a slope with great speed. I will just say - I am not buying a camel ever. Not a good decision. (Inset pictures: Camel ride, Desert Mirage, Entertainment in the desert)

Anyways, the camel ride was good. Michael took us almost 2 kms inside the Thar Desert. We waited and watched the ‘Desert Sunset’. In between, we were approached by touts who offered to show us the place where Bollywood movies such as Refugee, Border and some other non-descript movies, were shot. Our answer was polite but firm - thanks, but no thanks:).  The Desert Sunset, was ok, it was redder and seemed to disappear quicker, or maybe that is just my imagination. Anyways, post the Desert Sunset, we were taken to a place called Thar Resorts - Desert Camp. Here we were welcomed and directed to our swiss tents. The tents were amazing. We were then asked to join a central area where a circular pandal was erected with a fireplace right in the center. We, along with fellow tourists gathered around the circular pandal. The fireplace was lit up and we were offered bhujjiyas and chai. The local musicians and dancers then put up a memorable performance and we lapped it up with our round of snacks. We were then escorted to dinner where we were offered local delicacies like Ker Sanghri and Daal Bhatti Choorma. The food, music and the dance all made for one very “Rajasthani” night and I enjoyed it thoroughly. More than the Desert Sunset, I enjoyed the Desert night sky - amazingly lit up by a million stars - truly magical. I will let the pictures doing the talking here. (Inset: Swiss tents, Inside the swiss tent, Circular pandal).

I must say, the first day in Jaisalmer - with the desert experience, the camel ride, the camping and the entertainment was truly worth going all the way.