Jaisalmer

Day 7 – Ahmedabad to Jaisalmer – 31 Aug 2018

After dealing with some traffic on the Sardar Patel Ring road, we got onto the Jaisalmer road. The Gujarat-Rajasthan border road from Deesa until Sanchore was work in progress at many places. The roads were dug up and had to drive very slow and cautiously. We got to Palanpur by 11.15 am, the very light breakfast had already made us hungry for lunch. After the expectations had been set high by previous day’s Gujarati thali, Fasi was in constant search of what to eat for lunch, comparing Rajasthani vs Gujarati Thali meals. However, finding a place to eat was very difficult on this route, and finally by 2.15 pm, we got into a restaurant in Sanchore to try our luck. Though the Thali meals was nowhere near what we had the last day, fortunately it was not too bad. The town was full of roadside stalls of sweets and snacks, it was really tempting but we decided not to try as we had a long way to go. Soon we started feeling the heat outside, and the mineral water bottles stocked seemed to be not enough. So far we were good with the complementary water bottles we were getting from our stays, and now we started to take frequent breaks to buy canned fruit juices and other drinks.

We were in Barmer by 4.30pm, the terrain, people and culture have already started changing slowly, taking in the beauty of the Thar Deserts. We were finally into the Golden City of Jaisalmer by 6.30pm, the first sight of yellow sandstone architectures were amazing, giving a historic look and royal feel. Being on the far west, Jaisalmer had sunlight late into the day, reflecting on the vibrant bazars, exotic mansions and havelis. We easily managed to drive to our hotel, The Gulaal, where we were welcomed by an amazing set of staff, who took us to their rooftop restaurant for a welcome drink.

The panoramic view of the Jaisalmer town, with the fully lighted Jaisalmer fort on the backdrop and the soothing evening breeze on the terrace, made us almost fall asleep on the sofas. Very comfortable climate in the evenings, and the spacious rooms with traditional interiors gave us the most amazing stay so far. The corridors had the fragrance of lemon grass, and as we were completely feeling at home, we chose to have dinner at the same rooftop restaurant, and soon were dead-asleep!

Day 8 – Jaisalmer – 1 Sep 2018

We woke up energised after a very sound sleep, it was an amazing view to look through our Haveli’s colourful tinted glass windows. The weather was perfect to dry all the clothes in the world, Fasi was so excited to wash all the used clothes which were stuffed in one bag. The breakfast was delicious, daughter’s preference had slowly switched from chapatis to chocos and boiled eggs! We soon set out to explore the Golden city, we were surprised to see that the hotel staff had washed our car without even telling us, hearing the stories about our long journey.

If history and architecture interests you, Jaisalmer is your perfect destination. This ‘Golden City’ is very close to the Pakistan border and in close proximity to the Thar Desert. The city’s most prominent attraction is the Jaisalmer Fort. Apart from being a tourist attraction, many shops, hotels, restaurants, and ancient havelis reside inside the Jaisalmer fort, and the fort has been home for several generations for ages.

It was really amazing to walk around, and experience rich traditions and culture blend in the dry air. We did not hire a travel guide, rather used Google when needed.  You can either walk up the fort or take an auto. But the auto goes not more than 100 metres. The 360 degree view of the Jaisalmer city from the top of the fort was fantastic. Men were dressed in white tunics and turbans and women had  sarees in all possible colour combinations. There were a variety of shops with exotic jewellery, crafts, paintings and all sorts of textiles, we did some minor souvenir shoppings, and also got some Rajasthani Kurtis. The sun was getting harsh as time passed. All of us had applied sunscreen creams and it helped to an extent. Insha wanted a tender coconut, even if the coconuts were looking all dry, later on she was exclaiming how can the tender coconut water be so hot!  

As it got hotter, we got into a restaurant near our stay for lunch. Restaurants were pretty over priced I feel. We went back to our hotel after lunch and stayed indoor till evening. In the evening, we visited the Gadsisar Lake, a pilgrimage centre and tourist attraction. There were many small temples and shrines around the lake, and we did a relaxing boat ride there, enjoying the golden setting sun. Once the sun comes down, Jaisalmer becomes so pleasant.

After roaming around in the streets and shopping, we got back to our hotel. The hotel staff spent considerable amount of time with us, explaining the history, architecture and lifestyle of Jaisalmer, as it was only us and them in the hotel – perks of travelling on a weekday! After a refreshing bath, we had a delicious dinner on the hotel terrace, with the night view of the shining Jaisalmer Fort, all for ourselves, thus winding up a very fruitful day!

Day 9 – Jaisalmer to Sam Dunes – 2 Sep 2018

First half of Day 9 , we roamed around Jaisalmer town, did some shopping, and had the authentic Rajasthani Dal Baati Churma for lunch. Even if Jaisalmer is a Desert City, to experience the real sand dunes, one has to visit Sam. By 3PM, we left for Sam sand dunes, The Gulaal hotel staff gave us a really warm send off, and even remembered to give us 2 more bottles of mineral water as we were about to start the car. Even Insha liked the stay so much that she was asking whether we can stay in the same hotel for some more days.

Sam Sand dunes is one hour drive from Jaisalmer. As we drove along, the already dry lands became even more barren. Unlike the vibrant and colourful Jaisalmer city, the villages started looking dry and lifeless. Windmills on the way looked so gigantic and amazing! Parched landscape with dry air, was not that harsh as we were driving in the evening.

We had booked a Desert Camp, Sultan Resorts in Sam and we reached there around 4pm. This was the first ever tent house stay in our life, and we were so excited about that. But after coming in from a comfortable Haveli, the beauty of the desert ceased to amaze once we stepped out of the AC of our car! Even if we tried our best, as we entered the tent, we had spread sand all over the floor. The water in the bathrooms were very dark in color, but we could not stop ourselves from taking bath, as it was too hot.

After checking in, we headed for the camel safari arranged by the resort people. Sam Sand dunes gets crowded in the evening. However it is the perfect place to get a glimpse of the gorgeous sunset. Rocking on the back of camel, I talked to the camel guy and he was explaining how difficult it is in the desert, and how lack of water, extreme weather conditions and dusty winds make their living hard. Insha played happily sliding over the sand dunes,  and we relaxed over the silky sands watching the evening breeze creating ripples over the dunes. The Pakistan border is not far from here. Driving to Tanot gives you a better feel of the Desert with cluster of beautiful mud houses and tiny villages along the way, and also a visit to the border. I missed to contact my friend working in the Indian Army who was in Jaislamer that time, and hence a chance to properly visit the border. 

We spent the rest of the day in the desert resort. The whole resort was lit with lanterns, and there were cozy chairs outside the tents which gave us a very relaxed evening beneath the starry sky! They had cultural shows arranged and by that time, resort got pretty crowded. Insha got dressed up in a traditional wear which we shopped from Jaisalmer, and we enjoyed the show which was held in an open terrace in the middle of the resort. People here embrace the desert and culture with a lot of love, and we could feel the traditional dances and rich music melting to the deadly silence of the sand dunes. We enjoyed the hot food served, along with the show!

Though everything was looking so colourful and authentic, the hot climate was making it a bit difficult for us to sleep in the night. Even though we tried the best possible ways, the bed sheets and bathrooms ended up with traces of sand, and at some point the water supply stopped in the room(though it was soon restored). Though we came to make the best out of desert stays and sand dunes, we did really think of the usual hardships of the villagers here, with just one night stay! The room had a small table fan but that was not enough to keep it cool. We kept all the windows open for a while, and that led to some insecure feelings about our luggage and belongings inside the room. Slowly the night started cooling and led to a comfortable sleep for us late in the night.

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