Driving towards the bustling city of Jaisalmer was like driving into a desert fairy tale. I felt like I was in the movie Aladdin and we were emerging from the desert into the chaos of street vendors and palaces. (Yes, Disney movies obviously had a significant impact on my life. In Africa I continuously thought I was in The Lion King, and in India I can’t stop humming every Aladdin song I can remember).
The city is huge. It stretches its way across the desert in urban sprawl. The real spectacle, however, is the fort.
The Jaisalmer fort sits high above the city, looming over the expanse of buildings below. It is a fortified and imposing looking sandstone structure that is surprisingly beautiful. The Jaisalmer fort is also one of the few living forts that still exists. Three thousand people live within its walls. The narrow windy passages are filled with guesthouses and shop fronts that cater to tourist and local needs. At night, the fort is lit up from below, creating a magical spectacle for the rest of the city to admire. It is simply stunning.
It was a long drive from Bikaner to Jaisalmer. We were quietly reading and staring out at the world for most of the way, until Raju decided he was going to open up and make friends with us.
“You student, or working?” He asked. “How many peoples in your family?” it was nice that he was trying to get to know us. We would be with him for two full weeks after all. We told him that we both worked in bars back home and that is how we had met in Canada.
“Oh! Bars, lots of drinks: beers, whiskey.”
“Yup” we agreed. Then, I remembered that I was supposed to keep my eyes open for a whiskey called Amrut Fusion. It had apparently won lots of awards here in India.
“I hear you guys have excellent whiskeys here in India” I said to Raju.
“Oh yes, you like whiskey?”
“Ya.” We said half heartedly. I enjoy a whiskey every now and then, but I’m definitely not a connoisseur and it’s definitely not my drink of choice. But we were polite and nodded and smiled at each whiskey Raju rattled on about after that. And before we knew it, we had arrived at the city.
After an afternoons rest, playing xhonu by the pool and sipping on banana milkshakes, we began our short city tour.
We started out at the Tilon-ki-Pol gateway down by the lake. The lake was beautiful. It had a couple little islands with temples on them, and an area to boat around. The lake used to be used as a watering tank once upon a time. The story goes, that a famous prostitute had offered to pay to build a gateway around the water. The maharawal refused, saying that it would be unfit for him to pass under a gate built by a courtesan. However, while he was away from the city, she built the gate anyways, then she had a temple to Krishna erected on top of it so the king could not tear it down. The gateway is stunning!
When we’d finished at the lake, we drove to the outskirts of the city for sunset. Just outside the hustle and bustle of Jaisalmer are a number of beautifully carved sandstone cenotaphs. We were dropped off at the gate, not knowing what was going on or where we were.
“Just go in and watch sunset” said Raju, “inside, lots of peoples maybe says ‘buy this, and buy that’ but you say ‘NO!’ And keep walking. You know Hindi word for ‘go’? It Chello! So when people say maybe ‘you need this guide?’ Or maybe ‘you buy post card’ you say ‘Chello!'” We laughed, it was very nice of him to look out for us like we were first time travelers, even though we were fully capable of fending ourselves from a couple of vendors. And I guess it’s always nice to learn a little Hindi while we’re here.
So we thanked Raju and walked off towards the cenotaphs.
They were gorgeous in the setting sun. Beautiful carved pillars in a light sandstone colour with the city as a backdrop. The Jaisalmer fort was all lit up and sparkling in the background as the sun gleamed across the front of it. The whole thing was incredible.
So we found a quiet place to sit while the tourists came flowing in by the bus loads to watch the sun set. We were there for over an hour waiting for the sun to go down.
“Do you think it’s weird we were dropped off an hour and a half early for sunset shots?” Kelsi asked.
“Yup, a little” but we sat there anyways.
The one downfall I have realized about India is how much smog there is in the country. I guess, with a population of 1.6 billion, there has got to be some pollution in the air. But this is crazy. I have never seen a country that, even in the middle of a desert, with no city around, the horizon is nearly impossible to see because of the smog. It’s everywhere! Sitting at the cenotaphs, watching the sun set, was our first real experience of this. The sun, instead of setting behind the horizon, fell behind a layer of smog and disappeared, long before reaching the earth. It was disappointing after waiting for so long. We had just come from Africa, where there are the most spectacular sunsets each and every night. India’s setting sun was a little depressing. I’m hoping this is not a country wide trend.
When the sun had fallen behind the smog, we beat the crowds and found Raju back at the car. Home time!
Back to the hotel for a lovely rooftop dinner with some local musicians and a stunning view of the Jasailmer Fort. What an incredible city!