Day 4 Rajasthan Trip -- Jaisalmer

I write this from a tent in the desert. We woke this a.m. in Jaisalmer, nicknamed the Golden City for its many sandstone buildings, as sandstone prevalent in the area. Apparently it hardens over time, hence its use structurally abounds.

Our breakfast was had on the terrace in lovely weather (we had fabulous weather throughout this trip; cool mornings and evenings, warm/sunny with little wind mid-day).

I tried a new juice, some kind of orange/lime fruit? Very tasty.

First on the tour agenda was a visit to Gadisar Lake, made by men in the 12th century to collect water, a very precious resource in the area. (Water, in fact, was heavily recycled by people of this and other areas – 1st for bathing, then washing clothes and homes, finally for watering livestock.)

Around the lake are temples and lots of seating (outdoor theatre style – called ghats). Our guide said Hindus of different castes/sub-castes each have specific ghats where they sit and pray at special times (honoring dead, etc.).
Because of its value water plays an extremely significant role in religion and culture here.

The lake’s abundant catfish, peacocks and other birds are fed by Hindus as they come to worship. They believe good deeds come full circle (simplistic explanation from your Christian blogger before I’ve had enough coffee), hence the caretaking of these animals and other goodwill gestures. Because the lake is a holy body of water nothing is harvested from it.

Our guide gave the kids and me bread to feed the catfish, which emerged as a huge wiggling whiskery mound. The kids loved feeding them, laughing at their long whiskers and wide open jaws.

We then visited the Temple, where a holy man was chanting, saw bats hanging in one part of it, enjoyed the lovely architecture and shrines. Note on the lake: a courtesan wanted to have a gate made for her in commemoration, as she’d had no children. She didn’t ask permission from the king, though, so it was going to be torn down. Thinking quickly, she added a temple to thwart construction!

Two other small gates were later added so people who didn’t like the courtesan could pass through those, rather than hers. To this day, the guide said some people still choose to avoid the courtesan’s gate.

Our guide explained a bit more of the Hindu faith, then we drove to the Fort, a living one where more than 4,000 people today reside. (We were told that the sandstone foundation is suffering because of the impact today's water system has on the material.)

Built in 1156 (with building continuing into the 1300’s) by the Bhati Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal, it was attacked twice to no avail. It is one of the largest desert forts in the world, with “massive yellow sandstone walls a tawny lion color during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets and camouflages the fort making it appear a part of the picturesque yellow desert.” (Thank you, Fodor’s travel book).

Like the Bikaner fort, the Golden Fort has been used in movies. It has tiny lanes throughout, where markets and restaurants abound. I think 7 temples can be found within its walls, 5 Hindi, 2 Jain. We toured the latter as the Hindi ones weren’t open for visitors yet.

The temples' “honeycomb” architecture, with its white detail, was lovely. One temple was larger, with more light and was hosting an auction (religious but not sure what was really happening there). We walked upstairs to enjoy the “balcony” view and looked at all the shrines on the walls around the main body of the temple, wandering through left to right as is the custom.

About this time we realized Ava’s feet were suffering from new flip flops (less than a buck and deliver blisters too) so Jai and I took turns carrying her around the fort.

Life inside was bustling, women cleaning their houses, cows wandering through, puppies playing (much to the kids’ delight).

BTW we see a lot of dogs roaming the streets here (probably why Donna recommended rabies shots…), so far they all seem to be the same breed (no idea what it would be, but sort of your non-descript skinny brown dog). Puppies are cute, though.

And of course the fort was full of shopkeepers hawking their wares. We saw big sandstone balls perched on the fort walls, ready for use defending the facility if needed, ramps that could be oiled to prevent enemy elephants and their riders from entering, “gutters” that helped collect water and pull it into storage systems for use later and so many more structural and aesthetic details.

To announce an upcoming wedding to the community, it is a tradition here in Jaisalmer to paint on the outside of the house a decoration w/ date and names of brides/grooms. We saw many of these paintings, as they leave them up. Wedding announcement sans newspaper.

Word about desert travel: as we rode in the car on our journey to this area my eyes were killing me – must be the fine sand. One keeps weeping. Obviously too harsh a climate for lily-livered me, even in winter!

We left the fort to wander into the local market – all the hustle and bustle of the night before. Here we stopped at havelis – one a huge mansion built by a wealthy man for his 5 sons. Each of the 5 parts of the home are 7 stories (2 basement). One part can be entered today and is a shop. We went in, enjoyed the art/architecture (original) throughout.

The other haveli we entered was built by 2 brothers. Both sides look the same and are symmetrical but many of the details varied (statues, windows, entry décor, etc.)

Our tour wound up back at the car and off we went to Manvar Camps!

We stopped en route for lunch; I had some fabulous cottage cheese dish w/ a green sauce – to die for. Maybe cilantro/basil/oil and who knows what else? As noted, the cottage cheese is really big clots of cheese, more like ricotta/mozzarella in texture, very mild and tasty.

The Manvar experience started at Manvar Resort, a facility that really does feel like an oasis. You arrive to its green, lush courtyard with gorgeous shady trellises and verdant gardens after shlepping through miles of dry, brushy surroundings with increasing numbers of sand dunes (somewhat of a cross between Arizona, eastern Wyoming and Nevada – minus the cacti -- in my mind). The resort feels/looks cool and refreshing, and of course we were met w/ cool wet cloths and cool, refreshing glasses of juice.

Upon checking in, our luggage was whisked into a jeep by turbaned Indians, as were we and a couple from France. We were then driven over a sand road deeper into dunes, probably a 15 minute ride into the heart of the desert. We passed goats, a few cows, some local inhabitants’ houses (huts of adobe and grass).

Around a bend we came upon the camp – white tents arranged in a circle with camels sitting at the bottom. Men with colorful turbans were attending them. We were settled into unit 1, closest to the mess tent and could see torches and an area for entertainment in the center.

Our room: a wide tent with double twins, chairs and curtains that went up and down to allow/curtail ventilation, porch out front with 2 chairs and a lantern, bathroom in back (lovely stone tile and running water, I might add). Very much like a hotel room, but of course w/ the desert ambience. Upscale camping!

We zipped down for camel rides immediately, were the 1st to get on. Our camel’s name was Vinto – all 3 of us rode him, Ava and Claire in front, me behind the hump. The lurch getting up was sudden and intense, had to hold on tight as the camel came up rump first to his kneeds, then the rest of the way. We were sauntered around by one of the young turban-adorned attendants, sporting loose white pants and what looked like leather slippers (common attire for the area).

He took us down the road a bit, then into the desert where Vinto nibbled from a couple of trees. Across a sandy expanse and up a hill, we traversed to a popluar sunset-viewing area. There we dismounted, again a big lurch, then relaxed for the sunset, joined by a big group of French people. It was another mangificent sunset, light yellow to start, changing to pink, then peach, then peachy orange, finally disappearing, leaving the sky a lovely shade of peach.

Back on Vinto, we returned to the tents, relaxed a bit and joined the group in front of the band. We perched on low couches behind short tables featuring candles and plates. Appetizers -- nuts, grilled cheese and chicken on toothpicks -- circulated while we listened to desert music and watched dancing. An outdoor bar was set up too. The women dancers wore darker saris with lots of jewelry and fancy veils, they were fun to watch, as were 2 boys in white costumes and white turbans. Ava and I took part in the dancing after 1/2 the French entourage jumped on state.

The entertainment ended with a splay of fireworks in the distance, then we moved to the tent for a buffet dinner and fell asleep to the murmur of French people. (Easy to tune out when you can't eavesdrop.)