Day 25 - Jaisalmer walk

The sun slowly crept above the eastern horizon after a cosy night under the stars. The camp beds were very comfortable and the blankets very warm. Having had a clear sky all night the blankets were covered in quite a heavy dew but not heavy enough to infiltrate the material. Things began to warm up rather quickly so I was comfortable enough in shorts and polo top. I broke out my down jacket I’d bought especially for this occasion but didn’t really need it so it was back in the pack after fifteen minutes! The local lads, in the meantime, had been preparing our breakfast – a porridge made from buck wheat, bananas, toast, jam, sweet biscuits and coffee/masala tea. Shortly after we were back in the jeep and heading back towards town. In addition to the prominent features of the landscape I mentioned yesterday, the plains are also scattered with wind turbines. I’m not sure how much the energy generated flows directly the buildings and people of this district but I do know that some part of it is on-sold to other Rajasthani districts and other states in return for the provision of commodities that Jaisalmer can not provide it’s people – that is, just about everything than needs to be grown.

Back at the fort gate, the injured girls secured a lift on the back of a motor-cycle up to the Palace square. It was quite a sight to her disappearing up the hill at a pace. I just trudged up carrying all our belongings. From there we made our way to a cafe called Desert Boys, a favourite of Anant’s, for lunch.  We’re gradually leaning towards vegetarian selections for lunch and dinner which are every bit as tasty and a fair bit cheaper than non-veg. The restaurant’s rear balcony provided a wonderful view of the adjoining for wall and the city below. Lunch, incidentally, cost 630 rupees (AUD$12:00), including drinks. We were not left wanting anymore afterwards.

At the cafe we met G2 (the preferred name of our guide for the next couple of hours). He showed us around some parts of the fort and then proceeded down to the main gate and into the city proper. Our objective was to visit a couple of havelis – houses designed and built for rich people that featured extraordinarily ornate carvings over the whole of their exteriors. The first was at one time occupied by the Rajasthani Prime Minister and the latter by a merchant who became rich enough to become the king’s financier. One if the chief design features of a haveli is its ability to be able to capture the breeze to keep the occupants cool during the hottest parts of the year. At the first house, Kerry bought a little bronze camel to complement our bronze elephant and a Rajasthan fridge magnet. We didn’t enter the second haveli as a G2 thought it not worthwhile. Anna plans to return tomorrow to check it out. I’ll be very interested to hear hear opinion of it.

Onwards we marched through the lanes of Jaisalmer, avoiding the occasional stubborn bull along the way. One doesn’t want to start a discussion about who has right of way with these guys in a narrow lane. You’re sure to lose the argument! After 10 minutes of winding lane-ways, past some sights tourists are not supposed to see, we finished up at a fabric house. There the proprietor was eager to show us his wares ranging from elaborate bedspreads, to table cloths, wall hangings, door hangings, scarves and shawls. All of it was beautifully and elaborately decorated in vast array of both rich and vibrant colours. Almost all of it was handmade, with some of the large pieces ranging up to 60 - 80,000 rupees (AUD$12 – 1600). Way out of my price range. Believe me, I can truly appreciate all the work than goes into creating hand-made pieces of art and I understand how that should directly impact the price of an item. That’s a price I’d be prepared to pay. But I see everyday the work put in by Kerry to create her art and I see the finished work created by my sisters and Kerry’s craft girlfriends from time to time. The quality of the finished product in this store was not a patch on the quality of the finished products I have seen produced by the aforementioned craft women. I appreciate that not everyone is as fortunate as I am to have experienced that first-hand. Some of our group bought some pieces and I know that they’ll love them and enjoy them and treasure them for many, many years.

The day was getting on, so Kerry and I grabbed a tuk-tuk and directed the driver to the Palace. After quibbling over the price we headed off….. in the direction opposite to the one I thought we should have taken. No worries, I thought, far be it from me to tell a local a local how to get around his own town. Well, when we travelled past the fort I thought something was amiss so I tapped the chap on the shoulder. “We want to go to the Palace”, I remarked pointing up to the fort behind us. He was taking us to the king’s new Palace! Reluctantly, he did a u-turn and we retraced our path. Back where we started the others were still waiting for a ride so we stopped to pick up Anna and sped back through the gate and up to the “old” Palace square. A shirt walk found us back at the Hotel. Dinner tonight was on the rooftop where we sat around a low table on cushions, enjoyed a drink and our meal and watched the sun setting over Jaisalmer.