Past intrigues any history buff. And when it is as majestic as well as "golden" as Jaisalmer, it is bound to attract the attention of voracious travellers. So we set out to hear the voice of the yore entangled with beauty and magnificence.
We reached Jaisalmer in the serenity of the evening and checked into our hotel. Our hotel terrace offered a good view of the Jaisalmer fort. We went to the rooftop restaurant and had our dinner with the full moon shining brightly over the fort. It was a blissful experience. We relaxed for the day and made our plans for the next day.
We started our expedition after having breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It was very hot during the day, albeit it was in October. You must carry hats, sunglasses, scarves, and apply sunscreen to stay protected. We started with the Mandir palace. The architecture of every building, be it a heritage site or modern hotels, etc. has more or less the same architecture. Next we went to the beautiful Gundicha lake and had some coconut juice. Our next stop was the Jaisalmer fort. It is a living fort. There are vibrant markets inside and outside the premises of the fort. It is advised that you take a local guide while entering the fort. Entry in the fort is free. While you have to pay to visit some heritage sites inside the fort. It took us nearly two hours to explore the fort. We did some shopping outside the fort after that. Next we visited the Patwon ki haveli and went back to our hotel to relax a bit. After a brief relaxation, we headed off towards the main attraction of Jaisalmer... The desert. It was nearly half an hour ride from our hotel. But first we halted at the registration office for our desert package. There are various parties that organize desert tour and cultural program. The rates vary. We had paid Rs. 1000 per person for the package which included the ride to the desert, jeep safari, camel safari, cultural performance, group dance, snacks, dinner and then finally dropping at our hotel. We headed off towards the famous Sam sand dunes of the Thar desert. This was my first ever experience at the desert. The roads to the desert were beautiful, with huge expanses of sand on both sides and with a few patches of greenery. After reaching our desert camp, we boarded our jeep. It was a delightful roller coaster ride up and down the dunes right through the veins of the desert. We had the lifetime experience of witnessing the sunset and moon rise simultaneously in the desert horizon. We had an enjoyable camel ride thereafter and headed back to our desert camp for the cultural program. The cultural program was soothing and represented every details of the daily lifestyles of the locals through songs, dances and other instrumental performances. They provided us with tea and snacks in between as promised. After that, we all stood up for the refreshing group dance. Thus we came to the final leg of our desert trip. We had delicious dinner of a complete Rajasthani thaali at the camp itself and departed. Our way back to the hotel in the moonlit night through the dusty road that cut through the sands... was a perfect treat for the soul. This marked the end of our stay in Jaisalmer and we left with a heavy heart and new vigour to continue exploring places and cultures.
