Jaisalmer And Jaipur

Jaisalmer has always been a fascination for all Bengalis because of Satyajit Ray’s cult film Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) and visiting the fortress became a pilgrimage of sorts for every Bengali. Also this would be the place where you would get a chance to experience the real desert feel with the dunes, camels and peacocks.

The weather at Jaisalmer was totally different to what we got in Udaipur. Not a cloud in the sky and the desert sun blazing through the blue sky. Ideal weather for desert conditions we thought from inside the hotel room. Our hotel was located around 2 km from the city center.
As soon as we removed the curtains of our room we were greeted by the beautiful sight of the Jaisalmer fort at a distance. The entire city looked golden in the same color of the fortress. Most of the buildings, including our hotel were made of the yellow sandstone and all you could see was the yellow and the color of the sand mixing beautifully with the bright blue sky. Not a bit of green or grey was to be seen.

The Golden Fortress

Once we finished our breakfast and set off for a sightseeing tour of the iconic fort, we realized we will have a tough day ahead under the August heat. Nevertheless, I am one of the Bengalis who grew up watching the iconic film Sonar Kella and so the anxiety was enough to keep the thought of the weather away. Cars are not allowed inside the fort so we parked the car at the base and took an auto rickshaw up the slope to the inside of the fort through the cobbled roads inside the fort.  The beautiful yellow sandstone lived up to its ‘gold’en hype and looked gorgeous even in the ruins in various parts. A sizable percentage of the population of the town lives inside the fort and the fort looked like a buzzing city. All the lanes were lined up with shops and were a tourist’s dream. The foreign tourists would have a field time to check out the Indian-ism and shop a bit of India to carry back home. There were a no. of hotels, restaurants and lodges of all levels and even in this so called off season and in this heat there were no dearth of visitors. In other words, the place was fully commercialized and was the main business centre of the city. The one issue that is common with most Indian tourist spots is the constant presence of guides pestering you to offer their services and knowledge about the place. We have never had the patience to listen to them and said a strict no. As usual they were relentless in their campaign and even resorted to Bengali when they realized we were so. This was their trump card since over the last 30-odd years there have been a huge influx of Bengali tourists to this fort thanks to the legacy created by the iconic film. They even mentioned the characters of the film and offered to show us the shooting spots.

From whatever we learnt, the first place to visit was an ancient Jain temple. We walked through the lanes and reached the temple. The temple gets shut down at noon so we were content in seeing in from outside. This was followed by some shopping. We purchased a set of torches with a candle which we planned to decorate our living room with. Then we walked further along the shops and reached the spot on the fort from where you would get a birds-eye view of the city.

The spot also had a cannon placed which probably used to spring into action if the enemy attacked the city. After a bit more shopping we visited the main museum. This had thirteen sections to cover. The place had some beautiful caricatures and truly looked like made of gold. There were some great photos to be clicked we duly did exactly that. By this time the heat had taken its toll on us and we decided to head for the car.

We did that but not before some shopping at one of the shops. Luckily that was a cool place with a fan so I relaxed a bit while Asmi did the shopping. We were not aware of any restaurant around so we decided to head straight to the hotel to relax in the room and ordered food through room service.  This was the most welcome break before our evening program.

Sam Sand Dunes

We were planned to drive down to Sam’s sand dunes which was 40 km west of Jaisalmer. There we would be having a camel safari in the dunes followed by dinner at the dunes at a desert camp side. We would be staying at the camp-site for the night. We set-off at around 5 PM and reached within an hour. The first view of the dunes was spectacular and first time it gave the real desert feel even though it was full of tourists enjoying a camel safari from various camp sites.

We checked into ours, kept our luggage in one of those air-conditioned cottages (cannot use the word ‘tent’ since it was a proper structure). The swiss tents were also available but taking into account the weather we thought at air-conditioned cottage was the better option. The camel safari was fascinating. This time Asmi took the safari as well. This was not the first time for me. I remember the camel ride in the desert of Nubra valley two years back. The camels here were bigger in size and hence getting up and down was a bit more adventurous. The dunes looked gorgeous and probably it went all the way up to the Pakistan border which was just 60-odd kms away. It reminded me of the film ‘Border’ which was set and shot in this part of the country. We walked through the dunes after getting off the camel and soon the sun took on the look of a bright orange just behind our tents. I had seen sunsets on the sea-side in Mumbai, Goa and more recently in Trivandrum but this was my first view of a desert sun-set. No reflections on water yet a gorgeous sight to behold.

The twilight on the sand made a terrific combination and the silhouette of the camels made for some fantastic photography. The weather was still a problem though. Even though a desert breeze was blowing, it was still very hot contradicting my notion and it will get cold in the evening in such a desert. Probably we were still good three months away from the winter and hence still have to deal with the heat.

There was a Rajasthani folk song program in the campsite and soon after sun set we assembled in a make-shift amphitheatre at the centre of the camp. Even though the place was in the middle of nowhere, all arrangements were made, most important of them being chilled beer which came as a blessing in that weather and after a hectic day. They served us some pakodas for snacks and all that made for some beautiful viewing of Rajasthani folk music. Dinner was served at around 8:30 PM and the folk music soon made way for bollywood dance numbers.

Rajasthani folk music

The Rajasthani dinner buffet included the traditional and expected dal-bati-churma and towards the close, most of the ‘campers’ were dancing to bollywood music at the centre of the camp. By this time we were tired, mainly due to the hot weather and I wondered that this place would be so awesome in the chilled winter with a camp-fire around and lot of woolen layers. Instead we had to retire to an air-conditioned cottage which was not as luxurious as a resort cottage and neither did it give the feel of a Swiss tent that we stayed in Nubra Valley.  Nevertheless, we had a good sleep and we decided we will head back to Jaisalmer by 10 PM the next day before the heat becomes too intense.

Sam sand dunes

Day 4
We had breakfast at the camp-site after which we set-off for our 40 kms drive back to Jaisalmer. Even though we had checked out of Hotel Jaisalgarh, the staff was kind enough to provide us a room to relax and freshen up till we board out train to Jaipur at 5:15 PM. The fact that it was off-season and hardly any other guests in the hotel helped us and they offered us the same room that we were checked in. Just before returning to the hotel, we made a visit to the fort to finish off some unfinished shopping so that we can relax in the room and not have to come out again.

We were more than happy to relax in the room and even ordered our lunch through room service.  The heat had truly taken its toll on us and now we decided to take it easy on sight-seeing activities. We had our train at 5:15 PM so we packed and left the hotel at around 3:30 PM to check out an important landmark ‘Badabaag’. It contained the cenotaphs or the memorials of all the Maharajas of Jaisalmer starting with Jai Singh II. Needless to say, all the structures were made of yellow sandstone and made for beautiful viewing. After this, the one thing left to be seen was the Gadsisar Lake. We still had ample time left to reach the station so we decided to go for it. However, we found out that the car will not go till the banks and there was a walk involved. We dropped the idea and headed straight to the railway station. We were one hour too early and hence a boring wait followed. We released Ghanshyam at the station and he set-off for his long 10 hour drive back to Udaipur.

Bada Baag

Now it was that part of the trip that I most looked forward to – a train journey through the desert from Jaisalmer to Jaipur via Pokharan, Ramdevra and Jodhpur. We covered the same route (Jodhpur onwards) by road a couple of days ago but that was in the dark. The train journey would give us the chance to view the surrounding for at least a couple of hours. Our tickets got confirmed at the last minute and for the first time I would be travelling in First Class AC. We were booked in a four-birth cabin and were soon joined by a French couple – Patrice and Sophie. They were on a six-week tour of India and Jaisalmer was the penultimate leg of their tour before proceeding to Jaipur. How I envy Europeans who take such three month travel breaks. The train ran though the desert towards Pokharan. The landscape was similar to what we saw while driving towards the Sam sand dunes the day before. The desert sand and the cactus plants being most prominent along with the occasional camel at a distance.

The curve towards Pokharan

Patrice showed us his pictures of Jaisalmer and sure we realized that we missed out on a few things especially peacocks. He had clicked quite a few of them mainly in a ruined village which had great historical significance (though I cannot recall the name now). They were put up in a hotel inside the fort and he spoke a lot of the fantastic hospitality provided to them including a packed dinner for the train journey. We reached Pokaharan in an hour and a half and did the needful of having tea at the platform tea stall. The stop was longish since the train changes directions here and since it was still day-light it was an enjoyable experience. Ramdevra followed just fifteen minutes later and the station platform was packed with the pilgrims. Now we were on our way to Jodhpur as the evening set in. We planned to get our dinner at Jodhpur station. However no one really knocked on our cabin to take our order. We shared some of the dinner which was packed for Pat and Sophie and enjoyed the delicious parathas.

Sun setting in Pokharan station

They had mirchi-curry along with it so we were happy to just have the parathas while they enjoyed the spicy meal. We reached Jodhpur at around 10 PM. Jodhpur station was buzzing with people and action. There was a group singing folk songs on the platform and it formed a wonderfully touristy moment which Pat and Sophie enjoyed.  The train switched platforms and got connected to the Barmer-Jodhpur express and now would go towards Delhi together. We now wondered how to arrange for dinner. We asked the attendant and he said he will get dinner for us as he was going to the shop outside the station. We duly asked him to get non-veg dinner for two people. Soon after, we saw that a no. of boxes were being circulated in the compartment. We immediately asked if there was extra and they readily gave it to us. It was a delicious veggie meal and we wondered that there was no need to order the non-veg meal. The meal contained dal, paneer and parathas. These were special atta parathas and not tandoori parathas so we wanted more and more of it. Luckily we managed one more packet of it.  At the same time our chicken arrived as well and after taking out the chicken, I handed over the remaining part of the meal to the attendants in case they needed more. After the sumptuous dinner we called it a day setting the alarm for the early arrival at Jaipur at 4:30 AM. In case you don’t wake up, you head towards Delhi.

Day 5
We reached Jaipur in the wee hours of the morning, booked a taxi and checked in at our hotel Nahargarh Haveli. We had some difficulty in locating it as it was in some lane but once checked in we decided to complete our sleep for the morning. The room was lovely and had a royal look. Yatra had not booked any car for us on this leg of the tour so we booked a car through the hotel at 1800 INR for the day.  We completed breakfast and were ready to hit the town by around noon after lazing around a bit. Our car had arrived and soon as we went downstairs, we were greeted by a torrential rainfall (which would turn into floods in the next few days).

Jaigarh Fort

This was a dampener as there are quite a few places to see in Jaipur and the rain would spoil the view in many of those places. We headed straight to the north-eastern part of the city where the forts of Amber, Jaigarh and Nahargarj were located. We drove through the torrential rain through the Pink city, stopped at a place for saree shopping and then drove up the hill to Amber fort. The fort looked beautiful from a distance. However, the rain was a bit heavy so we decided against going on a tour of the fort. The fun would be lost with umbrellas, we thought. Our next stop was the Jaigarh fort. Cars were allowed inside so we could take a tour of the same. The fort hosted the Jaivana cannon which was the world’s largest cannon on wheels. The fort was the centre of artillery production for the Rajputs. The fort overlooked the fort of Amber and the Maota Lake. It was all very fascinating to walk through the fort despite the rain.

THE Cannon

The view from the hill top was great and could have resulted in better clicks on a brighter day. Our next stop was the Nahargarh fort which incidentally was also amber in color. Once done, we drove downhill with a constant drizzle still on. The entire area was green thanks to the rain and it gave the look that we see mostly in the Western Ghats. There were many bikers visiting the forts on the Ramzan holiday. On our way down, we saw the Jal Mahal and then settled for some late lunch. It was time now for us to proceed to the airport. On the way we drove through Pink City and managed to view the City Palace and the iconic Hawa Mahal. We also caught a glimpse of the beautiful museum building before finally making it to the airport. The airport was relatively new and hence quite modern though was surprised to find that there was no book shop or restaurant. Our flight was boarding from the ground floor transit lounge so I guessed the first floor boarding lounge would have all the facilities. Our Spice Jet flight back to Pune was on time and we duly reached Pune at around 11 PM.