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Published: January 25th 2009
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Jaisalmer
Us and Potatoe 21st January 2009 cont...
...on the bus from Jodhpur, we were headed west toward the sandcastle city of Jaisalmer. This was not originally on our route plan but we heard the calls of the Camels. A less exciting (i.e safer) bus journey, but Hayley had to keep her wits about her to avoid the constant spitting of the guy sat above her! Not nice.
We arrived around 1730. The touts here deserve credit - they join the bus one stop before Jaisalmer to wear you down with their offers of tours, hotels, camel safaris....They're a very persistent bunch! Getting off of the bus was even more hectic; as soon as your feet touch the ground, 10 pairs of hands are on your bag trying to lead you to their (comission seeking) rickshaw. We stood strong though, determined to get to our booked accomodation, and made it there for a record low price! On the way we picked up an English guy called Joe, from Bath, and all felt a bit uneasy about our Hotels name.....Swastika Hotel....but do not be alarmed, the swastika is originally a Hindhu symbol! We watched the sunset over dinner, and then bumper into Anna and Raphael again!
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer Fort It's a small world....
Jaisalmer is a small town that in the past was the main trading post between Pakistan and India. Since the border closure, it survives as a Military base and a tourist attraction - sitting in the Great Thar Desert. Because of this, it is a relatively quiet town except for the sporadic take-offs of the border patrol planes...
22nd January 2009
We woke earlyish and took a stroll through the small streets towards the fort, stopping for breakfast at a Tibetan Bakery. The fort here is the only existing currently active fort in India, and because of this it is slowly being destroyed due to the number of people still living and working there. It's still a beautiful place to while away the hours, seeing how life once was. Inside one of the many shops, we booked ourselves onto a Camel Safari for the following day and night. From here, we realised we needed supplies for our trip, and so this gave us opportunity to practice our negotiating skills with the local tradesmen! This is always great fun if you find the right people, and some of the advertising is priceless - " Make your
Jaisalmer
Chillaxing! Wife More Beautiful"!! A hat, scarf and 2 pairs of Sunglassed later (£4 total...), we met up with Anna and Raphael for our 'aurevoire' meal, as we would definitely be travelling our seperate ways from here. After calling it an evening, and deciding to head back to our hotel, there was a total black out and so once we had navigated our way home, we said our good-byes (and packed!) by candlelight.
23rd January 2009 - CAMEL SAFARI
We were picked up at 730am by jeep, to have breakfast with our fellow Safarians! After meeting a distinct lack of Brits so far, we were amazed to find 7 other Brits doing various Camel Tours. On our specific tour, we were joined by another French couple, and an excitable Spaniard! We were taken by jeep for approx 1 hour into the desert, picking up school children as we went. We then met our camels. Daniel was first to mount(?!) his trusty steed, who although was named Mr. India, was later renamed Crazy Man. Hayley was an image of pure grace on her lovely, docile camel called Aloo. Which is, oddly, Potatoe in Hindhi. We spent around 3 hours riding in
Jaisalmer
Lunch Bedouin style the morning, stopping under a tree canopy for lunch. The bedouin guides cooked us up a great lunch over a camp fire - and served up possibly the best coffee in India! During this we tried to loosen our by now very stiff and sore buttocks!!
We rode on for 2 hours more, before arriving at the Sand Dunes, in time for sunset. The Great Thar Desert isn't like the Sahara Desert with never ending Sand Dunes. It has sporadic vegetation and wildlife aplenty, so when you arrive at the Dunes it is quite a sight.
We had a bit of a play in the sand, and tried to watch the sunset before settling down for dinner around a camp fire in a nice sheltered part of the dunes. Our guides sang us Camel Herder songs and then sent us to bed....up on top of the sand dunes, completely open to the elements! This was quite daunting at first due to the wind that seemed to be picking up force, but lying looking up at a sky with more stars than we've ever seen before was amazing. We slept very soundly.
24th January 2009
We woke at 730am, to
Jaisalmer
Playing on the dunes a chilly but blue morning. Waking up to a view of nothing but sand and sky is surreal, but beautiful. We had breakfast of toast and boiled eggs, packed up our Camels, and talked our bums into getting back into the saddle! I think we must have overslept as the guides led us in an hour long gallop back to the meeting point - quite the adventure!
Back to reality; we collected our bags, had some lunch and headed for our overnight train to Jaipur. After our last overnight trip in Sleeper Class, we were a bit dubious about what lay ahead, and this wasn't eased when 2 soldiers joined our compartment with luggage that could easily have fit 2 people inside! Hayley refused to let them store it in our leg space - Hayley 1 - 0 Indian Army! They actually turned out to be lovely people, and we slept much more soundly than previously.
So that's us up to date. We are sat in Jaipur, on our way back towards Delhi. We hope everyone is well at home, and we speak about you all lots.
Love you all
D and H
xxx
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Sue and Tony
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Fantastic!
LOVE reading of all your travels (should be working really!!!) So glad you're loving every minute!! Brilliant and very entertaining descriptions of your many exploits - keep it going! Love Sue and Tony x