The land of the giant sandcastle

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I had to endure the longest trip of my life: 18 whole hours on one train. Getting on the correct train and finding my bed was a challenge in itself. The train had to be at least half a mile long and the locals' ability to speak English seemed to disappear when I asked them. Finally I found my slab that was to be my home for three quarters of a day. Getting my head down was hard to come by too. I was far to concerned with my valuables being pinched that I remained awake for the first eight hours of the trip. Not only was sleep difficult, going to the the toliet was like a battle. Taking valuables inside a room where there was just a hole in the floor and trying to keep my balance was like a sport. I should've got a medal.

Finally I arrived in the desert town of Jaisalmer, "The Golden City". Completely dazed I stumbled out of the station where hundreds of men tried to sell me their hotels or for me to hop in a taxi. "NO!" was my frequented answer but my hotel pickup never arrived. Bad start this visit because I hadn't a clue where the hotel was. Note taken, always know the address of the hotel I will be staying in. Reluctantly I hopped in a jeep and thankfully he dropped me to the correct place.

What greeted me was a hotel sat right underneath a giant sandcastle. Absolutely stunning place. The pleasures of the hotel pool were completely ignored with the sight of the hilltop fort. I ventured inside the fort where I found sleepy and relatively clean bazaars. It just reminded me of Aladdin. I drifted around and recognized one of the shopfronts from my lonely planet. The shop sold camel safaris with the owner calling himself Mr Desert. My makeshift bible (Lonely Planet guidebook) was the only thing I trusted and it did not disappoint.

For two hours I rode on my camel, called Jonnie Walker (love it!), where I arrived at the Sam sand dunes. Storytelling around a campfire, where the camel riders cooked some delicious Rajasthani treats as well as watching the sun go down was a truly great experience. When night arrived, the stars slowly appeared. I have never seen such a beautiful sky. Completely clear and the stars shone so brightly. As for Mr Desert, he is one in a million. A gentle, funny, intelligent and just compelling personality. A fantastic story teller who had all my fellow tourists enthralled. If only I was staying longer in Jaisalmer, then I would have stayed overnight in the dunes but had to head off early the next day.

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