Jaisalmer - The Golden City

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Driving all day through the searing heat of the arid Thar desert, we eventually reached our destination around 9pm - Jaisalmer, the golden city. Just before our departure chris was more than happy to discover that a young travel sick child had thrown up on his backpack! Upon arrival we were met at the bus station by a jeep which was to take us to Hotel Peacock having been told back in Johdpur by a tout that this place was cheap, brand new (having only opened 20 days prior to our arrival) and owned by a Dutch lady . . we were later to discover that none of this was true and that they had no rooms available! We were assured that there were rooms available at their sister hotel just around the corner, so together with our friend Sam and a recently acquainted dutch couple, we scrambled back into the jeep and made our way to Hotel Pol Haveli which unsurprisingly turned out to be a lot further and pricier than we were told! After some excellent bargaining on room prices from the westerners, we checked in and then went for a bite to eat before getting our heads down for the night.

Waking early the next day knowing we didn't want to stay this far from town, we hastily checked out and went in search of accommodation, all the while attracting lots of attention and being chased down the street by scores of local children asking for chocolate, pens and money. After eventually finding refuge at Hotel Desert View, heavily favoured by Koreans and for good reason - the rooftop area offered breathtaking views of the sun setting over the nearby temple - we ate breakfast and set out to explore the city on foot, from wandering the ancient fort to the local bazaars. We soon began to slip into a daily routine which consisted of chilling out in the day away from the hot desert sun, wandering aimlessly through the streets at cooler times, and the night consisted of visiting the only local government approved bhang shop (selling marijuana in the form of soft drinks, juices, lassies, sweets and cakes, all of which are 100% legal in India) before heading to the rooftop to watch the sun set below the desert horizon - giving a new meaning to the phrase 'Banged up abroad'! After 7 days in a stoned haze, we packed up, checked out, purchased bus tickets to Pushkar and were on our way.

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