I set out to make a classic itinerary and not too original, but enough to capture the essence of this authentic land. We would tour the Rajasthan region in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, a city in the Thar desert, almost bordering Pakistan. In Rajasthan we can find the Thar desert, the Aravali mountains which, with Mount Abu, are some of the oldest in the world, and the tiger reserves of Ranthambore and Sariska.
After Delhi, we move to Jaipur, crossing the arid landscape of Rajasthan. The highway is peculiar. It is accessible by tractors, bicycles, scooters, animals, auto rickshaws, and cars. And sometimes there is a pedestrian that crosses calmly. Along the way we make a stop in Abhaneri, where we are struck by the wide stepwell and the bevy of children who descend from their school bus.
There is a trailer pulled by a tractor driven by a young boy almost like them and they run towards us. In India, every means is good to move. Then we continue to Galta-Ji, the temple of the monkeys. According to the locals, tourists are attracted to this place only for the colony of monkeys that lives there.
So they do not take care of the building. It, in reality, deserves attention for its originality and for the attention to detail. However, there are a lot of monkeys. They bathe in the pools full of water of the Ganges (so the legend says, even if the river is many kilometers away).
Jaipur is all of pink stone, like the very special Hawa Mahal, the palace of the winds, but the main attraction is the Amber Fort. After a tail made eternal by the dozens of sellers of umbrellas, elephants, bags, we settle on an uncomfortable elephant to climb to the fort. We enter the royal entrance and, as happened to the emperor, we are welcomed by the music.
The building is amazing. Inside the typical walls of a fort, there is a sumptuous and unexpected marble palace. We return to the jeep-bus, chased by sellers who have already packed special albums with photos of all of us in the elephant. To recover a bit from the heat, we holed up in a workshop (with the usual polar microclimate) to watch the carpets.
We go on a tour of the Jaipur market on a tuk-tuk ride. We are eight on a tuk-tuk for three, now we feel a bit local. Jaipur is too hot to do anything. So we slip into a store (strictly air-conditioned) and take the opportunity to buy some souvenirs. The women sit to apply mehndi, a drawing on the hands with henna. Women embellish the body on special occasions and is a souvenir to take home.
Throughout India and especially in Rajasthan, an intricate pattern of lace, a composition of floral textures and lucky symbols of great effect is painted on the skin. After photographing the sunset, it's time for the whole group to sit in a circle to have rice and vegetables and several sauces.
Once the dinner was over, they entertained us the night with chants and percussions using a water drum and a dish like a chaston. It's time to sleep looking at the stars and close the mouths so that we do not get any beetles.
Day 1 - Mandawa
The day is long and hard, but we got up at 5.30 in the morning with the same enthusiasm as in our first trip to Rajasthan. By taxi we arrive at the train station. We reach the airport by the metro, and at 10.30 we check-in the bags. After passing a couple of strict controls, we reach the waiting room until at noon, we boarded the Air India flight to Delhi.
The flight to Delhi took place without incident. The only but I can put is that the information that the airport screens provided on the boarding gate was wrong, or was changed at the last moment. It made us live some anxious moments, even though we had something more than an hour to make the change.
In the end, after running through the corridors of the airport, we reached the right door with more than enough time. The flight is comfortable (as comfortable as the economy class can be) with decent food, good entertainment and a diligent crew. In just over an hour (by train it's about 15 hours) we landed at the airport in this city in the state of Delhi.
We pass the controls and pick up the bags heading for the exit. Here the hotel had sent a taxi with where we will stay at our first destination. The problem was that, when we left the airport, there was nobody waiting for us. It was 2 in the afternoon, and we asked for the cost of a taxi. While we were hesitant about what to do, our taxi driver appeared, apologizing for the delay.
We went walking to pick up the car in the parking. After the moment of uncertainty, we settled in the taxi that began its 300 km journey, in the middle of the chaos typical of the big cities. What was a novelty for us, was the presence of numerous cows that ran at ease, not only in the city, but also the highway. They made the driving an obstacle course. This becomes especially dangerous at night, on roads with little or no light.
Out of urban areas and as the night starts it was what I would call the kamikaze race to get to Mandawa. There were a few tense moments, especially one in which there was a competition between a bus and several cars. So with our particular guardian angel in a state of maximum alert, we arrive without incident, but with the feeling that we were unharmed by miracle.
On the way and seeing that it was getting late, we asked the driver to stop us somewhere for dinner. He took us to a restaurant where they were waiting for us since he had called but we did not like the place. We wanted something quick because it was late and we continued until another one where we had dinner and continued.
We arrived almost at 11 at night to Mandawa to go direct to the haveli where we did the check-in, showered and go to bed. I finally sleep, surrendered, after a day of travel.
Day 2 - Bikaner
In the morning we have breakfast and go out to explore the city on foot, famous for its havelis although most are poorly maintained or in ruins. The havelis are merchants' houses that flourished thanks to the trade route from China built by the Marwari merchants in the Shekhawati region, north of Rajasthan.
When we left the haveli there was our driver, a hotel service boy and some countrymen offering us to become a guide to tour the city, which we declined politely. When we had been walking for a while, one of those who were outside the haveli came back to tell us that he is a guide and that we have to go with him to get to know the city well. We ignore and continue.
After a while another guide approached us asking about me. He told us he was a guide and it was better that we visit the city with a guide and that he would not charge us anything. We pass him and continue. We went through several havelis and in front of the fort that we did not enter so we did not delay in going towards Bikaner, a walled city, located in the middle of the Thar desert.
We saw some structures that later I found out they were stepwells and we entertained taking pictures of several children. We bought fruit in some stalls near the haveli and water. We stopped in Fatehpur where there are more than 300 havelis. We visit one of them to see its interior, and although it is not restored, its paintings and the work of the wood of its doors, allow to imagine the past splendor.
We continue the route to Bikaner passing small towns until we stop at the Vaishno Devi Temple at whose entrance is the head of a lion with an open mouth through which we pass into the interior. About 8 km before arriving to Bikaner, we stop to visit the Chhatris in Devi Kund Sagar. This is the real crematorium of the Bikaji dynasty, and each one occupies the exact place where it was incinerated.
We continue our trip to Bikaner where we enter the Junagarh Fort (before it was called Chintamani) built in the 16th century by Raja Rai Singh, Akbar's army general. It is one of the few forts that is not built on top of a hill and which has the particularity of not having been conquered. The main door is the Suraj Pol.
In the interior we find numerous palaces of red sandstone and marble, rooms with delicate paintings, ceilings with mirrors and ivory prints, and courtyards with marble ponds. The Chandra Mahal, Phool Mahal, Durbar Room, Badal Mahal, Diwan-i-Khas, Gag Mandir, are some of them.
In the area dedicated to the Museum we can see various types of firearms, shields, swords, furniture, and a biplane of the World War I. In the old city we visited in rickshaw, doing some stretches on foot. The most interesting or striking was without a doubt two of the havelis that hide their narrow streets.
The most famous group is Rampuria, built by Balujee Chalva under the instructions of the Rampuria family. The oldest one is 400 years old, but the great majority does not exceed 100 years. The magnificent work of carved from the red sandstone in which they are built is surprising. Peacocks, elephants, flowers, geometric drawings and innumerable figures, adorn the façade of this group of havelis.
Another interesting group is the havelis of Daga Chowk. After lunch, we continue to Deshnok to visit one of the most amazing temples I have ever seen, not because of its architecture or history but for its deities. It is the rats.
In the Karni Mata temple rats are worshiped. In total there are about 25,000 black rats and a handful of white rats, at present, the latter being the most fervent among devotees. They are everywhere but what catches the most attention is to see how people kiss the floor, wash their heads with their water or even drink it and eat their nibbled food.
The commotion came when a white rat appeared and people rush to take group photos and selfies, pushing and touching to approach, throwing food to see if they eat it, wait for one to pass them over and all this to have good luck. We tried a sugarcane juice and bought a souvenir to continue our trip to the hotel where a sandstorm arises. It seems that we are in a veil of almost total darkness and we barely see a few meters ahead.
Bikaner was founded by Rao Bika and that was important step in the routes of the caravans. Years later it was governed by the Mughals until the 19th century.
We agreed to have dinner at the hotel because of the storm but since it took us an hour to prepare it we went for a walk in which the thing calms down. We enjoy a walk in which we found a market that we enter as it is away from the traffic hustle. We get back to the hotel with a bag of spices.
Day 3 - Jaisalmer
After a good sleep, it's time to pick up, load everything and return to the jeep. At 11 in the next morning, we finally arrive in Jaisalmer. The last passenger climbs and the driver forcibly close the door and we squeeze a little more. A horn honks, a cow, a group of children and an old woman, everyone runs and we finally get going.
The walled city is behind, if I try hard I can still see it in the rearview mirror. He knew how to be a strong person, he knew how to be a living and refuge in the middle of the desert. Stacked bricks and stacks of yellow sand make it look like a golden mountain. It's funny, we saw blue, pink and now yellow cities.
In Rajasthan, colors and forts are common currency. The narrow and crowded streets are an almost typical scene where vendors of chai coexist with monkeys and cows, with dogs and with clothing and souvenir shops. A temple, a figure of some God, some believer who prays and lights an incense. Women chat and cook, travelers take pictures and children play ball, all in alleys one meter wide.
We have to look up a lot to find the sky among so many balconies and windows. It is enough to bend badly in some intersection and lose yourself completely in labyrinth size. The Hindu and Jain temples are shown in every alley we take. It is magnificent both spatially and temporally. History inhabits places and it is impossible not to consider it another variable to visit.
More than looking for sites of tourist interest, we have fun looking for the history that builds each place. That the desert, that the reign, that the Maharaji, that the war, that the peace. But the fort of Jaisalmer was left behind. From the city streets, we passed an empty and arid route. Sand everywhere, we scatter bushes and camels that cross in front of us. There are no traces of the fort, of the route, either.
We see a piece of blue painting. Is it the sea, its waves and seaweed? No, this painting was made to show the children of the palace what a cloudy sky looked like in other countries. Besides this one where the sky is always blue, and what eclairs looked like in other countries than this one where there are never thunderstorms.
There is finally the bed of the maharaja, located almost at ground level, to prevent one of his enemies from hiding under. Today, it was Karva Chauth, the women's party. After fasting all day, they go up on the roofs of their houses and their husbands offer them gifts.
Karva Chauth is the name of a festival celebrated throughout northern India by women who are married or engaged, in honor of their husbands, to pray for their health and longevity. Our driver, who was said to be married, offered me to participate in this event with friends of his in Jaisalmer.
Well motivated, I learn the few main rules of this celebration. Women fast from sunrise to sunset, dress in a traditional way, with saree, henna on the hands, make-up, hairstyle and jewels. Together with other women they pray at the temple when the moon comes out, after which they can eat.
Fortunately, we have Junagarh Fort to visit in Bikaner before getting cool in the car for 5 or 6 hours drive to Jaisalmer. We arrive too late for the temple, and the evening will be fair. It's finally quite disappointing, because the immersion did not take place, but we play the game all the same. And finally, the few people to whom our driver told this day are very positive about the effort we made to follow a custom from here.
After breakfast we left Bikaner on the way to Jaisalmer. In the morning we left for Pokhran Fort between Bikaner and Jaisalmer. The fort is small and has some beautiful paintings and gardens. Inside there is a hotel with very good looks. About 50 km away is the Temple of Shri Kolayat. It is dedicated to Kapil Muni whose body is believed to have been thrown under a fig tree.
The huge artificial lake, which does not dry never is covered by an infinity of lotus flowers, and has 32 ghats. Once a year, in the month of Kartik (October-November), thousands of devotees gather to take a holy bath. When we were in it was a haven of peace and tranquility. On the road we find enough pilgrims. At a fixed point they leave their shoes to walk barefoot the last 25 km that separate them from the Ramdevra Temple.
The small town of Ramdevra owes its fame to Saint Baba Ramdev, a Sufi saint. Arriving in Jaisalmer we passed several security controls. We see barracks and quite a lot of military presence. We stop to eat some onion kachori that are quite good. Upon arriving at the hotel, and after receiving our first namaste or greeting from a hotel employee, I give a good tip to the taxi driver who has brought us safe and sound.
The hotel is perfectly located. Our room, although a little small, is quite comfortable, with a mix between old and modern fittings. It does not have air conditioning, but fan, enough in this time. After sharing a masala chai, and to which I will become quite fond, we settle in the room.
We take a refreshing shower, and we go to dine at the restaurant located on the terrace of the building, with a beautiful view of the illuminated wall. We ordered a tandoori chicken, rice, several pieces of chapati, and a pancake of banana and honey, for dessert, all accompanied by beer. There is a cool breeze, and we have wifi to send some whatsapp messages, but we close our eyes.
At 9 o'clock at night we return to the hotel and we had a tea on the terrace before going to sleep, although our dream was interrupted by a group of tourists, who believed themselves to be in a nightclub. So I had to give them a tick, which fortunately worked.
Day 4 - Jaisalmer
We have slept 10 hours at a stretch. At 8:30 we have toast, scrambled eggs and tea on the terrace of the restaurant before launching to discover a city that is waking up. We went out to the street where we crossed narrow alleys full of garbage in which numerous animals roam freely from pigs, goats, chickens, and above all cows.
We stand in what looks like an sweetshop to try several sweets, some karanji with honey and nuts reminiscent of baklava, burfi and badam pak. Thus, almost without realizing it, we arrive at the doors of the so-called golden city, located on the crest of a sandy yellowish rock. It is crowned by a fort whose construction began in the 12th century, and which after several enlargements has 99 imposing bastions on a small hill.
Here we take an unofficial guide who talks about the grand Haveli of Jaisalmer and offers a guided tour throughout the morning. He begins to explain some details about the name of the city, although soon after he tells us that he has to go to cast his vote in a local election.
We are continue to be guided by a friend of his. We continue ascending through doors, all built in a curve, to avoid the onslaught of the elephants of the enemy army. Four doors, Akhaiya Pol, Ganesh Pol, Suraj Pol and Hawa Pol, lead to the main square, where the Rajmahal palace is located, and to its right is the Maharani palace.
We move through alleys full of people. Here what impresses us most is the color of everything that surrounds us, especially the beautiful dresses worn by women. We see vegetable and fruit stands (although they are not as varied as in other countries), the stalls where they sell dyes, which pile in a pyramidal shape. The colors of the facades of the houses complement this spectacular chromatic crucible.
Some of the women also has henna tattoos on their hands and feet, with geometric or floral motifs. This chromatic beauty contrasts negatively with dirt and noise. We wander through the interior of a city, and we see that in many facades there are paintings in which Ganesha along with some inscriptions that we do not understand.
The guide clarifies that this is a perennial memory of a wedding, indicating the names of the couples, the caste to which they belong, and the date of the event. We penetrate ancient doors where hang five chilies, in some havelis, and old houses of merchants.
This city was in silk route that declined with the growing maritime trade and the development of the Bombay port. In construction of the havelis the merchants spared neither efforts nor money, converting them into authentic works of art. In the sandstone of the walls, the stonemasons left many details engraved. The balconies are spectacular for their meticulous work, as are the arches, the doors and some wall paintings.
Most of these prosperous merchants professed the Jain religion. The merchants also built wonderful temples, with a very elaborate sculptural decoration. We visited the Chandraprabhu Jain Temple and Shri Lodravapur Parshvnath Jain Shwetamber Tirth. It reminded me of Ankor Wat because of the number of motifs carved in the stone. We also find many representations of Mahavira sitting in the lotus position, and which closely resembles Buddha.
After leaving the walled enclosure, the guide takes us to Patwon Ki Haveli. Its large size, the carved stone filigree, the decorative richness, and its 60 lattice balconies make it an architectural marvel. We then head to Nathmal Ki Haveli, another interesting place. Two architect brothers took charge of its construction, which was commissioned on one side of the haveli, achieving a similarity between both, as well as a large number of differences.
Finding these differences becomes a challenge and an entertainment for tourists. We then head to Salim Singh Ki Haweli, and a couple of shops where he takes commission. We bought a quilt, although we will regret it right away, since we could have bought it at the end, and so we would not have to transport it during the entire trip. Then we continue to wander until we reach the Rani Ka Mahal but we did not enter and we continue walking around.
To end the morning we take a relaxing, cool and quiet boat ride by the Gadi Sagar Tank. This lake was built by Maharaja Maharwal Gadsi in 1400. More than a lake it is a deposit that collects rainwater to supply later the entire city. The entrance door, Tilon Ki Pol, apparently was built by a famous courtesan.
The story tells that the two pillars of the entrance remembered the legs of the courtesan. So it is open to the imagination what represented the door to the lake. The Maharaja tried to prevent the construction, but she added a small shrine dedicated to Krishna, which the Maharaja never dared to destroy. In its waters, fished swim happily.
After finishing the visit, we went to the terrace of the restaurant, looking for a good wifi to check the internet, and send whatsapp photos. We had a few beers and a thali with rice, dal, some curry, aloo dum, yogurt, salad and chapati. We return to the hotel to rest for a while. At about 5 o'clock in the afternoon we go in an autorickshaw, to the sunset point, a place about two kilometers away.
We pay to enter (later we observe that there are several points where you can pass for free). From where there is a good view of the city is surrounded by tourists. Once the sun set, we walked back to Jaisalmer, observing daily scenes, as well as a kind of election campaign, controlled by policemen who with sticks in hand, were very threatening.
I take a photo, and try to make a video, but I watch as a policeman comes to where I am. So I abort the maneuver, although then the policeman passed by without telling me anything. We return to the hotel, where we showered before going out to dinner at the famous restaurant (recommended in the Rajasthan travel guide. A young lawyer, guides us there.
We can see the golden fortress in all its splendor, illuminated from all sides by numerous spotlights. We took a thali, chicken curry, chapati, water and beer. In the street sounds of drums and deafening music call our attention. It is another of the numerous weddings that we find. The men dance to the sound of the music and the groom in a typical costume and his finery advances on the back of a white horse ornamented for the occasion.
Many women walk behind the farmhouse with costumes made with colored fabrics and silver and gold ornaments all enhancing the figure of the groom. Already dined and after returning to the hotel where we stayed we heard music, artificial fires and a ruckus. Being early we decided to find out where it came from as it would be impossible to sleep with such a noise.
It is not far behind the hotel where we see the one who gets married, at the entrance of what looks like the place of ceremony. It is a large building in which there is a special decoration for the wedding, a pink tent at the entrance with a red carpet on the floor and where we see all the previous troop dancing with the groom.
We stayed for a while and the family members start to take pictures with the groom and once they enter the building they ask us to take pictures with us, which we politely access. The men thank us with a handshake and the women with a thank you. Once the photos are finished, they invite us to see what is a ceremony that apparently lasts for hours since the bride and groom sit down as they wash their feet, throw rice at them, make offerings, take photos with them and with parents.
I must say that they are very hospitable because they insisted so much that we went up to eat something. We went up and saw that they had catering with well-trained waiters who distribute food. The groom's uncle, who was the one who guided us around the buffet, told us that it was a wedding of a high merchant caste.
We are in a roof where the tables near the cornices extend the buffet. The central area is not covered leaving a courtyard in sight where we observe all the decoration and women's fabrics. After trying several things and greatly appreciate such an experience we retired, not without wishing the couple and the family much happiness. We returned walking to the hotel.
Day 5 - Thar Desert
The first rays of light woke us. We had no other stimulus than nature and its magnificent simplicity. As if the scene were repeated, behind a dune appeared the man with the highest camels, we had to start before the heat increases. The times in the desert are marked by the sun.
Today we want to wander around on our own, and we have almost decided to go visit in the Thar Desert, to take a camel ride and see the sunset from its dunes. We did not wake up too early, and had breakfast quietly. I eat the aloo paratha, which is much cheaper than the typical continental breakfast for tourists.
At 9 o'clock we arrive at the fort entrance, and we go through part of what we did not see yesterday. In the narrow streets, vendors of chai and fried peanuts coexist with monkeys, cows and dogs. We see hotels and guesthouses, with private homes and local clothing and souvenirs, whose owners insistently trumpet the quality and low price of their products.
We see the figure of some god, a devotee who prays, and another who offers some rose petals. Women chat and cook. Tourists take pictures and children play ball, all in alleys one meter wide. I have to look up a lot to find the sky among so many balconies and windows. It is enough to lose completely in a labyrinth of streets with bazaars and havelis. The Hindu and Jain temples are in every alley we take.
After receiving so many stimuli, we rest in the restaurant of a hotel, where we chat with a couple on honeymoon, and exchange opinions and advice. At noon we went to collect the quilt, which was missing an opening, and put some buttons. After leaving the bedspread at the hotel, we take a rickshaw and go to the agency, where we have to negotiate hard for the visit to the desert.
We decided to return to the hotel since the time of our excursion to the desert is approaching, stopping at a nearby market to buy fruits. We took it to the room and we put it as close to the air conditioner to cool it down. We rested for a while and got off to be picked up by our driver and headed to Sam Sand Dunes. We board in a ramshackle Jeep, in which also travel a couple of Norwegians and Koreans.
From the busy streets of Jaisalmer, we pass through an arid landscape, crossing a lonely road full of sand, scattered bushes and camels that cross in front of us. In the distance, windmills can be seen, which sadly confirms us, that progress has reached all corners of the earth.
The vehicle parks next to some very modest houses, on the outside of which are some people and a dromedary with a single hump. We see that they are adjusting the saddles and the Norwegians and Koreans start to climb. I ask the driver of the jeep and he tells me that we have only hired a walk around the area and watch the sunset.
When he sees my anger, he calls by phone, and he confirms that we will also take the camel ride. So they prepare another animal and we climb them. Climbing the dromedary is not easy as it is always taller no matter if it seated or not. In my case the animal is very nervous, and throws quite disturbing grunts.
They have to hold it, so I can get up, and they tell me to hold on tight to the leather strips on the chair, which scares me even more. The animal first raise its front legs, leaving me in a fairly inclined plane and then raise the rear ones quite abruptly, which made me almost end up on the ground. Seeing my expression of fear, one of the boys tells me that it is a young, untrained animal.
Finally, in a quite rigid position, clinging to the chair as if my life depended on it, we began the journey accompanied by young people. On camels that are linked by ropes we enter the Thar desert. Luckily it is not too hot (they tell us that in summer temperatures of 50 degrees are reached) and slowly I relax, finally getting to enjoy a long walk of an hour and a half.
Explaining the immensity of the desert is not simple because the desert is everything. It is each of the cardinal points. It is the horizon and what is under our feet. It can also be the despair of being trapped in an ocean of sand that has no end, or it can be calm and tranquility based on its absolute silence. The shadow of the camel is getting longer and that gives us the hint that the sunset is nearing.
At the edge of the sunset we reach a dune, where there are several tents (the other couples will stay for the night here) and we watch the sunset drinking tea. We stopped a while to take pictures until the wind began to rise and clouds began to form before us that approached at high speed as if we were in the movie.
The sight is worth admiring, with the sunset on the one hand and a sandstorm on the other. I see the driver lying on the sand facing the storm, mostly calm. The driver decided that we had already been enough when he finished talking on the phone and we got out of there. We arrived just as the folk group began to play.
We sat in a kind of lounge chairs and they put some salted peanuts and they took note of the drinks (kingfisher of course). While we were enjoying the music with a dancer wearing the typical clothes of the area, we started to go inside to have dinner where they served us rice, dal, butter chicken, kair sangri sabzi and a kind of rice with milk. After dinner we warmed up around the bonfire between chats and songs.
We know nothing of the desert, of the night, or of the day. We cannot orient ourselves, we cannot walk in the sand, we cannot recover after so many hours on camels. But there we are, fascinated with that infinity of stars that we see with only a slight rise of the head. Just thinking about the history of the sand that slips between our fingers gives us goosebumps.
Before going to sleep, we ask for a taxi for the next day early, because we have to catch a train at 6 in the morning. And, as in most adventure films, the romantic part comes. Snuggled up in our beds, with the fire going out, in absolute silence, an impressive blanket of stars spread over our heads. We were lucky that these dates coincided with a shower of stars, so we could ask for more than one wish!
And without being able to separate our sight of the sky we went falling asleep on the sand covered with blankets and shooting stars. Throughout the night we woke up to go back to sleep looking at that unpolluted and silent sky. We need to corroborate that we were indeed there, in the middle of those dunes, somewhere in the desert.
Electric windmills are seen in the distance. Small constructions of yellow bricks give an account of traces of human life. Finally, we reach a small dune and the car stops. It would be impossible to specify why it stopped there, all the bushes are the same, all the dunes are equal, nothing indicated that it should stop there. But he did, and the driver made us get off the vehicle. It was 9 am and the heat suffocated us.
We quickly understood the need to cover the sun, leaving only our hands outdoors and a gap to see at eye level. Suddenly, behind the dune appears a man with a scarf and tunic, reminded me of the Bedouins I saw in a documentary on television. Behind the man stand 4 tall camels. They only carry their humps, but they carry water drums, blankets, and food.
Climbing the camel was not easy. Whether one is more or less tall, the camel is always taller than one more seated than this one. Not for nothing, the cameleer insisted that we should hold on tightly with the strips and with a simple whistle, the impressive animal first raised its two front legs, leaving us in a rather inclined plane and then raise the two rear. In this way, we resume an unstable equilibrium.
Thus we begin to walk. All in a row, bending behind some dune to then get into another and so on. The heat overwhelms. The water is hot, the head is bulging and the discomfort of sitting for hours on a hump begins to feel. Explaining the immensity of the desert is not simple. Because the desert is everything.
It is each of the cardinal points, it is the horizon and what is under our feet. It can also be the despair of being trapped in an ocean of sand that has no end, or it can be calm and tranquility based on its absolute silence. The shadow that we give from the camel is getting longer and that gives us the guideline that it is starting to sunset.
The sun, enemy, and source of life of those who inhabit the desert, begins to disappear. When the windmills, the water dumps, and the bushes were left behind, when we are only in the middle of an infinite amount of dunes, the camel stops. Here we stop, here we sleep. Here, where there is nothing else, more than the sunset.
It is the immensity of the sky, next to the eternal undulations of the sand, a guideline of the minimum we are in front of such a landscape. We know nothing of the desert, of the night, or of the day. We can not orient ourselves, we can not walk in the sand, we can not recover after so many hours on camels. But there we are, fascinated with that infinity of stars that we see with only a slight raise of the head.
We arrived in the desert heart of Thar, just 20 km from Pakistan. There begins a network of invisible roads that can take us to Persia in the silk route. Just thinking about the history of the sand that slips between our fingers gives us goosebumps.
The people who lived in those ancestral times in the Thar desert covered their hands and feet with a paste made from henna leaves. From the first moment they noticed that as the color remained on the skin, the temperature of their body remained low. It helped the women who used this temporary tattoo to cope with the relentless heat. With the passage of time, the ladies began to experiment drawing a whole series of complex but very beautiful designs.
Difficult to make and very different in shape, the mehndi decorations are specular from one arm to the other. They express an artistic language in which each form has a meaning. The peacock is for beauty, the swan is for success, dragonflies and butterflies for the rebirth and change, the leaves for devotion, and the cashmere motifs for fertility.
Traditionally the mehndi is applied in various festivals, in particular at weddings. Before the ceremony the bride (sometimes even the partner) lets herself drawn in hands and feet in a real ritual. The young woman is surrounded by women of the family and friends, and tattooed with henna, while the older women reveal the secrets of being a good wife.
The tattoo accompanied by graceful movements will serve to seduce the groom during the first night of love, but it is also a symbol of luck. It is thought that the more the embroidery resists over time, the more the couple will be happy together. An integral part of the celebration of Karva Chauth is the endless mehndi designs. The henna artists were originally from the Nai, the barbers' caste.
And without being able to separate our sight of the sky we went falling asleep. On the sand, covered with blankets and shooting stars. Throughout the night we woke up to go back to sleep looking at that unpolluted and silent sky. We need to corroborate that we were indeed there, in the middle of those dunes, somewhere in the desert.
Jaisalmer, the Golden City, is aptly named. It is due to the fact that almost the entire city is built of yellow sandstone. A fortress dominates the city, which is still inhabited by the descendants of the families of lords, warriors and servants of the time. It looks a little like old medieval towns with narrow alleys, innumerable small passages and recesses, and stairs to access the roofs to admire the city from above.
What is impressive and beautiful is that almost all houses are decorated and carved more or less richly. Rather more than less! Even recent constructions follow this tradition. It gives a coherent whole, which reinforces the beauty of the place. Even outside the fortress, the great merchants' houses, the havelis, compete in detail with the facades.
After the fort, we walk in the streets, discovering the specificities of the city, namely patchwork and silver jewelry. We visit shops, around a tea shop, and get astonished, again, watching the quality and thoroughness of the work of artisans.
We then leave for Khuri, a village on the edge of the desert, for a dromedary safari in the sunset, traditional Rajasthani dances and meals. Finally this is the official program. Because in truth, we found ourselves in the most beautiful tourist scam we had at the moment.
The safari lasted in all for 15 minutes, in the few dunes located near the guest house. Once the sun sets, we quickly return to the guest house to attend a superb show of musicians and singers, and a dance. The best moment is the moment she takes her phone out of her bra, reads a message, stops dancing and goes to sit down to answer.
Following this performance of unmatched quality, the musicians have more than heavily insisted on the usual tips, which we were obviously very inclined to give them. After this enchantment, as well as the meal, we finally leave for what will catch us this evening, namely the night in the desert under the stars. It is a magical and soothing moment.
Day 3
The sunrise is very beautiful. We discover the traces of the few inhabitants of the night having approached our camp beds during the night. Well, a beetle, makes a mark in one night! We take the road to the next stop, Jodhpur, the Blue City.
Day 6 - Jodhpur
It's still dark when one of the employees has to wake up the driver who sleeps in a nearby tent. Our driver insists that we wait a bit as he wants to show us something. We wait for a man from the village who delivers opium and sugar, take it and then in the car show us a piece and tell us it was good for the stomach. The driver offers us and along the way explains that in the region fathers dissolve opium in milk so that their children sleep well in the night and and they can work all day.
We return in the Jeep through a series of sand tracks, while crossing several fawns and a fox, until we take the paved road where there is enough traffic. It is still dark and the use of long and short lights, leaves much to be desired. The first rays of light arrives as the dawn was appearing there in front of us. We had no other stimulus than nature and its magnificent simplicity. The times in the desert are marked by the sun.
When we have a few kilometers to reach Jaisalmer, a police control keeps our driver for more than half an hour. In the end he returns laughing, telling us that he had been released without paying to the police, which he says is very usual to avoid problems. We reach the station. I give him a tip for making him get up so early, and he gives us a bottle of water. At the same time he tells us to go to the VIP waiting room, to protect ourselves from the intense cold of dawn in the desert.
We follow his advice, but when we go to the room, we see that it is full of people sleeping. So we go outside again, and we put on all the clothes we have (which is not much), especially when we are informed that the train will leave late. The people who have slept in the surroundings begin to get up, and they walk with thick blankets to protect themselves from the cold.
More travelers start arriving and I drink hot chai in a stall to warm up. A group of soldiers try to talk to me and I walk away with a smile. At 7.30 we went out in the sleeper class, with the tickets bought through internet. We settled in a bunk comfortably lying down, in a surprisingly empty train. We feel cold because the windows do not close well.
We eat some cookies and energetic breakfast bars, while we observe the landscape through the thick bars that protect the windows. Seated beside me is a fellow who lives in Jodhpur. As the Rajasthani tradition commands, his name is tattooed on his forearm. He is friendly, sarcastic and frank. We join over tobacco.
He saw me smoking sitting on the steps of the open door of the moving train car, and now he invites us to his corner at the beginning of the coach, the final point before the locomotive. We got together there. He opens the door for us.
The train makes innumerable stops, some of which are quite long, which allows us to see each of the stations, with a swarm of people. We see sellers of all kinds of food, travelers with huge bales under their backs, and women with children who do not know very well where they go. In one of them, I go down to buy some pakoras, freshly made.
A nice family that travels to our side offers us a cake, which I take with a smile and gratitude. The ticket checker throws several people out of our coach because they have a lower class ticket.
At 2 in the afternoon we arrived at Jodhpur station and quickly took a rickshaw that take us to our guesthouse, in the middle of a horrific traffic. The hotel is in the historic center, in a narrow alley that we must access on foot. The room is not bad, but the sheets have not changed. Soon the manager appear apologizing, and scold the employee.
We went up to the restaurant, a terrace with amazing views of the fort that dominates the city, and we had a beer, before going for a walk around. We are close to the Clock Tower and the so-called spice bazaar, where hundreds of stores offer spices and tea of all kinds. A young merchant teaches us to differentiate pure saffron from the substitute, although his initial friendly tone decrease as he realized that we were not going to buy anything.
We wandered for a couple of hours there, perceiving the aroma of spices and the variegated panorama of the narrow alleys, until we decided to go to the hotel for an early dinner on the charming terrace. We enjoy the views of the illuminated fort away from the madding crowd. Here we meet a couple of young people, with whom we will talk for a long time before going to sleep, while the muezzin from a nearby mosque calls faithful Muslims to prayer.
Today Ramadan ends and they are having a party.
Day 7 - Jodhpur
We have rested quite well, and at 8 in the morning we have breakfast with coffee and toast on the terrace. Although there are hardly any people, the service is desperately slow. At 9 o'clock, we began the winding climb to the Mehrangarh fort, one of the largest in the country. Its construction began in the mid-fifteenth century by order of Maharaja Rao Jodha and is surrounded by imposing and thick walls.
As in almost all the monuments in India, in addition to the entry ticket, we have to pay for camera, although the normal thing is to use mobile cameras. It has 3 imposing entrance doors, each one dedicated to commemorate a victory. The Jaya Pol is on the armies of Jaipur and Bikaner, the Fateh Pol on the Mughals. The last door called Laha Pol has the traces of 15 hands as a souvenir of the sati of the widows of Maharaja Man Singh.
We reach Chokelao Bagh and take some pictures. Inside the museum is the most important collection of palanquins from all over Rajasthan. We also see the Moti Mahal, Sukh Mahal, and Phool Mahal exquisitely decorated with carved panels, barred windows and colored glass. We see inside elephant chairs, royal costumes, musical instruments, weapons, furniture, and a collection of cots are displayed in a beautiful room.
For almost three hours we tour the enclosure, with a free audio guide through huge doors protected by sharp irons, spacious patios and sumptuous rooms, full of miniatures, musical instruments, costumes and all kinds of furniture. In the last part of the fort there is a temple and just before there is a collection of cannons in which stands out a Chinese one that I think was a gift.
It also has an impressive view over the so-called blue city of Jodhpur named for the blue tone that many of their houses present. The color was adopted because it was said to scare away heat and mosquitoes. Currently the new buildings are still painted blue for tourist reasons. Jodhpur is the second city of Rajasthan and is located on the edge of the Thar Desert.
At the exit, we are approached by several rickshaw drivers offering their services. We agreed with one of them to take us to a nearby mausoleum and to the Royal Palace, located on the other side of the city. First we go to the Jaswant Thada, built by Sardar Singh in 1899 in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, considered the best ruler of Jodhpur.
It is built with finely carved and polished sheets of the same white marble of the Taj Mahal and is known as the Taj Mahal of Marwar. The marbles emit a warm light when the sun's rays alight on its surface. It's really beautiful. In the garden there are several cenotaphs and a monument to a peacock that flew on a funeral pyre.
We took some photos of Kirat Singh Soda's chhatri who was a soldier who died at the same point defending the fort. Then we moved to the Umaid Bhawan Palace, one of the largest private residences in the world, named after Maharaja Umaid Singh.
It has 347 rooms and is divided into three parts with the luxurious Taj Palace Hotel, the residence of the former royal family, and a museum about the history of it, which is what is open to the public. We also visited a gallery, which shows the cars belonging to the royal family. The visit as a whole is not bad, but it is dispensable, and I only recommend it if you have time to spare.
We return to the surroundings of the Ghanta Ghar and we pass to reserve a table at the nearby restaurant, with excellent reviews on the Lonely Planet. After crossing again several adjacent streets, we return immediately to the hotel looking for a safe haven. After resting a couple of hours in the room and preparing the bags, we go to the restaurant, where we have a splendid dinner on a terrace with views of the fort.
It consists of dal, curd, shahi paneer, salad, rice, gulab jamun, papad, and chapati. For accompaniment we ask for aloo pakora and beer. We return to the hotel at 10 o'clock at night, and something catches my attention. The streets are almost empty, and there are almost more cows than people transiting through them.
It was a quiet night, apart from an awakening fanfare as our car literally roared. No, it was not the donkey making his, but the compressor, badly closed again, which began to recharge air. Deshnok and its temple of rats wait for us at the end of the track, where we still cross a few dromedaries, leaving to carry the harvest.
We had a fond memory of our last visit, but the reality today is pretty sordid. The animals are fewer. The temple may be pink, but the life of sacred rats probably is not every day. We are close to Bikaner when we are in Deshnoke. Why not go for a ride? We visit the palace, built by Rai Singh, the 6th king of Bikaner, in all marble, earthenware, gold leaf, crystal, ivory and carved wood.
