Jaisalmer Visit... A Memorable Experience!

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All of a sudden  we decided to use fruitfully my remaining leave   so planned  this visit. By bus yogi travels departs 10 pm reached jaisalmer 8.30 am at gadisar lake bus stop, near to our hotel. I had booked through booking.com. 

The hotel jaisalmer palace is a nice place near market, drop & start point for buses- gadisar lake and is nearer to most amenities. It is homely, clean , has good food, tea etc. And wifi facility on getting password from hotel.

Saw all yellow stone buildings. Left for market after breakfast at roof top restaurant with cooler air blowing.

Came to know  that the place is famous for leather items locally made, mainly from camel leather. Made purchases. 

On way came salemkhan’s haveli. Guide told that haweli means a place with good hawa (air) and light. 

All stone structures were built without cement & mortar. Stones had one slot with extended arm like our plug point. Another stone had a hole squre from outside and round from inside. That stone had a kada (iron ring) at other end. Insert one slot in the hole and move the other stone by that ring- the stones are fixed for ever but can be removed any time. More or less like our tubelibht fixing.

Ladies remained in purdahs and parts of the house for men, women are different in the houses. The stool made of stone sitting on it they cooked, the smoke  ashes were used for cleaning. Outside hanged lamps with elephant shape which you opened from bottom upside down, filled oil and light from upper side. Drop by drop oil rises in trunk of elephant and lamp goes on. Appx. 8 hrs. 

The gokhlas had lamps lighting kadas and carbon after light was over- “mesh” was used as kaajal for eyes.

Some shapes like tortoise, bichhu etc. Had opening from upside, take a cotton, pour in attar (flower oil) and close. The air from outside will give smell for a long time. Some attardanis had cotton the guide said, 70 to 100 yrs old till gave smell!!

Between 2 hawelis places where one could talk by Ishara- face gestures. Especially man to woman in next haweli.

The flowers & decoration items of stone could be removed and fixed like bulbs any time. A stapler like technology- fastening two stones by an iron strip by applying force from sides. To attach stairs to walls of house. Surprised, an entire staircase can be fixed like stapler on paper!

Dancing court had a fountain which can be operated by handpump. Ceilings had reflecting mirrors pointing to lamp hangers so light will multiply and show colors , fall on dancers and around with exact lumination.

Water is recycled even today. Bath water for washing and same for washing floors.

The sand stones are polished by rubbing stone with another stone itself. And the more it is used by walking, your hand stains etc. The more it is polished. So the stones had a yellow marble like shining and smoothness.

Booked a car for Sam dunes- 40 kms away . Total package is always bargained. A rikshaw on last day was ready to come to & fro sand dunes to jaisalmer gadi lake in 450 rs.!! Jeeps charge more. I booked AC car with to-fro 40 kms., Camel  ride to dunes & inside the desert upto sunset point, lunch at nearby resort, dance prog. there and back in 3000 rs for two starting from 5000 by guide called by hotel.

Started 4 pm from hotel.  

We reached village kuldhara, a ghost village. The deewan in 17th century had a bad habit of taking away beautiful girls and from this village of charans so many girls abducted that they migrated and their curse made fall of empire but the charan village is un manned. All houses empty and still most intact. A derasar with deity stolen away.

They say no one can stay after sunset here and if does, no traces found next day. Govt. Prohibits entry after 6 pm. Car parking rs. 50 entry  per person 20- if not interested, skip.

5 kms from sand dunes we have to start from camel ride point. They insist on taking water bottle for rs. 40 -50 cold drink etc with you. Bargain for camel starts. Ours was included in those 3000 rs. So started. At sunset point felt necessary to go further. Bargained now. From 1000 he said he takes in season settled 2 kms ride for two camels in 250 extra.  They took us to    vast sand dunes shown in films & calendars. Had steep rise and fall on dunes by camels.  Sand shining like gold in evening sun, very smooth and crisp unlike sand on sea shore which is powdery & sticky. Here you can move your body round (alotavu) and still your jeans are without sand sticking.

Watched sunset 10 july at 7.40 pm going deap into the horizon from height of dunes.

But still a  surprise for me. Why the dunes were in appx. ¾ kms areas only, surrounded by solid land  with   occasional   grass? Any one with about 10000 tractors of sand brought from deseart further 50 kms away can create a site with such well defined curves.

Hope it is not a trick to earn tourist money and are actually sand dunes created by wind 100 years old as told by tourist books. But enjoyed.

Came to choki dhani resort. Welcome by a kanya by kumkum tilak. “welcome drink” promised by booking guide was ½ cup plastic cup tea followed by bataka paua. In all counted 66 people before show began.

In full moon light dance show was excellent. The dancer took a ring from eye brows, made round so that her chaniya made a perfect whirling round, did aerobic like tricks and danced very slow to very fast on drum beats. Followed by dhol cum kartal tuning show. Young people aterted dancing to the tune of fast & sudden stopping drum beats, I had to go 40 kms back & driver had come so mleft earlier for dinner. Daal bati Baatis roasted (Shekeli) and churma with pure ghee, sakar, thich rotis, typical rajasthani subji and panch daal. 

Left for jaisalmer- entire road without any vehicle except 2-3 army vehicles  towards dunes.

On driver’s suggestion , anurodh waited near a gulfi shop, had mawa kulfi served on leaves. Jaisalmer houses above fort timtimmed like stars from below fort. From hotel terrace watched moon.

Day 2: Was suggested by hotel to start early if we wanted to see fort as near noon at height heat will be unbearable. Wanted to start at 7 am could do at 8.15. Just like pandas in pilgrim place, 'guides' surrounded us, showing wrinkled cards of “govt approved”. Bargained with a grey haired guide. 

The Fort is  having mixed population of residents, shops and temples of tourist attractions.

Was shown a stone with which you can make curd from milk without adding  curd automatically. Fossils that cure diseases. They claim old fossils buried in base before constructing a house can remove bad energy.’

A museum with live statue of beautiful queen fully decorated with ornaments seeing her image in mirror, darbar arrangement of kings weapons used in wars etc. You have to travel all 30 sections before coming out. Occasionally it is dark from inside requiring mobile torch.

Brass “top” and view of city was excellent. Stone balls used for throwing through top(cannon)  were shown. A shop with Hand made paintings with natural colors, bandhani selling shops, and beautifully stone carved jain and hindu temples were seen. On palace they have an auspicious toran of bambus. Lord ganesh is on top. A temple with gold plated Vishnu & laxmi and gold plated doors were shown.

Had lunch at hotel on roof top. Good food. Red mutton a rajasthani specialit, again panch daal, lasi etc. And chewable rotis. (at small dhabas rotis are very thick).

In evening went for booking of rajasthan state bus, no one at booking counter!! A tea stall tells timings. Still don’t know from where to book for govt buses. Went to hanuman choraha from where pvt. Operators book. Booked sodha travels earliest bus- 5 pm next day. Went to see palace and khadi emporium nearby. Nice gift collections . felt costly to me. Palace had many cows in clean hygienic conditions reared by the king.

Went just near the hotel gadisar lake. Chose pedal boat ½ hr ride rs. 100. Boat stucked at a point in mud near opposite kinara and another boat had to pull with my double strenghth to pedal. They said summer has dried water. 

Entered museum. Saw puppet show of modern times. A ganesh vandana with puppet ganesh dancing and blessing. Hindi film songs like pallo latke & nimbuda, a recent love song and a story of a small boy crying for lost toy and gets back so pleasure in his expressions, a camel ride showed puppet camel’s exact styles of a real camel sitting, standing, running, taking curves etc. , a war and then a museum like kelkar of pune of various old supari cutting sudis, musical instruments, writing materials, tad patra written scripts used in daily life like Vishnu puran, turbans etc., old grinding domestic ghanti, kothi etc.

It was 7.20 pm, early for dinner. And sunrise had not taken place so choose to take glass of juice At the first juice centre we came across. Was offered juice and water both without ice. They said water is so scarce that if there no water, how can ice be made?. Finally flacks of ice added in juice. Water? Hot water to drink.  Went to fort again for many eateries are there. A sign showed “tibetian food here” momo. Thuppas etc. Went inside but no one. Came back. Went to famous chandanshree restaurant. Nice pyaj kachori, dahi wada, paw bhaji etc. Enjoyed. Next shop – a big wooden “sambela” used to hit big mass of gram flour. Smelled good. They said it is “gotwa laddu” sweet you can preserve for a fortnight but never keep in fridge. Could not buy as after meals forgot.

Enjoyed cool breezes from mountain in open hotel terrace , enjoyed city basking in moon light with yellow stones reflecting like real gold. 

Day 3: Bonus day as no bus started after checkout time till 5 pm or if started to Ahmedabad no one to inform. Had breakfast of toasts, butter, jam, big tea cup. They provide continental breakfast with cornflex, fruit, juice and green or ayurvedic tea if you pay .

Went to patwa haweli. Had ceiling gold plated with ivory carving. Belgium glass on windows, 200 yrs old mirrors showing clear image, many changadars(bats) sticking to inner ceilings. Guide said that the sheth built hawelis  for 5 sons and one purchased by a private sheth, 1 left just that, 2 purchased by indira Gandhi govt in 1974 in 1.60 lacs now museums we see. Hidden sliding stones to keep jewellery, diamond, un accounted money. Only they knew where the things are kept. Court room, guest room with nice wall paintings of natural colors, tactful prudent use of wall space in kitchen slots for keeping cooking stuff, cooking space to be without smoke, place for keeping account books, secret account books, office cum trading rooms with arrangements to sit sheth, accountantants, visitors etc. 

One can see from carved wall holes outside as to who is coming and “deli” to open door and special bichhu etc. Locks opened/closed with special techniques.

The sheths had trade of silk, spices and jari work called “patwari” on cloth which extended upto china and Afghanistan, iran. After independence rules prevented many things so they wound up and migrated. Bats are hanging. They believe bats do not die natural death. Cats etc. Eat them only then they get “mukti”.. till then suffer. Who has committed may sins to humanity get this punishment in present birth.

Nicely carved sitting benches, glass palace etc. Were seen. Went to chandanshree to have meals. Last taste of gatta ka shhak & ker sangi- famous subjis and rajasthani thali. Went back to hotel jaisalmer palace. Already checked out but the reception was kind to allow staff rest room . rested from 1.30 to 3.30 pm, had tea and left for hanuman chora. 5 pm bus arrives 3.30 am at RTO ahmedabad.

Nice experience and comparatively a virgin place. People speak sarhadi marwadi and guides etc know French, English etc but waiters, rahdaris, some shopkeepers fail to understand hindi also. Like any tourist place bargaining and choosing guide etc carefully is required.

Liked the city, hotel jaisalmer palace and the dunes.

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