Hello lovely people . . . . .

And so to Jaisalmer. Day 10 of our trip, a six and a half hour car journey from Bikaner, the largely greenish (although desert) scrubby landscape changing to the more to be expected sand desert, still with many scrub trees and still very flat. We drove through some fields of cultivation (irrigation systems in play) and large areas restricted to the military: camps, ranges, training, barracks.

The arrival in Jaisalmer was, as we now expect, a chaos of vehicles, people, cows and noise but all you read about the drama of the fort searing out of the plains is true. It is spectacular and highly photogenic. I will spare you my complete fort library (be thankful!!) but share a few, including of our walk around the Sadi Garh tank (rainwater lake)

Fort view no. 1.- from Fifu hotel
Lake view no. 1
Lake view no. 2
Lake view no. 3 – offerings
Fort View no. 2
Fort View no. 3
Fort View no. 4
Fort View no. 5

 

We are staying at a small and delightful family owned and run hotel, Fifu, about 1k from the fort gate on a quiet (well by Indian standards!) street. It had an uninterrupted view of the fort until very recently, a new building is in course of construction opposite which means the view is now only uninterrupted from the roof terrace. We felt sorry for the owner who explained his was the first in the street but there are no building/planning controls which protect his position. 

It is an easy walk to and from the fort except for the corner of the main road where the stench from the al fresco urinal and open sewer gets us every time. Stench apart the walk has afforded us interaction with lots of local animal life

Fifu animals no. 1
Fifu anaimals no. 2
Fifu animals no. 3
Fifu animals no. 4
Fifu animals no. 5
Fifu anaimals no. 6
Fifu animals no. 7
Stench corner – even in a tuktuk

The fort is inhabited, and well geared up for tourists with extraordinary buildings to see, Rajasthani goods on offer everywhere and many pleasant roof top cafes and restaurants. I admit shopping has happened. We are getting used to and good at (a) dodging scooters and tuktuks and (b) extricating ourselves from unwanted offers of guides and shop visits. Again, the fort interior is hugely photogenic and we have very much enjoyed exploring

In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 1
In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 2
In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 3





















In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 4





















In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 5
In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 6
In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 7
In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 8
In and around Jaisalmer fort no. 9

Our two cultural visits were to the palace and the Jain temples, but that is for another time. Until then, Namaste

Alison

6 thoughts on “Hello lovely people . . . . .”

    1. Hi neighbour. The fort was amazing. And i think you might be right about the wine shop. Looks like you are having an equally colourful time x

  3. The fort looks just how all my sandcastles were supposed to end up! On a smaller scale, perhaps. My favourite photo is the cow waiting for ice-cream/desert/?!

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