Day 150, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan [Wednesday 30th April 2008]
Previous day: Day 149, Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan [Tuesday 29th April 2008]
Next day: Day 151, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan [Thursday 1st May 2008]
We arrive in Jaisalmer at 5.30am and get a room in a hotel made of sandstone, over looking the golden sandstone fort on the hill.
We take the audio tour around the palace, which has some impressive carved stone balconies. Then we wander around the town that exists between the walls of the fort. Every building is made from the same golden stone, and at times the effect is dazzling.
Unfortunately the Indian tendency towards cheap, slapdash building construction is in evidence here, with many of the extant houses having been extended upwards with wonky piles of ugly, badly matched stone and rather too much cement.
We visit some absolutely stunning havelis built by Jaisalmer's rich merchants. There is a set of 5 interlinked buildings decorated with incredibly ornate stone carvings. All of them are built from the gorgeous honey coloured stone native to the area. The view of these havelis' facades down the lane gives a great idea of what the city must have felt like hundreds of years ago.
We go to 'The Trio' for dinner. I have mutton curry, and we listen to some pretty good Rajasthani folk music played by two men sitting on the floor.
Next day: Day 151, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan [Thursday 1st May 2008]
Previous day: Day 149, Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan [Tuesday 29th April 2008]