Jaisalmer, India

We had an unfortunate 12 hour layover on our flights between Varanasi and our next stop, Jaisalmer. Unfortunately both Ellie and I were too stubborn to get a hotel room for the evening and decided to try our luck in the airport. We quickly got bored and borrowed a luggage cart to go off in search of an internet cafe. Sadly the mission was unsuccessful. When we got back to the airport, a sympathetic airline staffer let us into the premier lounge where we spent the remaining time filling up on snacks and pastries.

Nearly a full day after leaving Varanasi, we arrived in Jaisalmer. The small desert town sits on the border of India and Pakistan in the state of Rajasthan. Running on chai tea alone, we had enough energy to book a camel safari and grab some real food before falling asleep.
Pictured below: lunch in a hotel decorated in the style of the British Raj

The next day we took a tour through town on a moto-rickshaw. Our first three stops were havelis, or old mansions with intricate carvings.

Our next stop was the old fort. Perched on a ridge high above the city, the fort is still home to nearly a quarter of the city's residents. Looking out from the top of the fort the city, built from all local materials, seems to blend into its surroundings.

The next morning we woke up early so we would not miss the highlights of Jaisalmer's desert festival, camel decorating and camel polo.

We took a moto-rickshaw to a stadium two kilometers outside town where hundreds of locals and tourists were already mulling about before the days festivities. The camel, pictured below, placed in the camel decorating competition.

Pictured below: an officer from India's equivalent of the Canadian Mounties rides a camel adorned with colored cotton balls and small mirrors

Pictured below: riders from the Camel Polo Association of India, Jaisalmer wait for their match to begin.

The red shirted team from India's Border Safety Force trounced the local Jaisalmer camel polo team.




After eating lunch far too quickly, we hopped in a jeep and drove 35 kilometers outside the city to meet up with our camel drivers. We rode for about two hours that afternoon with temperatures rising above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

We spent the majority of the ride in dry, dusty areas like the one pictured above but spent the evening in sand dunes.


Pictured above: one of our camel drivers, Hussein, poses on top of a sand dune
Pictured below: me romping about the dunes

As the sun began to set, another camel caravan walked along a nearby ridge.

So we ran up to the top of the ridge to get a few sunset pictures.

As sunset turned to twilight, we turned around to see the gloriously full moon. It gave off so much light that evening that we didn't need a flashlight and our camera tripod cast a shadow. Although the desert was oppressively hot during the day, the temperature plummeted at night and I was happy to wander back to our campsite where my sweater and warm food were waiting.


The next morning, our camel drivers prepared a breakfast of chai tea, toast, and jam then saddled up the camels before we headed out.

The photo above shows me, the camel drivers, and the camels that Ellie and I rode. Everyone, it seems, was happy to be in the picture except my camel, Raj. He was the most cantankerous of all our camels and as a result, I felt the need to give him constant pep talks.

Later that day, we visited our camel driver's village. The children came running out to greet us decked in long shirts and salwar kameez. The older women wore beaded saris and nose rings that seemed to cover their entire nose. A closer examination of the photo below shows the large necklaces and bracelets that women in this area traditionally wear.

The family patriarch spoke enough English to invite us in for chai tea. We sat around sharing our pictures of home while the children peered in curiously.

We rode for another hour before stopping near a small brush to escape the sun and prepare lunch. We read, ate and rested for two hours while the camels wandered around eating whatever brushes they could find. After another hour the camels stopped for water, each drinking about five gallons in as many minutes. Finally, sore and covered in dust, we arrived at our final destination - the camel races. A few thousand, mostly local, spectators had driven 40 kilometers outside the city to watch the races. Apparently 66 camels competed in the ten races but only a little over half of them ever crossed the finish line. Those that did usually barreled into a wall of spectators who hopped out of the way and merrily claimed to have been trampled by the winner.

The remaining camels usually rode off perpendicular to the course after a few meters despite their riders best intentions to keep them going straight. Camels are, by their nature, ornery beasts.

The next morning we did some last minute shopping before sadly heading to the airport. The difficulty with visiting so many places in such a short time is that you never get to spend enough time in the places you like. Jaisalmer has been my favorite place in India thus far.