June 19 and 20 Jaisalmer
Before we pulled out of Bikaner I took a long morning swim in anticipation of a long time in the van on the way to Jaisalmer. The breakfast at the Heritage hotel was ok, but that is almost not a fair assessment since I got spoiled by the prior hotel's breakfast. I got a couple of fruit lassis to give the day a sweet start.
Before we left Bikaner we stopped at a very small art gallery. That was appropriate since it specialized in very miniature paintings. It was run by two brothers, both artists who came from a family that had been artists in residence to the Bikaner maharaja and had painted many of the paintings and frescos that we had seen the prior day. The older brother showed us his technique, which consisted of using a paint brush that contained a single hair from a squirrel. When using a magnifying glass, I could see the tiny individual strokes. He quickly painted a flower for us that consisted of nine strokes which I could not distinguish without the magnifying glass, but using it showed a very impressive result. He told us that most of the miniature artists go blind and have to give up panting, but he showed us a yoga eye exercise which he claimed would keep him healthy. It consisted of him moving his eyeballs around in a strange manner. We purchased a couple of small paintings.
Then we set out for Jaisalmer. A long drive through what became a total desert. Virtually no trees and lots of sand in what is the Thar Desert. Very few villages and very little signs of water. Most of the villages we passed through had a communal pump that also served as the village shower. Even our lunch stop had no water in the bathroom.
Jaisalmer was founded in 1156 by Jaisal, a leader of the Bhati Rajput clan. It made its living like many of these desert towns by first robbing, and then servicing the caravans on the trade routes. It made an alliance with the Mughals that extended its prosperity, but fell into decline when the British established ports and railroads that eliminated the trade routes. Wars, however, led to a revival of Jaisalmer's fortunes. It is less than 60 km to the Pakistani border, and after Pakistani invasions in the 1966 and 1971 wars, it acquired strategic importance. In addition to tourism, the economy is fueled by several military installations and a border security post. The days we were there, we saw lots of young men who were taking tests which they hoped would lead to an appointment with the border security agency.
We checked into our hotel, the Gateway Rawalkot in the late afternoon. It is located on a ridge a few kms out of town. It was very hot, but through the heat shimmering up from the desert, we could see Fort Jaisalmer towering in the distance. It is a massive structure that is built from yellow sandstone, but looked golden as the sun was setting from our vantage point at the hotel's pool.
We went out to dinner at Trio. This is a tented rooftop restaurant that sits atop the palace's wall. Multicuisine food that was good and reasonably priced, although the white wine was warm. We met a largely English language tour group there. They had taken the train from Bikaner and reported that it was little occupied and while not air conditioned, had effective fans. However, they said it took forever as it stopped in many villages. They had also done a desert dinner and sleepover and reported that it had been so hot they slept outdoors rather than in the tents. One member of that group was a NYC-based actor who had immigrated at age 9 with his family to the US from Columbia. His father and other relatives had been high-ranking military officers and their families had been targeted for assassination by the FARC, so they left. He had recently been back to Columbia for the first time and felt that Columbia is now headed in the right direction.
Breakfast was ok. Getting burned out on Indian food, very heavy on rice and potatoes, so I had American-style eggs and some lassis. The local newspaper's headline was that the temperature had reached 50 degrees centigrade the prior day. That is very hot.
After the early breakfast we met our local guide and went to the old town area. He has a Masters degree in economics and was one of the better guides who did more than simply describe the objects or monuments, but also engaged in a discussion about modern Indian society. He took us to a good fort viewing site and then we went down to a man-made lake which we entered through a hugh arch. Indians seem to revere virtually all animals and it is good luck to feed them, At the lake there were numerous boys selling loaves of bread, which Indians then were feeding to the catfish. They were very big and engaged in a frenzy when food was tossed their way.
Our guide questioned why the US continued to support Pakistan when it is not democratic, harbored ben Laden in the shadow of a major military facility, and continues to sponsor terrorism against India. He also said that only 5% of Indians pay income taxes. If that is true, it might offer at least a partial explanation for the atrocious state of public India. Roads and mass transit are generally poor, sanitation is terrible, and the absence of public toilets makes for common urination in the streets. Add to that the wandering of cows, goats and camels in the streets and you have a receipt for a dirty, smelly India. He believes that India needs 10 or 15 more years of progress before it can attain superpower status, and thinks that as India becomes more educated and prosperous, its birthrate will decline.
We went to the Fort's first massive gate. The fort has four gates set out along a winding incline to its interior. Unlike many other forts, this not only contains the royal palace and temples, as well as serving as a defensive structure, but it is also a living town that currently has over 3000 inhabitants. They live among narrow, winding lanes and many havelis that have been converted to hotels or guesthouses. The fort palace is a seven-story structure that we could not enter due to renovation. Apparently as more piped water is being sent into the fort, the drainage is eroding its foundations.
There is a maze-like complex of seven Jain Temples dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Jain religion is an offshoot of Hinduism than seems to be even more peaceful and laid back than its parent. However, the Jains are known as great businessmen and are reputed to control 50% of India's businesses. The temples had extremely intricate carving in the marble and yellow sandstone. We received little tours from the Jain priests who hit us up for donations. We also visited a Hindu temple within the fort that is much simpler than the Jain temples. Our guide took us through the narrow streets to his neighborhood and led us up to a ledge that provided a great view of the city.
After we exited the fort we visited several old havelis. These are gorgeously carved structures whose doorways, screens, balconies and turrets are well preserved. The biggest is the Patwon-Ki Haveli which has 6 homes, one for the dad and identical ones for each of his five sons. Our guide characterized the merchant builder as insanely rich who, at the height of construction, was employing millions of hours of stone masons in the construction of the complex. The former prime minister's haveli is still inhabited and is being renovated. The great, great, grandson gave us a tour and we picked up a few gifts there. We also made some purchases of textiles that we really didn't need at a local co-op that supposedly sold products from the local desert villages.
Took a break at an extra special Lassi shop. In addition to a large variety of lassis, it also sells bhang lassis. We had more walking to do, so I opted for a more conventional flavor.
We went back to the hotel in the late afternoon as the winds picked up and there was an increasing amount of dust and sand in the air. By the time we made it out to the pool we could barely see the fort. We ate dinner at a Kabob restaurant in Old Town outside the fort. No one spoke English there and the other patrons were all Indian. Dinner was pretty good, but the cold beers, Indian brand, Kingfisher, was the best part.
Before we pulled out of Bikaner I took a long morning swim in anticipation of a long time in the van on the way to Jaisalmer. The breakfast at the Heritage hotel was ok, but that is almost not a fair assessment since I got spoiled by the prior hotel's breakfast. I got a couple of fruit lassis to give the day a sweet start.
Before we left Bikaner we stopped at a very small art gallery. That was appropriate since it specialized in very miniature paintings. It was run by two brothers, both artists who came from a family that had been artists in residence to the Bikaner maharaja and had painted many of the paintings and frescos that we had seen the prior day. The older brother showed us his technique, which consisted of using a paint brush that contained a single hair from a squirrel. When using a magnifying glass, I could see the tiny individual strokes. He quickly painted a flower for us that consisted of nine strokes which I could not distinguish without the magnifying glass, but using it showed a very impressive result. He told us that most of the miniature artists go blind and have to give up panting, but he showed us a yoga eye exercise which he claimed would keep him healthy. It consisted of him moving his eyeballs around in a strange manner. We purchased a couple of small paintings.
Then we set out for Jaisalmer. A long drive through what became a total desert. Virtually no trees and lots of sand in what is the Thar Desert. Very few villages and very little signs of water. Most of the villages we passed through had a communal pump that also served as the village shower. Even our lunch stop had no water in the bathroom.
Jaisalmer was founded in 1156 by Jaisal, a leader of the Bhati Rajput clan. It made its living like many of these desert towns by first robbing, and then servicing the caravans on the trade routes. It made an alliance with the Mughals that extended its prosperity, but fell into decline when the British established ports and railroads that eliminated the trade routes. Wars, however, led to a revival of Jaisalmer's fortunes. It is less than 60 km to the Pakistani border, and after Pakistani invasions in the 1966 and 1971 wars, it acquired strategic importance. In addition to tourism, the economy is fueled by several military installations and a border security post. The days we were there, we saw lots of young men who were taking tests which they hoped would lead to an appointment with the border security agency.
We checked into our hotel, the Gateway Rawalkot in the late afternoon. It is located on a ridge a few kms out of town. It was very hot, but through the heat shimmering up from the desert, we could see Fort Jaisalmer towering in the distance. It is a massive structure that is built from yellow sandstone, but looked golden as the sun was setting from our vantage point at the hotel's pool.
We went out to dinner at Trio. This is a tented rooftop restaurant that sits atop the palace's wall. Multicuisine food that was good and reasonably priced, although the white wine was warm. We met a largely English language tour group there. They had taken the train from Bikaner and reported that it was little occupied and while not air conditioned, had effective fans. However, they said it took forever as it stopped in many villages. They had also done a desert dinner and sleepover and reported that it had been so hot they slept outdoors rather than in the tents. One member of that group was a NYC-based actor who had immigrated at age 9 with his family to the US from Columbia. His father and other relatives had been high-ranking military officers and their families had been targeted for assassination by the FARC, so they left. He had recently been back to Columbia for the first time and felt that Columbia is now headed in the right direction.
Breakfast was ok. Getting burned out on Indian food, very heavy on rice and potatoes, so I had American-style eggs and some lassis. The local newspaper's headline was that the temperature had reached 50 degrees centigrade the prior day. That is very hot.
After the early breakfast we met our local guide and went to the old town area. He has a Masters degree in economics and was one of the better guides who did more than simply describe the objects or monuments, but also engaged in a discussion about modern Indian society. He took us to a good fort viewing site and then we went down to a man-made lake which we entered through a hugh arch. Indians seem to revere virtually all animals and it is good luck to feed them, At the lake there were numerous boys selling loaves of bread, which Indians then were feeding to the catfish. They were very big and engaged in a frenzy when food was tossed their way.
Our guide questioned why the US continued to support Pakistan when it is not democratic, harbored ben Laden in the shadow of a major military facility, and continues to sponsor terrorism against India. He also said that only 5% of Indians pay income taxes. If that is true, it might offer at least a partial explanation for the atrocious state of public India. Roads and mass transit are generally poor, sanitation is terrible, and the absence of public toilets makes for common urination in the streets. Add to that the wandering of cows, goats and camels in the streets and you have a receipt for a dirty, smelly India. He believes that India needs 10 or 15 more years of progress before it can attain superpower status, and thinks that as India becomes more educated and prosperous, its birthrate will decline.
We went to the Fort's first massive gate. The fort has four gates set out along a winding incline to its interior. Unlike many other forts, this not only contains the royal palace and temples, as well as serving as a defensive structure, but it is also a living town that currently has over 3000 inhabitants. They live among narrow, winding lanes and many havelis that have been converted to hotels or guesthouses. The fort palace is a seven-story structure that we could not enter due to renovation. Apparently as more piped water is being sent into the fort, the drainage is eroding its foundations.
There is a maze-like complex of seven Jain Temples dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Jain religion is an offshoot of Hinduism than seems to be even more peaceful and laid back than its parent. However, the Jains are known as great businessmen and are reputed to control 50% of India's businesses. The temples had extremely intricate carving in the marble and yellow sandstone. We received little tours from the Jain priests who hit us up for donations. We also visited a Hindu temple within the fort that is much simpler than the Jain temples. Our guide took us through the narrow streets to his neighborhood and led us up to a ledge that provided a great view of the city.
After we exited the fort we visited several old havelis. These are gorgeously carved structures whose doorways, screens, balconies and turrets are well preserved. The biggest is the Patwon-Ki Haveli which has 6 homes, one for the dad and identical ones for each of his five sons. Our guide characterized the merchant builder as insanely rich who, at the height of construction, was employing millions of hours of stone masons in the construction of the complex. The former prime minister's haveli is still inhabited and is being renovated. The great, great, grandson gave us a tour and we picked up a few gifts there. We also made some purchases of textiles that we really didn't need at a local co-op that supposedly sold products from the local desert villages.
Took a break at an extra special Lassi shop. In addition to a large variety of lassis, it also sells bhang lassis. We had more walking to do, so I opted for a more conventional flavor.
We went back to the hotel in the late afternoon as the winds picked up and there was an increasing amount of dust and sand in the air. By the time we made it out to the pool we could barely see the fort. We ate dinner at a Kabob restaurant in Old Town outside the fort. No one spoke English there and the other patrons were all Indian. Dinner was pretty good, but the cold beers, Indian brand, Kingfisher, was the best part.
I just checked. 50 degrees Celsius is 122 Fahrenheit. I'm very pleased to know that the two of you are holding up as well as you are.
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