As I stepped out of the railway station, I stared at the massive streches of land - all which appeared golden in color. It was a mix of yellow and gold hues marked by little patches of green - then I knew I had stepped into a city which was "defining and preserving the heritage".
My first impressions...WOW!
Our first visit was to the Jaisalmer Fort - from outside it was a serene, rugged, old-fashioned fort which talked about the foregone years...it was built in 1150 AD! I wondered behind the history of this fort and thought of kings and the kingdom that passed by through the years. Little did I know, I was to get the biggest surprise of my life time.
From the outside, I saw this:
I went in to look inside - the fort was transformed into a "URBAN HEART PULSE". I stood transfixed. There were (and are!) more than 3000 people residing in the fort and it had havelis or ancient mansions, temples, restaurants, gift and souvenir shops. I went through winding lanes, cross-roads, and saw the simple folks drinking their sip of tea, women selling at shops, doing the laundry, the priests doing their puja at the temple, the shopkeepers busy with tourists overloading from all ends. It was mesmerizing.
I still remember the interiors and exteriors of the fort and to this day it continues sheltering people, businesses, tourists, localities recreating history again and again - An unforgettable experience.
Our next trip was to the Thar desert and again this was my first trip to the desert. A car from the hotel took us through the tombs of kings and queens from the yesteryears and then we slowly entered the Thar desert.
Walking in the Thar Desert just before sunset was amazing. The long drawn sand dunes reminded me why city was called as the golden city and the camels with baggages and passengers seemed to be content trudging slowly along the dunes. There are amazing views to be seen from atop of the sand dunes and the design in the sand seemed as if you were drawing architectural lines from far away.
We stayed at the Fifu hotel in Jaisalmer and I cannot say anything more but that it was an "awesome experience". The hotel had a terrace with seaters, reclining beds where you could spend hours reading books, sipping hot cups of masala chai and eating some yummy indian snack items. The staff were very friendly and ready to accommodate. We also arranged the desert trip with one of the affliated drivers taking us to the middle of the desert in the jeep. We followed the serene evening with folk dances and songs while sitting amidst the desert camp.
I still have some more places to talk about Jaisalmer. More to come in my second blog of Jaisalmer. Bye for now.
My first impressions...WOW!
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Our first visit was to the Jaisalmer Fort - from outside it was a serene, rugged, old-fashioned fort which talked about the foregone years...it was built in 1150 AD! I wondered behind the history of this fort and thought of kings and the kingdom that passed by through the years. Little did I know, I was to get the biggest surprise of my life time.
From the outside, I saw this:
 |  |  |
I went in to look inside - the fort was transformed into a "URBAN HEART PULSE". I stood transfixed. There were (and are!) more than 3000 people residing in the fort and it had havelis or ancient mansions, temples, restaurants, gift and souvenir shops. I went through winding lanes, cross-roads, and saw the simple folks drinking their sip of tea, women selling at shops, doing the laundry, the priests doing their puja at the temple, the shopkeepers busy with tourists overloading from all ends. It was mesmerizing.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
I still remember the interiors and exteriors of the fort and to this day it continues sheltering people, businesses, tourists, localities recreating history again and again - An unforgettable experience.
Our next trip was to the Thar desert and again this was my first trip to the desert. A car from the hotel took us through the tombs of kings and queens from the yesteryears and then we slowly entered the Thar desert.
 |  | |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Walking in the Thar Desert just before sunset was amazing. The long drawn sand dunes reminded me why city was called as the golden city and the camels with baggages and passengers seemed to be content trudging slowly along the dunes. There are amazing views to be seen from atop of the sand dunes and the design in the sand seemed as if you were drawing architectural lines from far away.
We stayed at the Fifu hotel in Jaisalmer and I cannot say anything more but that it was an "awesome experience". The hotel had a terrace with seaters, reclining beds where you could spend hours reading books, sipping hot cups of masala chai and eating some yummy indian snack items. The staff were very friendly and ready to accommodate. We also arranged the desert trip with one of the affliated drivers taking us to the middle of the desert in the jeep. We followed the serene evening with folk dances and songs while sitting amidst the desert camp.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
I still have some more places to talk about Jaisalmer. More to come in my second blog of Jaisalmer. Bye for now.
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