Sandcastle and Camel Crotch
Trip Start
Mar 06, 2005
1
19
34
Trip End
??? ??, 2006
Jaisalmer,
India
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Jane managed to sleep for most of the 6 hour drive from Bikaner to Jaislamer not because it was a boring journey but because she was recovering from a bout of sickness and Diarrhoea. I on the other hand felt fine (much to Janes annoyance) and really enjoyed the journey which passes along the main desert road (only road) between the two places.
We were driving down through the Thar Desert which forms a natural border between western Rajisthan and Pakistan. The closer to Jaisalmer we got the more barron the surroundings although the Thar desert isn't your picturebook 'Saharan sand dune' type of desert. Sure it has all the components of a desert ie lots of sand, but the ground is quite rocky and boulder strewn with a lot of 'scrub' more reminiscent of the dry African bush
Desert 01
.The desert stretches away from the side of the road and for the first hour or so the terrain is undulating and surprise surprise we have yet another day with a temperature of 48 degrees. I can't work out how anything can survive out there in this heat but we pass Goats, Camels and herdsmen sauntering by the side of the road in the middle of 'knowhere'seemingly without a care in the world!
Tip 'number one' in the desert road builders 'how to' manual must be "dont put any bends in it!" as we seemed to drive for hours without changing direction the road just disapperaring over the horizon like the ones featured in 'road runner' cartoons I half expected 'Wylee Kyote' to be hiding behind the next big rock. It was as we blasted along such a stretch of road that we hit a HAIL STORM. We couldn't beleive it... in the middle of a scortching hot desert. Within seconds we were forced off the road by the severity of the downpour. Huge peices of ice as big as peas slammed onto the car with a deafening noise! Huge puddles began to form and the road steamed as if hot tarmac had just been layed. After a few minutes it abated and Happy said his usual "Oh my God" several times and then explained that they were quite common but that he hadn't seen one that feirce before. (maybe we really did need that flashing Shiva on the dashboard after all!)
As we got closer to Jaisalmer the terrain flattened out strikingly, in fact we could see every detail of the land upto the horizon... as flat as a mill pond (I dont think I've ever seen as far without any kind of rise or hill in the way!). More in keeping with the surroundings were the dust storms that we encountered, numerous spiralling columns of dust/sand could be seen winding their way randomly across the desert floor, when we drove through one it stopped us in our tracks temporarily blinding us (I didnt have these problems when commuting to Nottingham everyday)
Desert 02
. These hot winds also create another potential problem 'drifting sand' which within a matter of minutes can block a road completely, we drove through many such drifts partially blocking our path with 3 feet or more of sand. Potentially deadly if your not concentrating, as has been the case in the past, especially with some of the long distance lorry drivers!We reach the outskirts of Jaisalmer after what for me was a really enjoyable drive through fascinating terrain and the good news is Jane admits to feeling much better.
As you approach Jaisalmer you cant miss the crenelated walls of the towns fort rising up above the desert floor like a giant sandcastle. As you draw closer the scale of the fort becomes apparent... it is massive, much bigger than we had expected.
The 'Golden city', as Jaisalmer is known, because of its honey coloured sandstone was founded in 1156, and is unusual in that within the walls of the fort is a living community, this is no museum but a genuine walled citadel. The labarynth of streets contain small 'shops', houses, temples and old Havelis. Another major feature is the cattle which roam around often blocking your path
Desert 03
. They graze on leftovers, we even saw them eating curry and rice that had been thrown out for them, that might explain the amount of 'crap' that we had to step through during our walking tour.Once you find your way around, the citadel is not very big, after a short walk in any direction you run into the city wall from where spectacular views can be had of the town below and the desert beyond.
The Jain temple we visited was OK but not as good as we had anticipated. I left Jane stood outside while I removed my shoes at the special kiosk and 'hot footed it' across to the entrance . I had to run and I expected my feet to spontaneously combust, much to the amusement of onlookers, as the heat from the paving stones was excruciating! When I returned to Jane she was surrounded by a group of about 10 men, who on seeing me briskly walked away. Apparently I was just in time as Jane said they were begining to get a bit 'over familiar' and had started to 'touch' her bag and clothes.
We then made our way to the palace. The view from the top (and balconies on the way up to the top) were wonderful, especially overlooking the heavily fortified main gate which reminds you that the fort was biult for a purpose ie it's strategically important position along the camel-train trading routes between India and central asia
Desert 04
.By now Jane (still feelig weak) was begining to wilt in the heat so we drove back to the hotel stopping briefly at Gadi Sagar a large 'Tank' that used to be the water supply for the city and has some interesting buildings along its edge and a rather grand gatehouse.
I decided to spend the afternoon exploring alone while Jane rested. I walked up through the towns back alleys onto a ridge and walked back towards the fortified walls through narrow streets made up of tiny, grubby houses with camels tethered outside. 'Wild Boar' sat in mud puddles and took shelter from the sun huddled together under some nearby trucks. Dogs crouched panting in the gutter at the side of the dirt road letting its contents flow over them...just to try and keep cool, I know how they felt! After about an hour I was getting close to the city walls and came across some exquisitely decorated havelis, I spent a while taking photos and answering questions from the curious passing locals. During the whole time I saw no western tourists and even when we had been at the fort earlier we had only seen half a dozen other 'travellers'. It's a trade off, if you can handle the extreem heat, the benefit is very few tourists and lower prices!
Later we drove out of the town and onto a nearby hill to watch the sunset over the fort, while we waited we visited the hilltop Mausoleums, small pagoda / kiosk style buildings for the families that that ruled the region in the past
Desert 05
. As we sat admiring the view we could see bright green parrots flapping from branch to branch of a nearby waterhole. It's strange to see this kind of exotic bird as commonly as we would sparrows at home.The sunset was magnificent, lighting up the honey coloured sandstone fort rising out of the desert plain making it glow a gentle orange, it was just like a scene from a fairytale and well worth the wait. A great way to spend our sixteenth wedding aniversary!
The following morning we again visited the fort to take some more photos and explore the town.
In the afternoon Happy drove me out to a small hamlet called Khuri where he had arranged for me to take a camel trek (Jane wasn't well enough). The plan was to ride out into the desert and watch the sunset over a range of 'Saharan style' sand dunes, spend the night out under the stars then ride back to khuri the following morning....but as usual things didn't quite go according to plan.
My mount was a seven year old male camel called "blooty" at least that's what it sounded like when his owner shouted at it. I climbed aboard trying to look as if it was something I'd done a thousand times before and promptly kicked my 'driver' in the chest, (a 17 year old boy from the village) he smiled politely at me while inspecting his ribs
Desert 06
.Blooty lurched to his feet, I grabbed the saddle with white nuckles whilst wearing a nervous smile, Blooty had a long loping gait with stick thin legs and bulbous knees (not unlike myself). The three of us made slow but steady progress out into the desert, we could see deer close by and hundreds of large lizards scurried away from under bushes as we approached.
I was absorbed in my surroundings for about the first hour and a half until I became aware that all was not well... 'down below'. I started to fidgit trying to ease what by now had become painful 'pins and needles'. My driver must have noticed my discomfort and suggested that we stop " to take some photos" and as if by magic a small boy appeared from over a nearby sandune and offered us a selection of drinks. I gulped one down massaged my 'bits' and we 'pressed on' (in more ways than one).
It wasn't long before my 'pins and needles' subsided which was both good and bad news, as my crotch then went completely numb! Thankfully after about another hour or so we arrived at the dunes from which we would watch the sunset. In the peak season my driver told me you can expect to see upto 1,500 people watching from the dunes! Luckily there were only about 12 of us. We sat in the hot sand chatting to the others, mostly Indian families on holiday
Desert 07
.The sunset was disappointing as dark clouds obscured most of it, in fact they looked rather threatening and we started to hear loud rumbling thunder in the distance, it was at this point that my driver said we should return to spend the night in Khuri as it would be too dangerous in the dunes with the weather as it was. I was bitterly disappointed but could see what he meant as large spots of rain started to thud into the sand around us and lightening lit up the horizon. Great I thought, the hottest part of the year (the dry season) and I get rain on the one night I plan to spend in the middle of a desert!
Blooty plodded along, out of the dunes and back onto the flat desert plain. I could see lightening bolts stabbing into the ground in the distance and the rains intensity began to increase. It was then I realised that perched on top of a camel I was the tallest thing for miles around and a perfect 'lightening conductor!'. Turning to flash a nervous smile at my driver I made light of the situation, but he didn't respond, he only urged blooty to move faster.
As Khuri came into view we were joined by another couple on a camel. One of the villagers and his small daughter drew along side, and he gestured (rather smugly I thought)....did we want to race back to the village? He obviously beleived that weighed down by my gangling bulk we stood no chance
Desert 08
! I nodded to my 'driver' and with a big kick Blooty shot forward his head stabbing at the horizon like a beast possessed.I had already discovered just how uncomfortable a walking camel can be but this pales into insignificance when compared to a galloping one. We bobbled up and down (mostly down it seemed) at high speed and I began to doubt whether I could stay onboard for much longer. I glanced across at the competition (not as easy as it sounds) and they looked to be gracefully matching our pace. Blooty then delivered a 'killer kick' of speed and we raced into the lead. It was at this point that I felt a sickening 'twang!' in my groin and tried (in vain) to hold my self off the saddle as we thankfully sped passed the 'finish line', victorious. I gracefully waved to the losers with one hand whilst clutching my 'bits' with the other, they looked 'gutted' at their surprise defeat.(yes I know it was a little girl but, hey, WE WON at the cost of a badly damaged groin!)
After a rather (OK.. very) ungainly dismount (although I did manage to avoid kicking my driver this time) I limped through the village to where we would be sleeping. Also 'sleeping out' where two Dannish Doctors and two french canadian actors from a childrens TV series (Yes really). We had a great meal, more than a few beers and chatted and swapped travel stories until the early hours
Desert 09
. Our beds were layed out on the ground in a small mud walled 'courtyard'. The stars were brilliant, it was surprisingly cool and insect free! I fell asleep watching the distant lightening and gazing at the night sky...wonderful! I was woken a few hours later by massive spots of rain on my forehead, I retreated to a nearby hut as it began to lash it down with rain accompanied by deafening claps of thunder. I spent the rest of the night in the thatched hut sleeping on a straw bed....surrounded by mice and lizards. Fantastic!We woke early to see the sunrise, just as the cattle from the village were led out into the desert to graze for the day. I gingerly walked round the village (complete with a still numb crotch) taking a few photos while Happy prepared the car for our return to Jaisalmer. It hadn't gone entirely to plan but it had still been a fantastic experience! (and hopefully my 'problem' would clear up after a few more days).
Next ...Jodhpur the 'Blue city', and definately no more camel rides!
