Rajasthan - Part 2 - Jaisalmer in the Thar Desert

After 3 days in Jaipur we flew to the town of Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan. The hour’s flight on Spicejet was efficient, on time and cheap. Commercial flights to Jaisalmer land at the airforce base runway, mostly bringing tourists. The tightly controlled Pakistan border is only 49 km away, hence the large air force base. Coming into land at Jaisalmer Airport you know you’re in the Thar desert as the landscape is flat and dry with small trees and shrubs in the sand.

Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan

Hotel Lal Garh in Jaisalmer

It's only a fifteen minute drive into town and we were pleasantly surprised at my choice of accommodation in Jaisalmer.  Hotel Lal Garh has a handsome ornate sandstone facade and we were soon sitting on the rooftop terrace of the hotel, admiring Jaisalmer fort as the sun went down, sipping Indian wine (Sula Sauvignon Blanc, very drinkable) and crunching on crisp warm poppadoms.

A good beginning in Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer's a lot smaller than Jaipur (population around 68000) and its fort still houses around 3000 people. Historically Jaisalmer was on the camel train routes between India and Central Asia but with the advent of sea trade and railways its importance declined. Partition in 1947 ended trade routes to Pakistan and now Jaisalmer's economy relies on tourism, wind power generation (we could see the wind turbines from the air as we flew in) and military bases.  Walking to and from the fort from our hotel we saw small groups of Western tourists but mass tourism has yet to reach Jaisalmer.  In and around the fort are a staggering number of sellers offering a huge variety of handicrafts and “tat”.  It's hard to see how a living is made relying on tourism and Gordon wondered how many women in Rajasthan must be beavering away at embroidery to produce such vast quantities of handmade embroidered cloths.

Walking through Jaisalmer to the fort

Jaisalmer Fort

The desert air was crisp and fresh and during our stay we walked to and from the fort. It’s India so you have to be ready to sidestep animals, litter, rubble and motorbikes.  Inside the fort are the most astounding sandstone Jain temples dating from 15th and 16th centuries. The temple structures and interiors are bursting with magnificent ornate carvings. I'm unable to describe how wonderful they are and my photos don’t capture their beauty and detail.

Jain temples in Jaisalmer Fort

Carved pillars inside a Jain temple in Jaisalmer Fort

Intricate carving inside a Jain temple in Jaisalmer Fort

Since Jaisalmer is famous for embroidery so we inevitably found ourselves bargaining for a hand embroidered cloth we'll use as a wall hanging. The lady seller (unusual...they are mostly men) assured us that our purchase helped disadvantaged women in the community. We bargained good naturedly and once 60% had been knocked off the starting price and we felt we’d gone far enough. After handing over cash it was slightly disconcerting to be offered, free of charge, a similar embroidered cloth of lower quality. Mmmm….had we stopped too soon? We’ll never know.

Back at the hotel our spoils looked large and bulky. Next morning, armed with brown paper, sellotape and nails scissors we set off to Jaisalmer Post Office. The post office was not busy and seemed a sleepy place. While waiting to be served at the one open counter a man sidled up and insisted we follow him into the area behind the counter. Workers at their desks there took no notice. Here we were advised that registered parcels must to be encased in cloth and have edges sealed with wax.  We wondered how on earth we were going to do this. Our saviour was of course our man, and we realised he was a post office worker. Brown paper wrapping done, our man opened a drawer, grabbed a plastic bag and indicated we should follow him out of the Post Office. Around the side of the PO building he sat down suddenly on the dusty concrete path, gesturing for us to do the same. Chatting cheerfully he produced muslin cloth, needle and thread, and swiftly set about sewing a bag for our parcel. Fifteen minutes later our parcel was encased in a handsome cloth covering. Next the sealing of the edges, expertly done with a lit candle and a stick of red sealing wax. I'd like to say he used a fancy seal but it was the end of large bolt.  We realised this service was supplemental to our man’s post office pay and he asked for 200 INR (£2) which we happily handed over. Hopefully our parcel is now winging its way to Horsham. We have good faith in the Indian postal service.

Stitching the parcel 

Sealing the parcel

The parcel ready for posting!