Skipping the desert

The Desert

Jaisalmer is also where people normally go camel-trekking into the desert. I gave this a miss because I have been to and slept in far better deserts (real dunes with no scrubs).  And I’ve been on camels too.

Strangely, after I had made my decision, I met a Belgian couple that told me not to go … half hour on a camel in the heat is enough (even though they enjoyed the night in the desert).

So, I spent most of my time relaxing and roaming in the golden city of Jaisalmer. Why roast when you can chill?

My day in Jaisalmer

I could take it easy when I woke having decided not to take a desert overnight trip.  Like last night, there wasn’t really hot water.  But being a bit cooler in the morning, I had to take a very quick rush.

I took a simple breakfast of omelette on wholemeal toast at Krishna’s Boulangerie nearby, before exploring the fort area and then ventured out of the fort.

In particular, I visited the Salim Singh-Ki Haveli.  It was in the same golden sandstone as the other buildings in Jaisalmer.  The original people weren’t Sikhs but Hindu, despite the name.  And back some 300 years ago, I was told, even Hindu women wore the purdah.

Lunch was a bland mushroom curry.  I did some shopping before returning to my haveli around 1500.  I rang Kim back in New Zealand who had just finished a day-trip to Australia as crew.  He was suffering from tummy problems and achy joints, following on his food-poisoning episode from Kuching.

In the evening I crossed the road to Sunset Palace for a beer and pakoras.  Lachlan found me here and we chatted for a while.  I settled for momos and chai for dinner at Little Tibet nearby before returning to my room around 2100.

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Haveli design

Having toured a haveli today, I now had some insight into some of the quirks in my extremely atmospheric room in the old haveli.

The low doors act as a security feature.  One has to stoop to get through, rationale being as follows – the person entering gets to bow and show respect to the household.  Further, intruders are forced to stoop and can get clubbed while trying to break in!

In the palace, I also noticed that the Maharaja’s bed was quite small. He would sleep with his feet hanging of the end so that if intruders tied him to the bed, he could attempt to stand up (with the bed tied behind him) and defend himself!

Here are some pictures from my room at Suraj Guesthouse. I later learnt that the haveli is about 500 years and had been in the family for 17 generations.