Jaisalmar

Desert. Sand. Hot sun. Blowing wind. Dry creek beds. Cracked, flaking ground. Wind blown brush. Parched skeletons. Star-studded nights.

Cactus flowers, acacia trees, desert rodents, foxes, owls, eagles, vultures, dung beetles, antelopes, donkeys, camels, goats, and desert dogs.

Jaisalmer is in the Thar Desert of India and Pakistan. Not as dry as the Sahara, sand dunes cover only a portion of the desert; most is parched ground with seasonal grass, cactus and a few hardy bushes.

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is the oasis in the desert. Situated atop a rocky outcropping, it gains life from a nearby lake. Nicknamed the golden-city because of the yellow-cast sand stone from which the city is built, Jaisalmer is both (compared to other cities in India) a quiet haven for tourists, and (compared to the villages of the Thar Desert) a bustling metropolis. Some of the locals clearly enjoy the bustle and hearing stories of faraway places from tourists. Other locals endure the noise and tension of the city only to earn money and then return as quickly as possible to the serenity of their desert village.

The ancient stone fort arises out of the sand, towering over the plains, surrounded by the bustling city of 50,000 people. The air is filled with sounds of Hindi music, rickshaw drivers blowing their horns, merchants hawking their wares, friends in conversation and laughter, dogs yelping in pain from the cast rock. People generally have relaxed, pleasant expressions, similar to the wonderful people of southern India and not as stressed and cold as the northerners. Narrow streets curve every few buildings, the view obscured by guest houses, shops, signs, stalls, and bustle. Occasional glimpses of the fort sneak between the obstructions. The hot dry air squelches most smells.

Camel Safari in the Thar Desert

Outside of Jaisalmer, tiny villages are scattered in the desert. Homes are made of stone blocks, plastered with cow dung and mud. Villagers travel by foot or camel across the desert trails. Men dress in sandals, loose cloths around their waists, a plain shirt and a brightly colored turban on their head. Women don brightly colored full length clothing and scarves. The bright colors are the brightest in all of India, a commanding contrast to the desolate sand.

In the desert village are no cows, no chickens, and few sheep. They have been sold or perished after several years of failed monsoons. Only goats and camels remain, and there are fewer of them than two years ago before tourism slowed.

The chief attraction of Jaisalmer is the desert, and most people take a camel safari. We joined up with Pabu and Gamera, of Full Moon Safaris. (email: fullmoonsafaris@hotmail.com) Many hotels offer fancier safaris, but we liked the friendly, informal approach of Pabu and Gamera. Instead of paying a commission to the hotel, and hundreds of Rupees to Jeep drivers, we took the local bus, so that virtually all of our fees ended up with Pabu's family.

Pabu, 24, has been offering camel safaris for about five years. He is particularly popular with Japanese tourists, and highlighted in Japanese guide books. The current edition of Lonely Planet Guidebook for Rajasthan purportedly includes a color photo of Pabu's uncle on the camel that I rode! This is no ordinary camel --while we ate lunch all of the other camels foraged the desert, but this one joined us for chapattis (Indian bread)!

Pabu tries to get enough business to support about thirty people, the extended families of his father and his uncle. His farm is fallow, since the monsoons have failed. Tourism is not as strong as two years ago, so he has had to sell some of his camels and his cart. He also currently has ceremonial earrings, important family symbols, at a pawn shop in exchange for food. (A week after we have left Jaisalmer, Pabu's son took ill and required hospitalization. With little money anyway, the new debt makes it unlikely Pabu will ever be able to reclaim his earrings.)

Pabu is a jolly guy. He approaches his customers not as a business person but as a host, telling local stories, singing songs, and evoking the character of the land and people. He must spend most of his time away from his wife and three children.

In India, youth respect elders. It isn't so much that they respect the wisdom or help that they get from their elders, it is simply that they unquestioningly give their respect. This, I think, helps youth to develop a better sense of themselves in relation to others.

Perhaps an analogy is possible from Chinese Confucianism. In Confucianism, as in all religions, proper human conduct is delineated. However, in Confucianism everything is defined in relation to others. There is no behavior of an individual, just behavior of a father or son, husband or wife, older or younger brother, uncle or nephew, employer or employee, civil administrator or citizen. Everything is understood in relationship to others. In India, children respect their parents simply because that is their role in the relationship, much as the parent provides for the child.

Pabu and Gamery, to show respect, began calling us Dada and Dadi (grandmother and grandfather) and treating us with utmost care. It was almost too much to bear! We are not used to such treatment! But it was quite touching to see what respect to their elders means to these desert villagers.

Many people sign up for a 1-2 day camel safari, and end up adding another day or two, or even more. We also extended our stay another day. Unlike elephant rides (slow, lumbering, and boring), camels cover a fair amount of territory quickly and comfortably, and the desert terrain is full of life and interest. Okay, Fran did complain the second day that she couldn't walk without pain, but .... The star filled nights are hard to describe. We'd lay awake and watch, and even saw one malachite-green shooting star.

The weather is beginning to change on the desert. We arrived during hot days and warm nights. Then a bit of moisture showed up as a hazy sky and the wind began to blow. A day later the wind was a minor sand storm, dust and sand penetrating every pore of our bodies and every bag that we packed. Then the wind subsided for a cool day and night. After the weather rattles around a bit like this it will settle into hot winds, and tourism stops. By summer, hopefully the monsoons will come, starting the cycle of agriculture followed by a bump in tourism in August and then resumption of the tourist season in October.

Jaisalmer

The Jaisalmer Fort is unlike any museum --it is still alive! Built in 1156, the fort still teams with people, homes, hotels, and shops. Restoration work commences on one building while another lies in ruins and a third is a thriving restaurant. The palace is now a museum, but is in surprisingly good shape and restoration has begun. While many people tour the palace just for the incredible views from the rooftop, we find it to be quite fascinating.

Inside the fort as seven beautiful stone-carved Jain temples. We tour them and are struck by the detail and enormity. Fran ponders what it is in the human spirit that drives such efforts. We have seen in every country from Japan to India to Europe the great structures that people build for their faiths. Many defy believe in the sacrifice required to construct them, and the passion that the creators must have had. Another unifying characteristic of all cultures seems to be the passion to create great monuments to their local faith.

Outside of the fort in the main part of the city is Patwon-ki-Haveli, an elaborate palace-home created in the early 1800s by wealthy merchants. Again we marvel at the intricate detailed stone work. Also we are again intrigued by the design, common in much of Asia, with the house forming a square looking into an interior courtyard and with no exterior grounds. A cool space since the haveli is four stories high, the courtyard is quiet refuge. Now devoid of plants and tapestries, and with plaster paintings crumbling, it is easy to imagine fully decorated and alive.

Tourism is light this year, and it is near the end of the season. We meet the same people on the street, and joke with one American couple after we bump into them at three restaurants in a row --all they ever do is eat (of course they get the same impression about us!). Jaisalmer is a nice place to relax into as a tourist, kind of like a beach town without the beach. As always we meet a few new friends. We have been traveling long enough we now even meet two different people that we have seen earlier, one in Thailand last year and one in Nepal last November.

We were able to settle into an internet cafe to catch up on our journals and photos. With Windows XP, it was a snap to get the camera connected and to burn another CDROM.