The Desert State of Rajasthan - Jaisalmer

A truly long journey to Jaisalmer today and it was not comforting at all even with the air conditioner. I somehow pity Mr. Gyan for he had to drive all the way from Bikaner to Jaisalmer. We did stop at 2 places but still I felt like driving and replace Mr. Gyan for awhile. Actually we did offer but Mr. Gyan was reluctant and said it was his job and he has been driving this for a number of years. But he has never drove in Rajasthan during summer. Oppsss....that sounds unpleasant isn't it?

The road to Jaisalmer was good, even if it is not as good as our highway but at least it wouldn't cause damages to any vehicles. According to Mr. Gyan, the road was just built recently and that was why many visitors can access Rajasthan state conveniently. Otherwise, it would take ages to reach Jaisalmer.

It is a good idea to have several rest area along the road. But bear in mind that these places will rip you off for your meals. Having meals in the cities is a lot cheaper than having meals in these rest areas. They really take advantage as most people that drop by these places are mainly tourists. But the food served is reasonably nice and comparable to other places.

After 6-7 hours of journey, we finally reached Khuri desert, where we will spend a  night in the desert area, and in a desert hut, to be precised. We were so excited and didn't think much how it would be like. So we kept our belongings in the hut, and rested for awhile. Water was pretty salty and we didn't even think that the water flow would be normal as in the hotel....ahakksss. It was sufficient for us to brush our teeth and rinse the necessary. The hut has 2 single beds and a fan which was so noisy and there was no proper plug and socket to operate the fan. Meaning to say, we were exposed to electric shock just to turn on and turn off the fan. Hehe...There were tiny holes between the window frames and the walls, as well as the door. So we have to cover it with whatever cloths we have. It was funny but manageable.

The hut model

Desert hut

To get to the desert area, we have to pass through a small village. The ladies would go out to get water from the underground. Life was not as convenient like most of us are experiencing in these days but they seem to be happy. Perhaps the state government has already provided sufficient amenities and they can live with it. If only I understand how it is like to live with no-facilities-at-all, I might stop complaining about this and that. The problem is, I can never live their way of living and I don't think I can survive. But I pray that I won't be an ungrateful person and I pray that to have a pair of hands that give a lot, rather than asking a lot.

And while passing the village, there are lots of peacocks running here and there. Normally I see lots of chickens and chicks running here in there in Malaysian villages but this one is something different. If only I can catch one and pull one of their colouful feathers, that would be nice too. But I had no time for that.

Mounting the camel

These kids work to leave and to pay for their school fees

Did this fella even know that I am riding it?

Mini sand dunes

It has a stinky mouth....erkkk...sorry dude, your master should brush your teeth.

 We spend our time in the desert until sunset. It was the most beautiful sunset I have ever witnessed and different experience. Normally people would witness the sun sets at the beaches, or islands, but witnessing the sunset at the desert is something different. I tried to be clever with my camera but as an amateur, getting a superb shot is almost impossible. But I do have several favorite pictures taken at this point of time.

During sunset at Khuri desert

A lonely baby camel

Looking towards the horizon

A dragonball is in my hand :)

After spending a wonderful time at Khuri desert, we returned to the hut and changed our clothing. We thought of having shower but with the salty underground water, we keep aside our intention. And it was quite cooling that night so having shower was not something necessary.

We had our dinner under the starry sky and it was another nice experience for both of us. We had decent dinner, chappati, the lentils and the potatoes. We were hungry and yet we couldn't finish our meal. After filling in our tummy, it was the best time to go to bed.

The next day we headed to Jaisalmer, which is one of the cities that I have been wanting to go since the past few years. Jaisalmer is not like Paris, or London, or New York, but it is a city which has its own charms that made me feel that I have to be there and experience the atmosphere myself. Jaisalmer is around 20 kilometers from Khuri desert. But on our way to Jaisalmer from Khuri desert, we saw the Jaisalmer fort on the hilltop, raising proudly from the ground. It was such an impressive view from far.

Jaisalmer fort seen from the desert area

When arriving Jaisalmer, we did not check in to the hotel first, but we were dropped at Gadisar Lake. It is a freshwater lake that supplies water to the locals and I was so surprised to see hundreds or thousand of huge catfishes in this lake. Visitors can feed the catfishes but we didn't have anything to feed them.

Actually we met several visitors in the army uniform, and they don't look like Indians at all. I was told that Jaisalmer is actually having a military base camp for training and armies from many countries were sent here. That explains the presence of army visitors in Jaisalmer.

A pavilion,or  gazebo if one wish to view the beautiful scenery around Gadisar lake

It was about time to leave Gadisar lake and we thought we needed a shower. We checked in a hotel in the Jaisalmer city but seriously I could not recall which hotel we've stayed in. It was another hotel without air conditioner but free wifi (though you have to 'fuse' yourself with the door to get the connection). Our stay in this room was not a good one as it was horribly stuffy and getting an air conditioned room would ease the stuffiness. Then again, every single Rupee counts so we have to bare with it. Opening the window did solve the problem but another problem seemed to come in, stinky smell that came from nowhere. So we concluded that we have to go through the stuffiness, but not the smell. Problem solved.

Around 2.30 pm, we went to Jaisalmer fort. There is no admission fee to enter this fort. Every visitor needs to be very careful when entering this fort as we have to share the roadways with the cars and motorcycles. There are sharp bents uphills and downhills so practicing cautions would help.There were also women selling bracelets and some other trinkets but we showed no interest, otherwise we would have less time to spend at the fort.

From my understanding, Jaisalmer fort is facing threats from the locals. Unlike other forts in India, Jaisalmer fort remains as residential area for many of the people and the number increases from time to time. Since the fort has very limited facility and these facilities are not yet upgraded (or may not be upgraded), problems on the sewerage and cleanliness are becoming major issue. The local authority is planning to bring the current residents away from the fort, or shall I say relocation of the residents,but since they do not have the alternative place for the relocation, this plan is put on hold. Not only they do not have the alternatives, but the residents themselves are reluctant to move out. Some of them seem to earn from their small business (maybe legal, or illegal) from selling souvenirs to accommodating visitors in their own renovated small hotel. Generally, most of the residents have already secured a better lives in the fort, and they might lost that living if they have to move out. This is a conflict which needs to be planned wisely by the authority. As a traveller, of course I want this fort to preserved, but as a human, I need to think of the hundreds or thousands of lives that will have to face the impact of relocation.

In this fort, there is a Jain temple which looks really nice from the outside. We thought it was free to enter the temple but once we know it was not free, we canceled our plan. We walked and walked under the scorching heat and blindly explore the fort. The fort is really huge but I was told it was not possible to expore the whole fort as a huge portion of the port was no longer accessible. But we did have fun exploring the fort and the spots that we have accessed were good enough.

Once we were done with Jaisalmer fort, we returned to the car and decided to have lunch. We were supposed to go to a restaurant which was really near to the fort, but it was closed. So Mr. Gyan drove us to the other restaurant in the city center. The food was OK but a little bit expensive. If I am not mistaken, the restaurant was recommended by Lonely Planet or Tripadvisor..either one.

We visited a place where the silversmiths and goldsmiths stay and work from home. To be honest, I was about to vomit when arriving that residential area. There were little pigs soaking themselves in the filthy drain water. Seriously, I tried not to offend anyone but I couldn't stand the smell and the piles of rubbish left unattended. At one time, I felt like crying because people there have to leave in that kind of environment. Then again, it needs a good attitude in keeping their own places clean. Otherwise, the environment will be worse or they have to leave that area. I'm not interested in taking the pictures of this kind of scenario because it is not something nice to display to the world. I just hope that things will be much better and improved, sooner or later.

And by the way, when arriving at the silversmith house, we were briefed about the process of producing the jewellery. It needs skill and creativity though. We were then brought to a room where the silversmith brought out all silver items, rings, pendants, bracelets etc. The price was quite expensive and the design was rather coarse. Of course we couldn't afford to but things beyond our interest. One thing about the visit was that, the silversmith never force us to buy but of course he would be much happier if we could spend some Rupees on the products.

Later, we headed to the main highlight of Jaisalmer, the Patwon Ki Haveli. Haveli actually means something like a house or a building with beautiful facade which can be paintings, or carvings or stained glasses. And this Patwon Ki Haveli is so famous that every traveler visiting Jaisalmer recommends this site. When we reached there, our jaws almost dropped and it was so OMG!! Mind that these havelis are not made of wood but made of the yellow sandstone. How on earth can someone carve on sandstone with such fine carvings? Salute to the craftsmen and you guys did a wonderful job.

To get to the haveli area is free, but to enter the haveli costs around Rps 150. We decided to hover outside the haveli.

There is another haveli which is just nearby Patwon haveli but it was not as huge and famous like Patwon haveli. I couldn't recall the name but it seemed that people didn't bother to visit this smaller haveli. It was supposed to be free of charge to enter this haveli but as usual, people here needs every single rupee to live and they will collect money from visitor who wish to enter the haveli. But we didn't want to give away rupee that easy either. Ihikkss....

So that's the end of our tour in Jaisalmer. We returned to the hotel and did whatever necessary. And tomorrow is another time consuming journey to Jodhpur.

The Desert State of Rajasthan - Bikaner

Good morning world. Well, we had a good night sleep last night with the cooling desert weather at night. I told you, we don't need luxurious room to have good sleep. As long as the mattress is in good shape, the fan is working well and protected from the voracious blood sucker, we are fine. 

We had our own breakfast and by 9 am, we headed to Bikaner. The journey was quite a long one and the landscape started to change, from green shrubs to barren land. It was summer and travelling in a good ait conditioned car was indeed a brilliant idea. This was the time I really thank my buddy for the arrangement she made.

Around noon, we arrived Bikaner and the first place we headed to was the hotel. We checked in and dump our backpack, rested for awhile and had lunch in the hotel. It was a nice hotel but a bit humid as we have chosen the fan room instead of an air conditioned room. One thing I like about Rajasthan was that, no matter how cheap the rooms are, you can still sleep and bath comfortably. and by the way, you may haggle for the room price.

From our room, the view of the Junagarh Fort was pretty clear. And we couldn't wait to see another fort in India. So after performing all the requirements, we spent our day visiting Junagarh Fort, Laxmi Niwas Palace (a palace converted to a luxurious hotel) and the Bikaner Camel Research Center.

Junagarh Fort is a pretty huge fort and was originaly called as Chintamani. Unlike most of the famous forts in India, this fort is not built on a hilltop. This fort consists of several 'mahals', 6 mahals tu be precise, pavillions, havelis and temples (Jain & Hindu). Entrance fee is around Rps 350. Erkkk...more expensive than the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Delhi. 

A picture plays a thousand words. I have more than a picture so let the pictures talk..                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Right after the ticket booth

Nice pavilion but not so cool during the heaty summer

One of the Mahals

I want one this at home...*wink*wink*

Common design in India and I love it so much

Grey sky but it wasn't raining

After an hour in Junagarh Fort, we went to Laxmi Niwas Palace, which is a palace converted into a luxurious hotel. I have no idea how much is the cost for a night, and to be honest, I don't really want to know about it. Ihikkss....Opposite of this hotel, there is a small museum displaying the life of the Bikaner former king,  Maharajah Ganga Singh and his families. It costs Rps 80, if I remember it correctly.

Laxmi Niwas Palace

After a short visit to the place and museum, we went to another interesting place, i.e. the Bikaner Camel Research Centre. I love this place but they impose a fee of Rps 50 for each camera brought in. This is so annoying and my buddy decided to pay, but for 1 camera, just to avoid complications later on. Later we both used our cameras since no one was monitoring the visitors in the the research center.

There are a lot of camel varieties in India and I only remember the Jaisalmer variety. all of the varieties do differ physically, in terms of colours and sizes. I admire camels for they look so gentle and can carry heavy load, not to mention they are very resistance to the extreme desert heat.

The downside of this research center is that, visitors are only able to see the camels but unable to know more about the camels. As Biomedical graduates, we are interested to know the current issues on the health and diseases common in camels but I guess that would need extra Rupees.

Before returning to the hotel, I requested from Mr. Gyan to drop by at the Vodafone outlet, to get myself a registered local number. It was really hard travelling without communicating with people in the country home. So I managed to register and get a local number in Bikaner. It was not that difficult at all but the activation took some time.

Once settled, we returned to the hotel and had dinner in the hotel. Tomorrow is going to be another longer journey to Jaisalmer. Good night!!

The Desert State of Rajasthan - Mandawa

As early as 8 am, our driver, Mr. Gyan picked us up to start the trip around Rajasthan. To be frank, I can never remember the time taken to get to once city to the other within Rajasthan. But the only thing I can remember, it was a long journey and time consuming. But at least not that horrible compared to taking the trains. Hihi...

When arriving Mandawa, we checked in the hotel first. We chose the cheapest room and that meant no air conditioner and the least comfortable room. None of us care about comfort when every single rupee is very important to ensure we return our country home safe and sound. Anway, we checked in at Mandawa Heritage Hotel which was just a walking distance to the town centre. Wifi is available at Rps 100 for 24 hours.

Mandawa is just a small city, really small but it has its own character. The buildings are actually the havelis, but more on paintings rather than carvings. They are old and several are not in used. But there might be people leaving in it. People in Mandawa seemed not to bother about the presence of foreigners but the local young guys (they claim to be the official guide) were a problem. It was a good idea to read about each city to be visited to avoid any sort of tricks and scams that might ruin the traveling trip. Compared to other cities, the young local guys would bug you for 15 to 20 minutes and they kept on following you and tried to convince us that they were not trying to cheat us. Seriously, we did not need any sort of guide since we knew what we were looking for.

While ignoring the guys, we focused on the buildings and started releasing the shutters. It was a great evening and was not that hot.

The haveli with faded painting

Another better haveli

Busy and narrow street with the haveli where all sorts of vehicles pass through

After spending 35 minutes at the town, we headed back to the hotel. We thought of having dinner somewhere but my buddy preferred to dine in the room. Before returning to our room, we were just checking out the hotel which was actually pretty cool. I think this was the best hotel we have stayed for our India trip, in terms of price and identity of the hotel. Might costs a lot more if this was not Mandawa.

The lobby of Mandawa Heritage Hotel

The other angle of the lobby

Looks expensive right?

The most expensive room, around Rps 4500. Nice for honeymooners.

It was a well-spent day today. Tomorrow is another long journey to Bikaner so we need prepare for tomorrow, charge our hand-phones, camera batteries and repack our stuffs.