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Waiting for late trains had
become a routine for me so I when my train finally left Jaipur at 12:30 in
the morning bound for the desert town of Jaisalmer I was just happy to be
'on the tracks' again. The ride lasted more than 12 hours (due to delays)
but I was able to rest and become well acquainted with the Thar Desert in
the Western State of Rajasthan which is the biggest inhabited desert in the
world. From my view on the train, this was not your stereotypical desert
with miles and miles of sand dunes. There was a lot of sand but there was
also a variety of short vegetation and weird looking cactuses.
I arrived into the remote desert
town of Jaisalmer at 2:00
and upon stepping out of the train station I was immediately invaded by a
large number of auto rickshaw drivers who all wished to sell me their
services. I sternly refused their offers and waited until I was a ways from
the train station before hopping on a auto rickshaw. The ride cost 30 Rs.
and lasted about 5 minutes. It took me a few more minutes to find my desired
hotel and within 45 minutes, I had secured a room and a camel ride for the
next day all for only 400 Rupees.
In the afternoon, I walked
around the small desert city, looking for a place to eat near the large fort
which sat on a hill. I found this little town to be quite a delightful place
and even though it had a touristy feel about it I enjoyed the feeling of
being in the middle of a big desert. I ate what somewhat resembled a pizza
(cheese, bread, and tomato sauce) on the rooftop of a nearby hotel then I
climbed up to the fort through one of the gates. The fort, which was built
in the 12th century, is
inhabited by 40,000 people. Walking through the ultra narrow streets filled
with little shops and vendors was a charming way to spend my afternoon. The
main historical attractions in the fort were a Jain Temple, which was
closed, and the Palace area, which I was able to enter. I spent some time
browsing the Palace Museum and was able to find a great view of the city of Jaipur on top. In the distance, giant windmills turned rapidly most likely
providing all of the electricity for this little town. Later, I
enjoyed delicious Apple Pie and ice cream at a nearby eatery.
In the evening, I did a little
exploring around my hotel area and discovered that the little city came
alive at night with food and souvenir vendors. The air was quite fresh and I
was happy that I had decided to make this leg of the trip. In the evening, I
returned to my hotel with some snacks and decided to get some rest so that I
could enjoy my camel ride the next day.
My camel's name was Raju and he
looked like any other camel I had ever seen. He was tall, had a big hump,
and a long neck. He and his driver were waiting for me outside of my hotel
at 8:00 sharp the next morning. I had never really seen a camel get down on
its knees before, but when Raju kneeled so that I could mount him, it was
quite a sight and the whole process looked a little painful. As we made our
way through the city and out into the desert, little children came running
out to meet us and waved furiously at me. For the next four hours, my guide,
who stayed on foot, took us through various paths in the desert. During the
ride, I observed that there were families living in the desert with nothing
more than a large piece of fabric to cover them at night. I also saw many
grave stones and had a chance to get up close to one of the windmills which
looked a lot bigger up close. I also explored the grave site of many of the
previous Kings who had ruled the area. One gravestone dated back to a few
hundred years ago. All in all, the ride was pleasant although it
wasn't always comfortable. During the trip, I was introduced to a few
muscles that I didn't know even existed.
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