Jodphur to Jaisalmer, and a camel called Sonia

It was an interesting and arduous six hour bus journey with the locals from Pushkar to Jodphur. Once again, we were the only tourists on the bus which took us along some dreadful roads (it was just like being back in Africa). On arrival in Jodphur, the bus was surrounded by about 50 rickshaw drivers all wanting to take us to the hotel which would pay them commission. However, we are getting used to this now and always pick a hotel from the Lonely Planet guide book before we arrive, and just tell the driver that we already have a reservation. He will still spend the entire journey telling you the hotel he knows is much better and cheaper – they don’t give up easily!

Mehrangarh fort is the focal point of Jodphur and it towers over the city. Many of the city buildings are blue, hence Jodphur being known as the Blue City. The 16^th century fort (reputedly one of the most magnificent in the whole of India) is fascinating to visit and the museum gives you a great insight into Indian history. From old to new, we also visited the Umaid Bhawan Palace on the other side of the city. Building of this incredible palace began in 1929 and took 3000 workers 15 years to complete.

Jodphur

After a day sightseeing in Johphur, it was onwards to Jaisalmer by overnight train. Jaisalmer is another city built around a fort, although this one is different in that people live and work within the fort walls and the twisting streets inside are full of shops and businesses. India is certainly a shoppers paradise – by the end of this trip, I think I may have discarded all the items I bought with me for new stuff. Everything is so cheap and yet so nice! Items purchased so far include two pairs of trousers, a scarf, cushion covers and bracelets – total cost probably around £10.

Jaisalmer is known as the Golden City because of its sandstone coloured buildings. The city appears unfinished because of the flat top roofs and the piles of rubble everywhere. The beauty (or problem depending on how you look at it) of the flat top roof is that your house or hotel is never finished – you can just keep building on it if you wish. The sandstone colours definitely give the sense that this is a desert city, and certainly most tourists visit Jaisalmer for the purpose of getting out into the Thar Desert.

Jaisalmer

What a joy it is to escape to the desert and camp out in the sand dunes under the star filled skies. Not a single beeping horn to be heard, just total peace and tranquillity. For two days, we did not see any other tourists. It was just me, Di, our camel driver/guide and our three camels, and any locals we saw in the little villages dotted along the way. My camel was called Sonia and, in truth, we actually had four camels because Sonia’s one year old daughter, Lalu, decided she would come on the safari too. It has to be said camels are not the most comfortable mode of transport but, as you might have guessed by the title of the blog, I had become quite attached to Sonia by the end of the two days. Having said that, after the heat of the desert during the day, and then sleeping under camel scented blankets at night, I was also more than glad of a shower and a comfortable bed on our return to Jaisalmer.