Some Indians when speaking in English speak 240 to the dozen and Rupee was no exception which made it difficult to pick up all that he was saying as we visited the fort.
Jaisalmer fort is the only fort in India which is more than just a monument as there are over 4000 people living permanently within the walls which to a certain extent makes it just like visiting an old town with the hustle and bustle of shops of all description, motorcycles and Tuk tuks using the narrow roads and people going about their daily business - it creates atmosphere.
Numerous buildings have inscriptions like the following painted near the entrance which if we understood Rupee correctly signifies the day in which the occupants married
A feature of the fort is that it contains seven Jain temples and we visited two of them - internally they are quite spectacular with the many figures and columns carved from marble.
From a rooftop cafe there was a wonderful view of the city of Jaisalmer which though it appears to be of size is said to have a population of 90,000. The view certainly gives strength to the notion that Jaisalmer is the golden city.
The video I took of the view is here
The city is close to the Pakistani border, we have been told two different distances 60 km and 160 km, and as a result there is a significant army contingent stationed in the area and if the sound of military aircraft blazing overhead is any indication then there is air force personnel somewhere handy - India seems to take the threat that alleged Pakistani terrorists present seriously, though we have seen nothing to suggest that we are in an unsafe part of India.
On the hills around the city there are many wind turbines linking into the national grid but according to Rupee they still experience “electricity problems” in Jaisalmer.
One of the attractions of the fort are the havelis within the fort and one we visited was the home of the first prime minister of the Rajasthan State and is still inhabited by his descendants.
The Government approves one bhang cafe in each city and here is the one in Jaisalmer
One other “attraction” in Jaisalmer is the man made lake, Gadisar Lake, which was constructed in 1156. Currently it is fed by the India Gandhi Canal but we understand previously relied on monsoon rain to fill it. The lake continues thousands of catfish and not unsurprisingly are another revered species in Hinduism.
There are pigeons perched on ledges and rooftops throughout the city and in the fort and if they leave their mark on you it is said to be good luck – like the two others seen wiping clean their hair, Sherry wished she had been wearing a hat!
With the temperature approaching 30 degrees we retired to the hotel mid afternoon and took to the pool – we couldn’t see the ice cubes in it but I swear there must have been some as the water was cold but refreshing.
Tomorrow we move out into the desert for a night glamping so don’t expect we will have wifi and therefore we might be off grid for a day until we arrive in Jodhpur on Monday.
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